Ken Norton Video | Boxing Clips and Interviews

Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (born August 9, 1943, Jacksonville, Illinois) is a former heavyweight boxer. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak 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... MORE

Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (born August 9, 1943, Jacksonville, Illinois) is a former heavyweight boxer. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak 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. But Ken 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.) Norton was an outstanding athlete at Jacksonville High School. He was a member of the state championship football team and was selected to the all-state team on defense as a senior in 1960. His track coach entered LESS