Despite getting revenge, Norton tested Ali to the limit in their September 1973 rematch. Photo from The Ring archive
On September 10, 1973, Muhammad Ali won a hard-fought 12-round split decision over Ken Norton at the Forum in Inglewood, California. With round scoring, one judge scored 6-5-1 for Norton, but it was overturned on counts of 7-5 and 6-5-1.
Five months earlier, Norton had scored a split decision victory over Ali in San Diego. The ex-Marine followed coach Eddie Futch’s game plan to perfection, matching Ali’s jab and punishing the body at every opportunity. Breaking The Greatest’s jaw was the icing on the cake.
After a period of convalescence, Ali claimed that Norton had caught him ill-prepared and vowed to avenge the loss. In his defense, the former champion had weighed in at 221 pounds in the first fight and seemed overweight. Broken and out of shape jaw? The prevailing wisdom was that Norton’s victory had been a fluke.
A big surprise was coming.
Having dropped to 212 pounds, his lightest weight since stopping Oscar Bonavena in December 1970, Ali dazzled early in the Norton rematch. The jab was precise, it controlled distance, and those dancing feet brought back memories of his 1960s heyday. However, Norton was constantly pressing and Ali’s movement had slowed midway through.
Norton’s jab began to score. Body shots landed with an audible thud. Pulverizing left hooks and overhand rights stunned the former champion. The gap on the scoreboard was narrowing and Ali needed a big finish to secure victory.
Drawing on all her resources, Ali had both the conditioning and the willpower to dig deep. He vastly outclassed Norton down the stretch and just barely managed to pull out the win.
“Ken Norton was tough both times we fought,” Ali acknowledged in a 1975 interview with The Ring. “He broke my jaw in the first one, for which he was in no condition. The second time, in Los Angeles, I was ready and I won the first few rounds, but I had to take a split decision in the last round.
Norton’s force and jerky pace baffles me, and as [Joe] Frazier, it will always be hard for me to conquer.”
He was absolutely right. In September 1976, Ali was considered very lucky to retain his heavyweight championship by a 15-round unanimous decision in New York.
