Ken Norton: the Marine who broke Ali’s jaw | Ultimate Boxing Reunion

Why fans still care

KEN NORTON is the man who broke the jaw of Muhammad Ali, Who’s Who number 33. He fought Ali three times, over 39 rounds, and every fight was close. His style was awkward on purpose: a low hand, a jab thrown upward and a lurching walk that Ali’s own trainer said you couldn’t time.

He was also part of one of the great heavyweight title fights, his 15 round loss to Larry Holmes, Who’s Who number 19 in 1978.

Early life

He was born Kenneth Howard Norton on 9 August 1943 in Jacksonville, Illinois, and his mother was Ruth. He won a scholarship to Northeast Missouri State College covering football, basketball and track. In 1963 he joined the US Marines, where he served in signals intelligence and was introduced to boxing. He won three All-Marine heavyweight titles and went 24 and 2 as a Marine, and he left in 1967 to turn professional.

The early fights

He made his professional debut on 14 November 1967 with a five round win over Grady Brazell. Eddie Futch trained him early on, and he sparred with Joe Frazier, Who’s Who number 32. He won his first 16 fights before Jose Luis Garcia knocked him down four times and stopped him in round 8 in 1970.

Career chapters

1. 1967Turns professional
2. 1970First loss, to Jose Luis Garcia
3. 1973Beats Muhammad Ali, Who’s Who number 33 and breaks his jaw
4. 1973Loses the rematch to Ali
5. 1974Stopped by George Foreman, Who’s Who number 35 in Caracas
6. 1976Loses a disputed decision to Ali at Yankee Stadium
7. 1977Fighter of the Year
8. 1978Awarded the WBC title, then loses it to Larry Holmes, Who’s Who number 19
9. 1981Last fight, against Gerry Cooney

Muhammad Ali I 1973

On 31 March 1973 at the San Diego Sports Arena he met Muhammad Ali, Who’s Who number 33 as a 5 to 1 underdog, for a reported $50,000. The Fight City has him landing 34 punches to 12 in round 2, and in round 6 Howard Cosell said on air that Norton was far better than anyone had thought. He won a 12 round split decision and the NABF title, and Ali finished with a broken jaw. It was Ali’s second professional loss. When the jaw broke is still argued: Ali’s camp said it was early in the fight, and Norton said round 11. “A fight with Ali gave me a chance at life, period,” Norton said later.

Muhammad Ali II 1973

On 10 September 1973 at The Forum in Inglewood, before 12,100, Ali won the rematch on a split decision. One judge had it for Norton, by 6 rounds to 5.

George Foreman 1974

On 26 March 1974 in Caracas, Venezuela, he challenged George Foreman, Who’s Who number 35 for the world heavyweight title. Foreman put him down three times in round 2 and the fight was stopped. Afterwards both fighters were held in Venezuela in a tax dispute. Bill Slayton became his trainer around this time.

Muhammad Ali III 1976

On 28 September 1976 at Yankee Stadium, before about 30,000, he challenged Ali for the world heavyweight title. Two judges had it even going into round 15, and Ali won a unanimous decision. AP called it a controversial decision, and Norton was sure he had won. Promoter Bob Arum said only eight tickets were sold at the gate on the night, which fell during a New York police strike.

WBC champion and Larry Holmes 1978

After his 1977 season he was named Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. In March 1978 the WBC stripped Leon Spinks, Who’s Who number 30, who had chosen a rematch with Ali, and awarded the title to Norton, which AP says makes him the only heavyweight champion never to win the title in the ring. On 9 June 1978 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas he made his first defence against Larry Holmes, Who’s Who number 19, who was fighting with a partly torn left biceps. Norton took rounds 6 to 8, and in round 15 he knocked Holmes’s mouthpiece out of the ring before Holmes hurt him in the last 30 seconds. All three judges had it by one point, two for Holmes.

The last fights 1979 to 1981

On 23 March 1979 Earnie Shavers stopped him in round 1. On 11 May 1981 at Madison Square Garden, Gerry Cooney stopped him in 54 seconds. “My mistake was backing up,” Norton said. It was his last fight.

After boxing

He acted in about 20 films, including Mandingo (1975) and Drum (1976), and worked as a fight commentator. In February 1986 he was badly hurt in a car crash in Los Angeles and had limited mobility afterwards. He died on 18 September 2013, aged 70, after several years of poor health.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fought

He threw his jab upward from a low hand rather than from the shoulder, and Ali’s business manager Gene Kilroy said that always gave Ali trouble. Angelo Dundee, Ali’s trainer, described a lurching, herky-jerky movement that was hard to time. Norton said he never lifted weights and put his physique down to “good genes”. The big punchers were his weakness: Garcia, Foreman, Shavers and Cooney all stopped him.

The corner

Eddie Futch trained him early in his career, and Bill Slayton trained him from around the Foreman fight.

Stories people still tell

1. The broken jaw.

   Ali, his corner and Norton never agreed on the round it happened.

2. Champion without a title fight.

   He got the WBC title by decision of the WBC, not in the ring.

3. The mouthpiece.

   In the last round against Holmes he knocked Holmes’s mouthpiece out of the ring.

Legacy

He went into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992 and the US Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. His son Ken Norton Jr. played in the NFL and later coached. In November 2025 Larry Holmes, Who’s Who number 19 named Norton as his toughest fight.