Ken Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (born August 9, 1943, Jacksonville, Illinois) is an American former heavyweight boxer and former WBC Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his 12-round victory over Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat Ali as a professional (after Joe Frazier, who won a 15-round unanimous decision against Ali on March 8, 1971).
He and Ali would fight twice more in their trilogy, with Ali officially winning narrowly both returns, although many felt Norton truly deserved their 3rd fight. Norton was awarded the WBC title (by virtue of his win over Jimmy Young in a 1977 title elimination bout) when Leon Spinks declined a mandated title defense against Norton, the No. 1 contender. However, Norton lost it in his first defense on a split-decision by 1 point to Larry Holmes in a great contest (Holmes-Norton is ranked as the 10th greatest heavyweight fight of all time by Monte D. Cox, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization).
Read more about Ken Norton: Early Years, Boxing Career, TV and Film Career, Family, Professional Boxing Record
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—Sean O’Casey (1884–1964)
“Every cloud must have a silver lining.”
—George A. Norton (1880–1923)