Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton III

Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton III

New York City, New York
Title(s) on the line	WBA, WBC and The Ring undisputed heavyweight championship
Tale of the tape
Boxer Muhammad Ali Ken Norton Nickname "The Greatest" "The Jaw Breaker" Hometown Louisville, Kentucky San Diego, California Purse $6,000,000 $1,000,000 Pre-fight record 52–2 (37 KO) 37–3 (30 KO) Age 34 years, 8 months 33 years, 1 month Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) Weight 221 lb (100 kg) 217+1⁄2 lb (99 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBA, WBC and The Ring undisputed Heavyweight Champion WBA/WBC No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight
Result
Ali defeated Norton via Unanimous Decision

Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton III was a professional boxing match contested on September 28, 1976, for the undisputed heavyweight championship.^[1]

Background

External audio
National Press Club Luncheon Speakers, Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton, August 27, 1976, 1:02:57, Norton speaks at 8:58, Ali 11:10-39:00, Library of Congress[2]

Ali and Norton met for the third and last time on September 28, 1976, at

Overall, Ali landed 199 of 709 punches while Norton landed 286 of 635 punches, per Bob Canobbio's CompuBox statistics. Norton both landed more punches and had far better accuracy (45% vs 28%). Norton also landed 192 power punches to Ali's 128.^{[3] [4]}

Aftermath

Of the 21 sportswriters polled after the fight, 17 believed that Norton won. Ali said during an interview with Mark Cronin in October 1976: "Kenny's style is too difficult for me. I can't beat him, and I sure don't want to fight him again. I honestly thought he beat me in Yankee Stadium, but the judges gave it to me, and I'm grateful to them." Norton was bitter, stating after the fight: "I won at least nine or ten rounds. I was robbed."

Norton said of the result years later: "If you saw the look on Ali's face at the end, he knew I beat him. He didn't hit me hard the whole fight. Then they announced the judges' decision and I was bitter, very bitter. Not towards Ali... he'd done his job, he was just there to fight. But I was hurt, I was mad, I was angry. I was upset... and it still upsets me."^[5]

Undercard

Confirmed bouts:^[6]

References