Former heavyweight champion of the world, Ken Norton, is in a stable condition after suffering a stroke.
The former marine, who broke Muhammad Ali’s jaw in a 1973 non-title fight, is unable to speak and is being fed through tubes in hospital.
Norton, perhaps best known for his trilogy of fights with Ali, was an integral part of the seventies golden era and a magnificent athlete. He finished his career at 42-7-1 (33KO’s) and held the title in 1978, losing it that same year to Larry Holmes, in a fifteen round war.
His retirement, in 1981, followed a first round defeat to Gerry Cooney, and he aspired to continue with a fledging career as an actor. Tragedy struck in 1986, however, when Norton suffered injuries in a near-fatal car crash, leaving him with slow and slurred speech.
SecondsOut Boxing News - Main News - Former Champ Ken Norton Suffers Stroke
The former marine, who broke Muhammad Ali’s jaw in a 1973 non-title fight, is unable to speak and is being fed through tubes in hospital.
Norton, perhaps best known for his trilogy of fights with Ali, was an integral part of the seventies golden era and a magnificent athlete. He finished his career at 42-7-1 (33KO’s) and held the title in 1978, losing it that same year to Larry Holmes, in a fifteen round war.
His retirement, in 1981, followed a first round defeat to Gerry Cooney, and he aspired to continue with a fledging career as an actor. Tragedy struck in 1986, however, when Norton suffered injuries in a near-fatal car crash, leaving him with slow and slurred speech.
SecondsOut Boxing News - Main News - Former Champ Ken Norton Suffers Stroke