First match
Still rebuilding a winning record after his first professional loss to Joe Frazier, Ali faced Ken Norton, Norton on March 31, 1973, at the San Diego Sports Arena, Sports Arena, San Diego, California. The fight was aired live on free TV in the United States via American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The fight against Norton started a years-long rivalry. Ali was outmaneuvered by Norton's unorthodox fighting style, which involved jabbing from below and crossing his hands for defence. As the final bell rang, Norton won on a split decision, igniting a controversy in the boxing world. Soon after the fight, Ali was treated in hospital for a broken jaw. Dundee claimed that Ali's jaw was broken in the first round, while Futch claimed that it was the eleventh.Bob Canobbio and Lee Groves. "Muhammad Ali: By The Numbers." CompuBox: Feb 17, 2018. Page 142. Norton landed 233 punches (43% accuracy) to Ali's 171 (26% accuracy), with a lead of 124 to 78 in power punches. Ali outlanded Norton in 4 rounds, while Norton outlanded Ali in 8. According to Dr. Gary Manchester, who performed the operation to wire Ali's jaw together: "The bone which was broken had three or four jagged edges and they kept poking into his cheek and mouth. It was a very bad break." Ali accepted his defeat graciously, agreeing to shake Norton's hand in the ring. Norton in turn visited Ali's hospital room afterward, which he believed cemented a friendship. Both sides immediately began talks for a rematch, with Ali claiming he'd win another bout and Norton saying he'd knock out Ali next time. Ali was quoted in ''The Ring'' after the fight: "I have nobody to blame but myself for my loss to Ken Norton. I didn't train properly because I really didn't think Ken was that great a fighter. I was wrong. This time things will be different. You'll see the real Muhammad Ali."Second match
On September 10, 1973, Ali and Norton met at The Forum (Inglewood, California), the Forum, Inglewood, California, USA, for their highly anticipated rematch. Norton was in good shape going into the second fight while Ali took to training at his training camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, where he "sought to whip his once Adonis-like physique back into shape." Ali weighed in at 211 for this fight, 10 pounds lighter than the first. Norton was 210 in the first and 205 for the second. As the fight began, both Ali and Norton appeared in shape and energetic. However, Ali demonstrated his physical stamina by skipping without pause and standing between rounds. Norton came out aggressively in the beginning of the fifth round, leading with a barrage of jabs and pushing Ali to a more defensive posture. In the final round, Ali dominated with a series of combinations. Though the match was close, Ali ended up winning the split with 2 votes to 1. Although Ali had demonstrated the physical stamina for which he had become known, he admitted, "I'm tireder than usual, because of my age." The decision was controversial. Norton had the edge in shots landed, hitting Ali with 197 punches while Ali hit him with 175, and leading 144 to 91 in power punches and 40% to 28% in accuracy. Norton landed more punches in 7 rounds and Ali did so in 4, with 1 round even. After the bout, Ali stated: "Ken Norton is the best man I have ever fought. No man could hit me as much as Norton did in the shape that I am. Frazier couldn't do it... Foreman wouldn't do it. I imagine if you watched films of my old fights, I'm not too much slower, but I can't be 22 again."Third match
Ali and Norton met for the third and last time on September 28, 1976, at Yankee Stadium (1923), Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, USA, completing their trilogy. This time, 34-year-old Ali entered the ring as List of heavyweight boxing champions, Heavyweight Champion, making the eighth defense of his title since his The Rumble in the Jungle, victory over George Foreman in 1974. Both fighters showed their strengths, but neither established themselves as the obvious winner. Most commentators gave the fight to Norton. Ultimately, Ali won by a unanimous decision, thereby retaining his title. 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." 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. Of the 21 sportswriters polled after the fight, 17 believed that Norton won. 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."Canobbio and Groves, p. 238-239.References
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