Ken Norton once identified a former opponent as the greatest heavyweight of all time, saying that landing a punch on him was like ‘hitting a piece of cement.’
The former world heavyweight champion was perhaps best known for edging a split decision against Muhammad Ali in 1973, before losing their immediate rematch as well as a third encounter three years later.
Along with Ali, though, the American also locked horns with George Foreman, Larry Holmes and Ernie Shavers, who all got the better of him one way or another.
His clash with Foreman, for instance, ended via a devastating second-round finish, which came around seven months before the knockout artist’s iconic Rumble in the Jungle with Ali.
Against Holmes, it was a far more competitive 15-round battle that saw Norton lose a split decision, before getting wiped out by Shavers – in the first round, no less – just two fights later.
But while Norton faced a selection of formidable heavyweights, most of them in their prime, his trilogy with Ali was ultimately enough to determine who, in his view, was the very best.
Speaking with ESPN Radio before his passing in 2013, the Jacksonville man insisted that Ali was also the strongest opponent he faced, thus justifying his reasoning for highlighting him as the greatest heavyweight of all time.
“As far as I’ve been around, yes [Ali is the best ever]. Ali was very strong but because he wasn’t a one-punch KO artist, [his strength] is overlooked. Hitting Ali in the body or on the arms was like hitting a piece of cement.”
The fact that Norton fought Ali and Foreman so soon before their encounter in 1974 should indicate that he, more than most, would have known exactly what the two heavyweights were capable of.
Not only that, but a total of 39 rounds shared with Ali, specifically, would have given Norton a firm understanding of just how great he truly was.
