Ken Norton was born on August 9th, 1943 in Jacksonville, IL. Ken was an outstanding all around athlete. One of these many talents however was unfortunate for his opponents as he took his talent to the boxing ring. Norton went to Northeast Missouri State University on a football scholarship and then headed to the United States Marine Corps where he began boxing. Norton was crowned the Pan-American Games Heavyweight Champion in 1967 and turned pro that same year. Five years and 29 professional bouts later, Norton received his first title shot. For fifteen rounds Ken Norton battled legendary Muhammad Ali and eventually broke the champs jaw. Norton won the NABF Heavyweight Crown and handed Ali his second loss that day in 1973. The two titans would meet two more times, the third being one of the most disputed title fight decisions in boxing history. In 1978, Norton became the WBC Heavyweight Champion with his victory over Jimmy Young, which was officially recognized as a WBC title bout after Leon Spinks signed to fight Ali instead of WBC #1 ranked Norton. Besides three bouts with Ali, Norton also faced boxing greats George Foreman and Larry Holmes. After a decade plus of brawling in the ring, and a total record of 42-7 (KO 33), Ken Norton will always be remembered as “The Jawbreaker” and a true legend in the history of boxing.
