When Unknown Cooney Challenged Ken Norton

[@CaptainRon1913]

Kenny Norton was well loved and respected. He lived near and worked out at a Gold's Gym not to far from where I lived in California. Although I never met him, I had friends who did, and they all said the same thing. He took time for everyone, and was interested in what you had to say. Kind, gentle man.

[@Michael-hq1iq]

i met him at crystal t's if you know where that was , he was great to me and all my friends

[@garykeith1048]

One of the most underrated heavyweight champions. He got robbed of the title in 3rd Ali-Norton fight in Yankee Stadium 1976 and the 1979 fight with Larry Holmes in CA. I believe the decisions were influenced by Don King's money and support of Ali and Holmes to continue making money off of them. Anyway, Norton was one of the most intelligent, tactical, forward thinking boxer in the heavyweight division in the 1970's and early 80's. RIP Kenny.

[@charlesmccoy5857]

@@Michael-hq1iq Are you talking about San Diego, down by the Convention Center?? What year was this, because that's where I met him also.

[@Michael-hq1iq]

@@charlesmccoy5857 that was at a night club called crystal tees in June of 1980 in San Diego

[@nicholascoob1350]

​@@garykeith1048Stop being a drama queen, he wasn't robbed against Holmes. It was close and could have gone either way.

[@IronHorsey3]

What a nice tribute to Ken Norton. The Cooney KO was frightening as Norton got stuck held up by the ropes. It may have cost suffering later. RIP

[@paulnewton3059]

Poor refereeing, should have jumped in and stopped it as soon as Ken was obviously gone. I was a HW and one punch can damage you for life.

[@valerym1400]

The referee was too frightened to stop the fight on time. Coward!

[@hardtoke]

@@valerym1400 Maybe he was racist

[@angeloiodice9304]

That was disgusting. He was off of his feet. His legs were no longer supporting him. Why did Cooney keep on punching a defenseless man entangled in the ropes?

[@wa1ufo]

I agree. That ref sucked.

[@c.galindo9639]

It goes to show that Norton was willing but you can only push the body so far especially in a sport that demands that you constantly be at your absolute best. He went out like a warrior and had the heart of a lion. RIP Ken Norton

[@KeithHogarth-jm2kr]

Cooney should have stopped hitting Norton when he saw he was helplessly stuck on the ropes unable to fall.

[@c.galindo9639]

@@KeithHogarth-jm2kr in the heat of the moment, sometimes you forget what you’re truly capable of doing to others

[@TheBatugan77]

​@@KeithHogarth-jm2kr Wrong. Quit being a mealy-mouthed milquetoast.

[@skracing_1805]

That referee was a disgrace letting Norton taking those punches when he was down.

[@williamessex3518]

He appeared to be afraid of being hit so he stuck his left arm in with his back to Cooney while watching Ken Norton getting rocked with bombs. He should have had to pay for admittance like every other paying customer.

[@fmills1583]

The Mercer-Morrison beating; 10 years early.

[@GaryPlotke]

I couldn't agree with you more. The fight should have been stopped 5-6 punches earlier

[@spactick]

I think the person who should have stopped was Cooney. A fighter knows when his opponent is toast

[@williamparker1085]

should have sued by nortons family

[@damienbates6717]

His son Ken Norton Jr was a monster on the football field with the Cowboys.

[@angeloiodice9304]

That he was…the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

[@darrentaylor5455]

And 49ers

[@djallen16]

Yes he was a beast

[@truspirit1925]

And 9ers

[@justinallport9789]

Just looked it up, 3 time pro bowl, 1st to win 3 consecutive super bowls, 2 with Dallas, 1 with San Francisco.

[@muskratrepairservices7701]

That late stoppage was disgraceful

[@scottculli7851]

Read my comment, Jerry Cooney is a piece of Garbage, a forgettable fighter

[@dank8017]

Yes it was. Reminds me of the Mercer/Morrison fight.

[@marvinjohnson4118]

@@dank8017 mike tyson and bruno was another slow stoppage

[@robertwhitten265]

This was 81, many ended that way.

[@peteroates9921]

Mercer Morrison prelude

[@undertakerfanz628]

Horrible referee stopped the fight way too late

[@milojanis4901]

I remember. Hope it was the last fight the jerk ever refereed, if you can call it refereeing....

[@willyoueatmypussyplease3549]

​@@milojanis4901looked like the ref was scared to jump in, incase he caught one of those bombs, shouldn't be a ref if that is the case

[@philiprose7942]

Yes, that knockout has always given me chills. The ref allowed at least three too many punches.

