About the only thing Ken Norton was afraid to fight was the Venezuelan government. It was 1974 and Norton was heading back to the United States after being knocked out in the second round of a heavyweight title fight against champion George Foreman in Caracas, Venezuela.
The original contracts had stipulated neither fighter would have to pay Venezuelan taxes. But the government was overthrown during their three weeks in the country and the new regime wanted the boxers to leave 25 percent of their purse. That equated to $75,000 for Norton and $225,000 for Foreman. Foreman balked at the request and stayed in Venezuela five extra days until the promoters paid the tax. Norton paid the tariff and flew home.
“He took two on the chin within 24 hours,” said long-time public relations man Bill Caplan, “one from Foreman and the other from the Venezuelan government.”
Norton died on Wednesday in a Las Vegas care facility. He was 70. He had many highs and lows during a career that stretched from 1967 to 1981. He was part of the golden age of heavyweight boxing and fought the greatest names in the sport: Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Foreman, Earnie Shavers and Gerry Cooney.
Norton started boxing when he was in the Marine Corps from 1963 to 1967 and came to national prominence when he broke Ali’s jaw and won a split decision in San Diego on March 31, 1973. He would fight Ali twice more, losing close decisions in both. But he was awarded the WBC heavyweight title in 1978 when then champion Leon Spinks refused to face him and opted for a rematch with Ali. Norton would lose his first title defense to Larry Holmes on a split decision that is still considered one of the greatest fights in heavyweight history.
Despite compiling a record of 42-7-1 with 33 knockouts, Norton never quite achieved the acclaim of his contemporaries: Ali, Foreman and Joe Frazier. Still he was beloved in boxing.
“He was a great champion and a great man and great guy for boxing,” said Cooney, who scored a first-round knockout of Norton in May 1981 at Madison Square Garden.
Norton was known for his chiseled body, a Hercules in boxing trucks. It earned him a role in the 1975 movie Mandingo. But a near fatal car wreck in 1986 slowed his mobility and speech. He had been in poor health for several years, but was a frequent visitor to the International Boxing Hall Fame where he was inducted in 1992.
“For a guy late to boxing, he had a great career and did many good things,” Cooney said. “That’s when boxing was boxing. He was part of a great time in the game. Unfortunately, we’ll probably never see that again.”