Ken Norton(b. August 9, 1943, Jacksonville, Illinois) is a former world champion heavyweight boxer. Norton is one of the few to beat Muhammad Ali. Norton was an outstanding athlete at Jacksonville High School. His track coach entered him in eight events and Ken placed first in all. As a result, the "Ken Norton Rule" was instituted in Illinois high school sports which limits participation of an athlete to a maximum of three track and field events. After graduating from high school, Norton went to Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) on a football schol started boxing when he was in the United States Marine Corps (Norton was inducted into the USMC Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.) After making it to the National AAU finals, he turned professional in 1967. In 1973, Norton fought Muhammad Ali. Norton broke Ali's jaw and went on to win by a split decision. Norton's victory over Ali made him the NABF Heavyweight Champion and it was the second defeat for "The Greatest" in his career. Six months later, Ali avenged the defeat when he beat Norton by a split decision. Although Norton felt that he had done enough to win the rematch, most boxing authorities agree that Ali came off best. Ken Norton Jr. ... For the mixed martial arts division of the same name, see Heavyweight (MMA). ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. ... For other persons named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation). ... Truman State University is a public liberal arts and sciences university in Missouri and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. ... The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... For other persons named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation). ...

In 1974, Norton fought George Foreman for the World Heavyweight Championship, and was stopped in two rounds. Two years later, Norton received another title shot against Ali in their third fight. The scorecards had Norton winning six of the first eight rounds and comfortably ahead. Ali won the ninth and tenth rounds, lost the eleventh and took the next three. In one of the closest fights in history, the fight was even going into the final frame. Ali won. Famed referee Arthur Mercante, who was the third man in the ring, felt Norton was the victim of bad advice from his corner who told him to "take it easy" the last round while Ali's trainer told him to go out and fight like hell. The January 1998 issue of Boxing Monthly listed Ali-Norton as the fifth most disputed title fight decision in boxing history. George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American two-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

Norton is somewhat distiguishible for a unique blocking/coverup style characterised by elbows out to the sides, and one hand above the other, where most other boxers (for the same given situation) would have elbows in and hands alongside one another.

In 1975, Norton took a detour into acting by taking the title role in the Paramount Pictures release, Mandingo. The film was notorious for its sexual content and portrayal of race relations during the days of slavery in the Deep South. Although the movie did well at the box office, many critics panned the movie as exploitation. In the 1970s/1980s, Norton continued to act, appearing in a sequel, Drum, as well as a few other minor film and television appearances. Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the book Mandingo by Kyle Onstott, about an African slave in the 1840s United States who is trained as a prize fighter by his owner. ... Drum is the 1976 sequel to the movie Mandingo, and released by United Artists. ...

Following the Leon Spinks upset of Muhammad Ali for the championship in February 1978, Spinks elected to fight a return bout against Ali rather than face Norton, the top contender. The World Boxing Council, which had mandated a Spinks-Norton bout for their championship, withdrew its recognition of Spinks as champion. Leon Spinks (born July 11, 1953 in St. ... For other persons named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation). ... WBC logo mark “WBC” redirects here. ...

On March 18, 1978, the WBC made history by naming Norton its champion without benefit of a title match. The WBC stated that they considered Norton's victory over Jimmy Young, which was sanctioned by the WBC as a title eliminator, a retroactive championship match. Norton wouldn't hold onto the title for very long. is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Jimmy Young (November 16, 1948 – February 20, 2005) was a Philadelphian heavyweight boxer who had his greatest success during the 1970s. ...

In his first defense of the WBC title, Norton and new #1 contender Larry Holmes met in a classic fight. After 15 brutal rounds, Holmes was awarded the title via an extremely close split decision. The September 1998 edition of The Ring magazine listed the final round of the Holmes-Norton bout as one of "The 12 Greatest Finishes of All Time". For the politician and activist, see Larry Holmes (Marxist). ...

Norton remains unique among all heavyweight champions, as he is still the only holder of a World Heavyweight Championship to have never won a single world title fight. In 1981 when Norton was past his prime, he retired after getting knocked out in one round by Gerry Cooney. He had a record of 42-7-1. Norton went on to act in motion pictures and popular television series, such as jailbird "Jackhammer" Jackson in 'Pros and Cons', an early first season epiosde of The A-Team (filmed 1982, broadcast 1983), and as boxer Bo Keeler in the fourth season Knight Rider episode 'Redemption of a Champion' (1986). He continued making such appearances until suffering injuries in an auto accident which resulted in temporary brain and permanent physical damage. Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Gerry the Great White Hope Cooney (Born August 4, 1956) was a boxer from Huntington, NY best known for his loss to Larry Holmes in one of the largest boxing spectacles in history. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... For the 2008 movie, see The A-Team (film). ... For the American media company, see Knight Ridder. ...

Ken Norton is a 1992 inductee of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame and a 1989 inductee of the World Boxing Hall of Fame. The 1998 holiday issue of The Ring ranked Norton # 22 in "The 50 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time." Norton received the Napoleon Hill Award for positive thinking. Norton received the Boxing Writers Association of America J. Niel Trophy for "Fighter of the Year" in 1977. Ken Norton was twice voted "Father of the Year" by the Los Angeles Sentinel and the Los Angeles Times. His son, Ken Norton Jr, played American football in the NFL. The former San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys star linebacker has the distinction of playing in and winning three consecutive Super Bowl championships (two with the Cowboys and one with the 49ers). Ken Norton Jr. is now the linebackers coach for the University of Southern California Trojans. The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. ... Ken Norton Jr. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... NFL redirects here. ...

• Autobiography: Going The Distance: The Ken Norton Story

Leon Spinks (born July 11, 1953 in St. ... This is a chronological list of world heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the following organizations: The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963, The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983, and The World Boxing... For the politician and activist, see Larry Holmes (Marxist). ...

References

Kenny never touched boxing gloves until he enlisted in the Marines. His high school track coach believed Kenny could have medaled in the decathlon in the Olympics.

External links

• Ken Norton at the Internet Movie Database

• Official Web Site of Ken Norton
• Boxing Record
• Marine Corps Community Services: Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame page about Ken Norton
• International Boxing Hall of Fame
• World Boxing Hall of Fame