[@undertakerfanz628]

@@philiprose7942 the one with Tommy Morrison and Ray Mercer was worse

[@noladude5046]

To the referees defense it appears as though he was scared one of those punches was going to hit him.

[@West.Ham1964]

I'm thinking 'Where is the ref?' while a defenceless Norton is getting a pasting. A sad end to a great career.

[@ktcarl]

I agree. Cooney should have stopped hitting Norton when he was slumped down on the ropes. He was knocked out and the rope post was holding him up.

[@mikthe2004]

Yeah, Norton took about 4 blows to the head totally undefended!! He was already down before the first blow!!

[@scottodonnell7121]

@@ktcarl no he should not have. A fighter's job is to fight hard till the bell rings or the referee steps in. You're giving your opponent second chances which can come back and haunt you. And it also brings the legitimacy of fights into question. It was certainly bad refereeing by Perez.

[@johnchavezjr3312]

Tony Perez was the Same referee in the Mercer/Morrison fight.

[@FatherofMan25]

Watch this same clown ref the Ai - Wepner fight. Wepner landed about 1000 illegal punches to the back of Ali’s head during clinches, and this bonehead didn’t even issue a warning.

[@TheGreatest1974]

Foreman’s knockout of Cooney was unbelievable. The last punch foreman hit him with, he just strolled up to him like he was meeting him in the park and lamped him and that was it. Loved big George.

[@fmills1583]

That's the same punch that Jersey Joe Walcott used to KO Ezzard Charles.

[@MuhammadAli-kg7ij]

Foreman took revenge for his Golden Era buddies, Roy Lyle, and Norton😂

[@TheGreatest1974]

@@MuhammadAli-kg7ij I like your photo dude! You got class man!💥🥊

[@TheGreatest1974]

@@fmills1583 true! I knew I’d seen that punch somewhere before! Well spotted.

[@Monkycrasure-gk4fz]

​@@MuhammadAli-kg7ijRon Lyle

[@StephenDoty84]

I met Ken Norton in person at a small local boxing event in San Diego in the mid 80's. Archie Moore was there too. So Cal had some good boxers back then. Anyway, I asked Ken how he got such hand speed with his muscular arms and build. He gave me a tip which I started to use right away. He said to stop shadow boxing with bare hands and buy some 5 lbs. weights and hold those. It will make your punches faster. A good tip. He said he used that method himself.

[@ronald8792]

I met Duane Bobick in the mid 70's while he was training for Norton and he was also a very friendly guy. He even paused his heavy bag work to tell me I had a good right and it meant the world to me.

[@StephenDoty84]

I know exactly what your mean. Those little compliments from the experts might seem small to onlookers, but to you and others in that position it can mean the difference between quitting a sport or sticking with it. @@ronald8792

[@rcnelson]

Five pounds on each hand is amazing if you're swinging punches.

[@thinkofitthisway7804]

I had great respect for Ken Norton until I read Jerry Quarry's autobiography "Hard Luck".

[@maciejguzek3442]

​@@thinkofitthisway7804can you say shortly what was there about Norton? I won't read that book, but I'm curious..

[@ddiesel1836]

Norton's style is an enigma. It gives technical fighters like Ali and Holmes trouble. but is a sitting duck for punchers like Foreman, Shavers and Cooney

[@bradhuskers]

No. Ali was corrupt. Foreman would've killed Ali in the automatic rematch. But Ali chose to fight an OLD slow white dude instead. Facts.

[@thespy7795]

​@@bradhuskersYou DON'T know what the hell you're talking about. Ali and Foreman were going to have the rematch but Foreman lost to Jimmy Young. What would Foreman do in a rematch? If Ali danced and moved he would have Foreman to death. If he goes to the ropes he'll pick him apart. There's NOTHING Foreman could do to beat Ali. NOTHING.

[@thespy7795]

You are 💯 correct. Styles make Fights. Ali is Great against Power Punchers. Boxers and Boxers/ Punchers gave Ali trouble. Fighters like Doug Jones, Ken Norton, Jimmy Young, Joe Bugner.

