Originally posted on 2020-04-09 02:40:00
Originally posted Sept 19, 2013 – Former heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton Sr. has died at 70, according to his son. Norton had been battling several health ailments including a heart attack last year and a stroke.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive)
A previously unheralded Norton famously beat Muhammad Ali in 1973 in San Diego, breaking his jaw in the process. It was just the second defeat of Ali’s career. Norton went on to become an actor in the early 70s staring in some of the most historic films such as Mandingo where he played a slave. Norton finished his career 42-7-1, including 33 knockouts and he retired in 1981 following a first-round loss to Gerry Cooney at Madison Square Garden. He continued his career in movies at that point. One of his sons, Ken Norton Jr., was a star linebacker in the NFL and is now a coach for the Seattle Seahawks.
