Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton 2

On September 10, 1973, Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton faced off for the second time at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The bout was a rematch following their first encounter six months earlier, where Norton had shocked the boxing world by breaking Ali's jaw and claiming a decision victory. Norton came into the ring with the NABF heavyweight title on the line as the defending champion. Ali was determined to reclaim pride and momentum in his quest to return to the heavyweight division's top.

Ali, weighing 212 pounds, looked sharper and leaner than in their first meeting. At 205 pounds, Norton appeared equally prepared, his muscular frame and steely demeanour reflecting the confidence of a man who had already conquered the former champion once before. The referee, Dick Young, oversaw proceedings, and the fight was broadcast on closed-circuit television to a global audience.

Muhammad Ali regained the North American heavyweight championship from Ken Norton by a narrow split decision over 12 rounds at the Forum in Inglewood, California, on September 10, 1973. Norton had taken the title from Ali five months earlier in San Diego, where he broke the former world champion’s jaw and won a split decision. For the return, Norton entered as the leading contender for George Foreman’s world championship, with Ali ranked immediately behind him. Ali was a 12-to-5 favourite, weighed 212 pounds and received a guaranteed $275,000. Norton, seven pounds lighter at 205, was guaranteed $200,000. A paid attendance of 12,100 produced a gate of $548,400, while the contest was transmitted by closed-circuit television to 255 locations in the United States, Canada and Britain.

Ali had been poorly prepared for the first contest but reported in much better condition for the rematch. From the opening bell he sought to prevent Norton from establishing the forward movement which had troubled him in San Diego. He circled quickly, jabbed at Norton’s head and delivered combinations before moving away. Norton used his unusual cross-armed defence, with the right hand held across the body and the left lower than customary, and attempted to upset Ali’s rhythm with a jab thrown upwards from waist level. The champion followed patiently and worked towards the body whenever Ali stopped. Ali’s speed gave him the better of much of the early boxing, but his punches did not discourage Norton from advancing.

Norton increased his pressure in the fifth round, leading with the jab and forcing Ali to give ground more rapidly. His method was not graceful, but it was effective against Ali. Rather than following the former champion’s head as he leaned away, Norton struck at the chest and body, reducing the room in which Ali could move. He also used the right hand over Ali’s jab and brought the left hook around the side of the guard. Ali continued to score with fast single punches and short combinations, yet Norton was beginning to make him work for every interval of open space.

The middle rounds belonged largely to Norton’s pressure. He was physically stronger at close quarters and remained composed when Ali’s punches struck his gloves or arms. When Ali paused near the ropes, Norton drove both hands into the body and then brought the right towards the head. Ali was hurt during the seventh and spent more time defending than attacking. He frequently pulled backwards from punches rather than blocking them, a habit Norton’s long right hand was well suited to punish. Ali’s counters remained sharper, but Norton was landing the heavier blows and dictating where the exchanges took place.

Ali recovered sufficiently to make the later rounds close. He fought in short, urgent passages, moving for much of a round before stopping to release three or four punches. Norton continued to advance, although the pace had begun to affect him and his attacks were no longer as well organised. Two right hands from Ali in the tenth checked Norton’s progress. In the eleventh, Norton again worked forward and struck hard to the body, but Ali landed his best head punch of the contest late in the round, a right hand to the chin which visibly shook the champion. There were no knockdowns, warnings or point deductions.

The issue remained unsettled entering the twelfth. Ali began the final round quickly, moving on his toes and beating Norton to the punch with the jab and right hand. He put together his fastest combinations of the fight during the opening minute, snapping Norton’s head back and moving away before the reply. Norton recovered and resumed his body attack, but Ali continued to score often enough to retain the advantage. Norton was still punching at the bell, yet Ali’s early command of the round proved decisive. Referee Dick Young and judge John Thomas awarded the last round to Ali; without it, neither man would have had him ahead.

Young scored seven rounds to five for Ali. Thomas also voted for Ali, six rounds to five with one even, while judge George Latka favoured Norton by six rounds to five with one even. The disagreement extended through the press benches. The Associated Press scored six rounds to five for Norton, United Press International had Ali ahead by nine rounds to two, and a poll of 15 ringside writers produced eight votes for Ali, six for Norton and one even. The official scores printed in some later accounts have been reversed, but the result was Ali by split decision after 12 rounds, not 15.

Ali won by showing better speed and summoning his strongest work when the decision was at stake, but Norton again demonstrated why his style caused him such difficulty. His cross-armed guard, rising jab and steady body attack denied Ali the comfortable rhythm he found against more conventional heavyweights. Norton lost the championship but strengthened his standing among the leading contenders. Ali recovered both the NABF title and his position near the head of the heavyweight division, although the closeness of the decision made a third meeting likely. That final contest came at Yankee Stadium in 1976 and produced an even greater argument over the verdict.

I’ve always said Ken Norton was the wrong sort of man for Muhammad Ali. Not the best heavyweight Ali ever fought, not bigger than Foreman, not as relentless as Frazier, but awkward in a way that made Ali look uncomfortable. Their first fight in San Diego had exposed that, with Norton breaking Ali’s jaw and taking the decision. So when they met again at The Forum in Inglewood, this was not just another Ali comeback appearance. This was a man trying to prove he had solved a problem.

Ali won the rematch by split decision over 12 rounds, but anyone telling you otherwise was simply having you on. Dick Young had Ali 7-5, John Thomas 6-5, while George Latka scored it 6-5 for Norton. Even the ringside press was split, which tells you the truth.

Norton’s cross-arm defence, low jab and strength kept bothering Ali. He made Ali work every minute, and when Ali stood still too long, Norton got to him. But Ali was sharper than in the first fight, lighter at 212, and he finished better. That mattered. In a close fight, the last impression can nick it, and Ali knew how to steal moments like a master thief.

I would not call it a robbery. I would call it a really close one where Ali just about did enough. Norton proved again he belonged at that level, and Ali proved something different: even when the style was all wrong for him, he could dig out a result.