[@bradhuskers]

​@@thespy7795 You are a low IQ little girl, a fool. Jimmy Young was three years later, fool. The rematch was immediate. Just like Ali-norton I was just a few months later. BUT ALI FEARED FOREMAN , which is why he fought an old white dude instead. 😆🤣😂 You're a low IQ little girl

[@bradhuskers]

​@@thespy7795 You know NOTHING about boxing. Don king walked away from millions upon millions for Ali-foreman II, out of FEAR. Don king would NEVER EVER walk away from that kind of money unless FEAR was a factor. He knew that if they had the rematch, Foreman would have KILLED Ali. So they purposely scheduled an old slow white dude instead. 😆🤣 The fact that you don't know this, PROVES that you are indeed a moron

[@bobvanderwest9358]

The referee was almost criminally slow in stopping this fight.

[@larryhatfield7372]

I agree

[@jameskeating5604]

4 punches landed that were not necessary had the ref been sharper.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

Tony Perez was very much an "old school" referee. He arguably let more than a few fights go on a couple punches too many. He officiated numerous big fights though because he was considered very unbiased, never favoring one fighter or the other. Many fighters respected him for this. Probably would have made a better judge than referee.

[@tallpaul1563]

That hooking left uppercut of Cooney was sick. An all-time legendary punch. Cooney almost seemed too nice a guy for the fight game.

[@generatorx]

It helped that Cooney also had some pretty active legs for a man his size.

[@hammer44head]

Too nice? He pummeled old Kenny while he was clearly out helpless on the ropes!! The ref should have stopped it but freakin cooney acted like a sadist.

[@deanladue5367]

Was never properly trained as a boxer, and his career as a whole was terribly mismanaged by his handlers. They saw Cooney as nothing more than a quick and easy meal ticket than somone who's job it was to look out professionally and financially for their client.

[@MelloKings]

@@hammer44head He was punching with instinct, I’ve seen many more vicious knockouts with helpless fighters…

[@romanboxing3959]

@@hammer44headShut your baby ass up.

[@abdel-u2n]

The referee must've been blind to let few unnecessary punches when Norton was clearly unconscious

[@TruthSeeker8147]

His back was to the camera. I think he was first shouting that it’s over. Would you just jump in the middle with those punches flying?

[@midwestcharm]

I loved how this reporting ended with such high praise of Norton. Boxing was always a place where kids could go and learn character, fair sportsmanship and of course courage to overcome challenges in life. Making money is secondary

[@HouseGuide]

Midwest charm, I don't agree with you at all. Boxing can be interesting and exciting to watch but at the same time it is a brutal animalistic disgusting sport to watch beating someone into submission or snapping someones head back until they becomes unconscious and often times leading to permanent brain damage. Nothing positive about that at all. I certainly would not want my kids to watch that to build character.

[@scottwebster695]

Boxing has always been a way for the poor to fight their way out of poverty Irish, Italian, Black, Filipinos, Russians etc. MONEY puts food on the table. If you are fighting to keep your family from starving you'll be a champion or die trying..

[@midwestcharm]

@@HouseGuide have you ever watched the Golden Gloves? It's nothing like that.

[@dankowalski6925]

I’m 59 and followed boxing in the 70 and 80s like it was my job. Kenny Norton was one of my favorites.

[@gregmulligan8702]

I am 60 and So did I. I think Ken Norton beat Muhammad Ali all Three times they fought. I also think Jimmy Young beat Ali soundly. I think Ali wasted his talent. He should have stayed around 210 and he should have been in shape for all his fights. You know, like Ken Norton.

[@notta3d]

Damn ref. What the hell were you waiting for?

[@Rockiii9]

I remember that fight well; Cooney was near the peak of his ascent, & Norton was 38 yrs old. I felt badly for how it ended, Norton simply never recovering from the first big Cooney punch, then taking successive head shots from the very hard-hitting Cooney. How many times have we seen this? . . . A truly great fighter way past his peak tries to make a comeback against the new star? Holmes was the same age when he got destroyed by Tyson.

[@maciejguzek3442]

Boxing is a great example of how people just won't understand that their time is over, they just have to have it 'explained' by being beaten. Amazing how few are examples of champion boxers who knew when to step down themselves! Even Lennox was kind of 'lucky' because he was actually getting beaten by Vitaly (but I'm not taking away his fair and square victory and wise decision to retire)

[@EranRicos]

Holmes won fights after Tyson. Wasn’t his last big fight. Even a young Holmes would have lost to young Tyson. Even a young Lewis or Holyfield woulda lost to young Tyson. Holmes has nothing to be ashamed about

[@NeilPenesis]

You mean like Walcott at 37 fighting Marciano toe to toe? You mean like George Foreman at 45 reclaiming the heavyweight title? you mean like sugar ray robinson... Everybody's time is different. Because age is just a number. If you're in shape...

