?I won the first fight and the third,? Norton told me. ?With Muhammad it was a mental thing. You had to beat him in and out of the ring??
In honor of the late Ken Norton, we reprint a Boxing.com tribute originally published on May 23, 2012, celebrating a meeting between Mike Schmidt and the former heavyweight champ. Rest well Hall-of-Famer.
LAS VEGAS (Ringside the day before Rios vs. Abril)?I have just come out of one of the finest men?s clothing and accessory stores in the world, in my humble opinion, and that of various ?Best Retailer? sites, Elton?s Men?s Store on the indoor walkway between Luxor and Mandalay Bay. I can turn left and visit ?The Kansas City Comet? hall of fame running back Gayle Sayers, at a meet and greet collectible store, or I can turn right to the ?MVP? sports memorabilia store, which has a huge stand up poster out the front, ?Meet the Jawbreaker?? Ken Norton it will be, and Gayle later.
I do not enter the store immediately and I am not sure why. I think, in part, that I am not sure what I want to say to a legend in Norton and a fighter who I always admired. He was always in top shape, always gave his all, and presented himself in a classy way. I am also wondering how many people are going to come in as it is late morning and not much action is about. In short I watch across the way for about twenty minutes and take a respite from the Vegas all about me to collect my own personal thoughts. There are perhaps four or five people that come and go with one person getting a photo and autograph.
Upon entering there are two videos showing the same fight, the first Ali fight. Howard Cossel?s voice blares from the screens, ?His record is 30-1, with 24 knockouts, you haven?t heard much about Norton and this is supposed to be a routine exercise for Ali.? I pass the Champ and go towards the back and strike up an immediate fun conversation with ?Paul? the manager. It turns out that he comes from the same small town in England as my wife so we have some fun talking about that. I tell him if he does not mind I will meander about for a bit of time before I say hello to Kenny. This is quite the place and of course there are all kinds of sports items but I focus on the boxing items; an original John L. Sullivan photo, $5,500; a Primo Carnera signed photo and glove, $3,895; a Rocky Marciano signed glove and photo, $7,500. For $80 I am going to have a photo taken with Ken Norton and have a signed autograph photo from the Ali fight. Before I go over to say hello I can?t help but wax philosophic and wonder how Ken Norton?s career, and his life as well, would have changed, and what path it would have taken if he had been given that decision in the third Ali fight, so controversial as it was by its scoring.
Round two jumps out, ?Good left by Norton and that excited the crowd?the right got in and Norton is coming after him.?
I go over and say hello and sit down beside the champ. Nobody else is in the store other than Paul, and Ken?s two friends sitting in with him for the day, and the rest of the week for that matter.
Round three begins and ?Certainly Kenny Norton?s confidence is building up, this unknown, unheralded youngster, who really didn?t seem to belong in the same ring as Ali.? As it turns out I get the great opportunity to sit with the Champ for twenty minutes and just free flow chat. We talk of Jerry Quarry, Pedro Lovell and of course Ali. ?I won the first fight and the third,? Norton tells me. ?With Muhammad it was a mental thing. You had to beat him in and out of the ring.? We discuss his early career five-year sparring sessions with Joe Frazier and the high esteem Frazier had for Kenny and we discuss mutual life challenges that we have both had along the way. He gives me a very light four-puncher to the side of my bicep and say in a gravel-like voice, states, ?God has a plan for all of us and bless you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I still think about my aunt, she really really helped raise me and I missed seeing her when she passed.? Norton?s eyes slightly mist up in memory and he gives me another light shoulder tap.
Round ten begins and ?the crowd is now beginning to exhort Kenny Norton?Norton so much stronger?Joe Frazier is exhorting Norton?? Norton sighs. He is totally relaxed and we talk on about other fights and memories. His thoughts are clean and concise and it is that gravel voice that perhaps would have one otherwise thinking he is in rough shape. In February of 1986 Norton had one of those life changing events that we earlier talked about and shared thoughts about. Norton was involved in a car accident: three-hour life and death operation, skull fragments removed from the brain, jaw broken in three places, right side of the face partially paralyzed, skull as if it was caved in, unable to walk, vocal cords shattered. Kenny tells his story in detail, and the fact that he can tell the story in itself is a tribute to Norton?s will and desire by the fact it came together post-accident in his book ?Going the Distance,? and for anyone that wishes to give thought to lessons in life, and how to rise up, boxing aside, then ?Going the Distance? is a must.
?Say Kenny are you going to the Rios fight Saturday night? I will be ringside and it would be fun? is my comment to the Champ and in response I get a big ?ahhhhh, nahhhh. I try and not get in atmospheres where I get to excited and my doctor likes it that way.? I ask Kenny if it is, as well, a been-there-done-it as big as it gets kind of way. ?Yes in part, you know, but I am still involved in boxing in different ways (advisor, sports management).? A young boy and his father enter the store and truth be told the father of course is more in awe than the young man who seems more naturally curious by the simple size of the man sitting beside me. I bid a goodbye and thank Champion Norton for the one-on-one time and sharing mutual personal thoughts. ?Hey my pleasure and, again, God has a plan for us, so God bless you. Hey, we got this time together and it was good.? He gives me one last tap on the shoulder and I jokingly mention I better get a bigger Rolex because his is as big as a dinner plate. ?Hey, all fun aside, none of this all around us (life) has anything to do with a Rolex or what not,? chimes in Norton. As round 12 comes to an end, ?Frankly, nobody gave Kenny Norton a chance?that right hurt Ali, Norton is all over him. Norton is the one with the fight left in him. He is all over Ali, he is punching him all over the ring??
Later, on Rios fight day mid-afternoon, I pass MVP and Ken Norton is back in doing his appearance once again. I take a cab ride over to ?Hooters? to grab a quick meal with ?Dave.com millionaire? who is joining me ringside and mention my meeting with Norton. Dave comments, ?He sounds like one helluva human being, too bad he is not coming out ringside tonight.? One hell of a human being indeed. Thanks for your thoughts, and the memory jogger, now and then Champion Ken Norton.
We grab a cab drive back to Mandalay for the fights. I don?t know how we end up talking about music with the driver but we certainly know, mutually, some big music acts. The cab driver used to be an original sax player for ?Misfits.? Amongst various thoughts our driver says, ?Yeah things, boy, they have really changed around Vegas since the good old days. But you know, it?s like you said Mike, you don?t mind me calling you that (no), but we were really really big back in the day so, hey we got that to say thanks, and I still do the odd gig just to kinda remember things?you know, wedding, birthday things, and then I get some guy like you, I pick up in the cab, who remembers the back in the day thing and that?s cool?? Ken Norton in fact makes it out for the fights. I go over to say hello and he gives me a wink. ?Thanks? he says. Isn?t that something special. Isn?t Ken Norton something special. Thanks Ken Norton, now and then. Champion Norton will be at the June International Boxing Hall of Fame once again this year. Do say hello. It is not often you meet somebody ?going the distance? with such determination, class and dignity.
