Ken 'Black Hercules' Norton

[ReuvenLyght]

Mandingo Master!

[chessman19]

Clooney destroyed him in round one oh and he did not beat Ali every time only once outa 3

[mrjoshjones1]

No, Black Hercules is what Ken Norton dubbed Mike Weaver after bring him in as a

fulltime sparring partner.

BTW, Norton was an awkward, tricky fighter, who fought much better than one would think.

Problem was, something would go haywire mentally when he fought punchers (Garcia I,

Foreman,Shavers,Cooney).

[jackiefargo]

@mrjoshjones1 Ken Norton

Statistics

Real name Kenneth Howard Norton

Nickname "The Black Hercules

Mike Weaver

Statistics

Nickname Hercules

[mrjoshjones1]

@jackiefargo I know his name, we would run into each other many times in San DIego.

Your correct on the Hercules thing with Weaver, my badd.

You a fan of Norton?

[gibememoni]

Its amazing this guy started boxing at like 25 years old and he went toe to toe with the best HW's ever 

[tony29051]

Ken deserves much more credit than he gets. I feel he beat Ali in the third fight although did not get the nod and also was unlucky against Holmes. He fought all the best at a time that many regard as a golden era. Thanks for the upload.

[carlitoboxing7]

@tony29051 norton beat ali all three times boy

[tony29051]

@carlitoboxing7 I agree he beat ali every time it just seemed a lot clearer in the first and third fight. ken norton will always be remembered in the very best way and most people I know thought he just had the right style and work ethic to beat Ali every time. A great role model for sports in general inside and out of the ring.

[thefury187]

His style of boxing just threw alot of boxers off

[cv003799]

class act at 1:08 who could have serioulsy taken stevens out.

[Lionzord]

This is a damn good vid, thanks for this.

[koking2101]

Ken gave Ali more trouble then anyone else ever...That says enough about how good Ken was!

[GalickGun5078]

Ken Norton is a good man.

[DaBigSun]

Ken Norton had one of the best physiques in boxing. No wonder people call him "The Black Hercules".

[Brownpride480]

Ken Norton is a much bigger but downgraded version of Joe Frazier but I think he's still a good fighter hell I think the prime Norton that was training with Eddie Futch would give both the Klitschko brothers hell if he survives the early rounds.

[BbClarinet3]

People say Norton had a bad chin, but I'd like to see them take direct shots from Foreman and Shavers and stay up. Ken Norton had a great chin, his defense was just easily broken by power punches. It was more for deflecting and countering technical shots, which is why he gave Ali and Holmes fits.

[combatesdeboxeo]

@BbClarinet3i agree with your points (foreman-shavers) he did not have bad chin, he took shots from ali,holmes... but he did not have great chin..

[BbClarinet3]

@combatesdeboxeo Okay, maybe I was exaggerating, but Norton still had a pretty good chin. Not a legendary chin like Chuvalo or Ali, or even an exceptional chin like Foreman and Frazier, but a sturdy one nevertheless.

[zenmachinefilms]

Music matched the video perfectly.

[MrRoyalFatness]

Ken Norton was a great strategist and defensive artist, his only weakness was - indeed - the hard punchers. Then again, it's no shame having been knocked out by Foreman and Shavers, two of the hardest hitting boxers of all time.

[chrisx2k6]

@MrRoyalFatness and Cooney.

[thefury187]

Ken Nortons a beast

[DOCJAMBEATS]

Ken Norton was raw!

[uglybabashouse2]

Would you mind telling me where you got some of that awesome footage of him training? I would really appreciate it.

[lee1990lee]

@vladiator100 this is ken nortons video only positive comments should be put here like ken norton one easyily 2 of there fights

[lee1990lee]

@vladiator100 after he lost one of them the next day all over the papers it said overnight robbery

[Mugenat0r]

you dont mess with the black hercules...

unless your george foreman teehee

[MRPric3LEss]

@Mugenat0r or Earnie Shavers

[carlitoboxing]

music and video are just perfectly matched! congratulations

[edyb8888]

ken norton is da man

[expressivechild]

In addition, Norton's punching power is also very underrated. His had a very powerful and accurate jab!

[expressivechild]

One of the most underrated heavyweights ever. People remember him most for his devastating defeats at the hands of Shavers and Foreman. He is a great fighter, but his chin is weak and he can't take a lot of punishment.

[flapperhead]

@expressivechild

yes nortons jaw could be reached by big hitters. but his losses were basically a defect in his defense, rather than a glass jaw. he took alot of shots b4 he went in each of his ko losses. i remember larry holmes commenting after kennys loss to shavers was that no one couldve taken the shots norton got hit with. remember guys, more than any of the fighters of his era, norton got where he was by sheer ability. he was basically self taught and started very late to boxing..

[expressivechild]

@flapperhead - Norton's defense is very underrated. His defensive skills allow him to outbox Ali, and his blocking is a good way to block away his jabs. While I admire his boxing skills, and yeah, he started late in boxing I remember. And he was a great athlete, excelling in multiple sports in high school too. He was trying to rope a dope Shavers, and make him punch himself out but he probably underestimated Shavers' power. Maybe he can absorb punishment, just not with his chin. (continue)

[expressivechild]

@flapperhead - I consider Norton one of the most underrated hw greats of all time. And he ,like Larry Holmes, Lennox Lewis and a number of other heavyweights did not get the credit he deserved. Other than Jose Luis Garcia, he lost only to the best heavyweights of his era. Cooney is highly overrated, his victory over a 38 year old Norton is nothing that impressive. Norton is a very intelligent boxer, and a great strategist. I wonder how avoided he will be if he is fighting in this era!

[zenmachinefilms]

Excellent vid man. Nice to see finally see a tribute to Ken on YT. Norton was the one guy who seemed to have Ali's number.

[PeekaPeep]

@zenmachinefilms Yup, I've seen all of Ali's fights with Norton here on YT and I must say this is the one fighter whom Ali just didn't have a real answer for. Even in their second match, Ali BARELY won it on points. Norton had a highly effective defensive stance for those who were boxers as opposed to sluggers. Unfortunately, he always seemed to freeze up against the heavy hitters whenever he got clocked good. Still, doesn't take away the fact that he still is among boxing's all-time greats.

[loughran03]

what do Cooney do to glass jaw hercules?

[MRPric3LEss]

too bad the black hercules couldn't get past the black destroyer Earnie Shavers

[Punishment683]

good job Ken great fughter !

[ebeneezzer]

glass jaw

[HarryTheTalkingDude]

@ebeneezzer His chin wasn't that bad... 3 of his 4 knockout losses came against massive punchers (Foreman, Shavers, Cooney)

[zenmachinefilms]

@ebeneezzer Glass jaw? He got knocked out by Foreman, Shavers and Cooney, three of the hardest punchers in boxing history. Two of those fights were also at the end of his career.

[expressivechild]

@zenmachinefilms - I wouldn't say he got a good chin but then again Norton's style is perfect against Ali but doesn't seem to work against hard hitters. As for the Cooney fight, it's at the peak of his career. Cooney is overrated.

[Devon187]

black dynamite!?