Muhammad Ali, right, takes a hard left from Ken Norton during their 1973 re-match – Norton won their first fight, and famously broke Ali’s jaw. Photo: AP
Former world heavyweight champion Ken Norton, who broke Muhammad Ali’s jaw when they fought in 1973, has died at the age of 70.
Norton, who passed away from heart failure at a Las Vegas nursing home, had been in poor health after a series of strokes.
The former US marine, who was only the second man to ever beat Ali, had an unconventional boxing style that saw him rise through the ranks to battle some of the era’s greatest fighters, including George Foreman, Joe Frazier and Larry Holmes.
His famous victory over Ali, which came at the height of the champion’s dominance of the sport, was followed by two further bouts, becoming one of the great rivalries in boxing history.
Norton lost both rematches, but only by the slimmest of margins each time.
Norton’s unorthodox style – coming in close and jabbing from below rather than above, and using a cross-armed defence – took many of his opponents by surprise.
He was eventually crowned the World Boxing Council’s champion in 1977, but only because the holder, Leon Spinks, decided to fight Ali instead of facing Norton, who was the mandatory challenger. – Mail Online
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