“The Jaw Breaker” Ken Norton

Kenneth Howard “Ken” Norton Sr. (August 9, 1943 – September 18, 2013) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981, and held the WBC heavyweight title in 1978. He is best known for his fight trilogy with Muhammad Ali, in which Norton won the first by split decision, lost the second by split decision, and lost the final by a controversial unanimous decision. Norton also fought a slugfest with Larry Holmes in 1978, narrowly losing a split decision.

Norton retired from boxing in 1981, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

Norton was an outstanding athlete at Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Illinois. He was selected to the all-state team football team on defense as a senior in 1960. His track coach entered him in eight events, and Norton placed first in seven. As a result, the “Ken Norton Rule”, which limits the participation of an athlete to a maximum of four track and field events, was instituted in Illinois high school sports. After graduating from high school, Norton went to Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) on a football scholarship and studied elementary education.^[2] In an interview with ESPN Fitness Magazine in 1985, Norton said that he would have become a teacher or a policeman if he had not taken up boxing.^[3]

Norton enlisted into the Marines after leaving school, serving from 1963-67. Norton was a manual morse intercept (MOS 2621) graduating from NCTC Corry Station, Pensacola Florida. During his time with the Corps he took up boxing, compiling a 24–2 record en route to three All-Marine Heavyweight titles. In time, he became the best boxer to ever fight for the Corps, and was awarded the North Carolina AAU Golden Gloves, International AAU and Pan American titles.^[4][5][6] Following the National AAU finals in 1967, he turned professional.

Norton built up a steady string of wins, some against journeyman fighters and others over fringe contenders like the giant Jack O’Halloran. He was learning and improving. But he suffered a surprise defeat, ironically just after The Ring magazine had profiled him as a prospect, at the hands of heavy hitting Venezuelan boxer Jose Luis Garcia in 1970. It was justifiably Garcia’s career peak. Norton overpowered Garcia in their rematch five years later, when both were rated contenders.

Norton was given the motivational book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill,^[7]^[8]^[9] which, as he states in his autobiography, Going the Distance, changed his life.^[10] Shortly before he died, Norton stated “Think and Grow Rich changed my life dramatically. I was going to fight Muhammad Ali. I was a green fighter, but yet I won, all through reading this book.”^[11] Upon reading Think and Grow Rich, he went on a 14-fight winning streak, including the shocking victory noted above over Muhammad Ali in 1973 to win the North American Boxing Federation heavyweight champion title.^[12]^[13] To quote Norton from his autobiography noted above, “These words (from Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich) were the final inspiration in my victory over Ali: Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.”^[14] Norton also took a complete course by Napoleon Hill on gaining wealth and peace of mind. “It can be related to anybody, to be the best in a career, to think positive”, said Norton.^[15]

An article which appeared in The Southeast Missourian^[16] discussed that Norton credited Napoleon Hill’s philosophy for his success. To quote from the article, “Norton says he’s a believer in Napoleon Hill’s philosophy, that a person can do anything he puts his mind to. ‘So I train for my fights,’ he says, ‘mentally as well as physically. One thing I do is only watch films of the fights in which I’ve done well or in which my opponent has done poorly.'”

Norton once said, “In boxing, and in all of life, nobody should ever stop learning!”^[17]