[@mondocjenson-dy8zd]

​@@maciejguzek3442I call it being punch drunk oops, Delusional 😅

[@maciejguzek3442]

@@NeilPenesis pro tip: when you disagree with someone and try to start a discussion, you should rather give examples which confirm your point of view, and not the one with which you 'disagree'. Walcott lost his last 2 career fights by KO. Foreman and Robinson lost their last fights too.

[@johnbailey3877]

Excellent job by the creator. This will be just another video about boxing, except for the fact that I did knowledges the humanity and integrity of Mr. Norton. The fact that he treasured being a father and took his responsibilities seriously is his greatest attribute. This is the kind of accomplished athlete that we can look up to. RIP, Ken Norton

[@jbhatt5920]

When Ken Norton limbed down, he was already ko’d. Mr coney threw 5 more punched just because referee failed to stop. Wow!!! He almost killed Ken Norton. Great boxer but no heart. That is why I loved Ali. There can never be another Ali.

[@williammorton3359]

You don’t even know his real name. If you did you would call him ali. Or nobody.

[@jbhatt5920]

@@williammorton3359 Not sure about your reply. Here I am comparing Cooney with Muhammad Ali. I have seen many times Ali called referee to stop the fight. But, here Cooney literally threw 5 more punches when he knew Norton was already down. Well, to do this, one needs big heart like Ali who would never want to hurt opponent to that extent.

[@johnshogskins4443]

@@jbhatt5920Ali beat his wife. Where was his heart then?

[@jbhatt5920]

That is quite his personnel life and you may know this based upon some rumors. If he had, I absolutely agree with you and that is too bad.

[@FEROZKHAN-mz6qj]

Indeed. Ali would stop throwing punches the moment he saw his opponent going down. In fact, Big George always mentions that in his interviews. Says Ali is a gentleman; asked why !? Because he stopped hitting the moment he saw me going down. The grrstest indeed. And Big George too.

[@Brumbieman]

Amazing to think that Foreman just walked straight down and casually beat the absolute shit out of both of them, nearly 20 years apart, when both Norton and Cooney were each near enough their prime. That left upper-cut/hook Foreman landed on Cooney as he just sort of...waddled forward like a penguin must be in the top 5 greatest punches of all time.

[@jtm0071]

Cooney was in bad shape by the time he fought Foreman

[@jaymoon5906]

And fraizer twice to and Norton beat ali 3 times unreal

[@6400az]

Cooney had a prime?? Just when was that prime Sir ?

[@jaymoon5906]

The only one to get away with excuses is Mohamed Ali he sucked that bad they had to make excuses for every loss

Big George!!

[@jimmyhamm6041]

R.I.P Mr. Norton may your legend live on always . 😊

[@DrSkippy1]

Nicely done. These two men respected each other, and I certainly respect each of them.

[@murozman]

Great video and amazing tribute to Ken Norton at the end.

[@salahuddinmuhammad3251]

If Cooney had developed coping mechanisms to stave off his self-doubt from his father's actions, I can't imagine how far he would have gone. Great puncher but too much self doubt

[@maciejguzek3442]

What exactly were his father's actions to make him self doubt?

[@salahuddinmuhammad3251]

​@@maciejguzek3442tons of emotional abuse from his father. He went into the Larry Holmes fight and feeling he didn't even belong there, despite what the public knew from the buildup. If you research his history talked about it a lot. He often felt like he didn't belong there. He had incredible punching power, but was filled with tons of self-doubt

[@alexanderkuczyk7391]

I think he needed more Fights to establish his skills . They put him in there against Holmes way too early. But , then again what do I know

[@ckobo84]

He just way over sensitive and soft.

[@snarkybuttcrack]

Why do you think people become boxers in the first place? Fighting for dominance IS a coping mechanism.

[@charliecroft7012]

Ken Norton was one of my very favorite of them all...I love someone who has a heart of flash and not of stone..God bless Ken Norton, may he rest in peace 🙏 💔 😢 praise God

[@edwardgilson9891]

Norton got freaked out by big heavyweights, Cooney and Foreman come to mind

[@garykeith1048]

I disagree. In Veneuzela fight in 1974 Ken Norton landed some good shots to Foreman's head and he was not scared. Foreman was in his prime and was just to devastating for any heavyweight in 1974. Ali only beat him because he was in the best shape of his life, trained hard, and used the rope the dope. He also fought Foreman in close which Foreman did not expect. I mean toe to toe no BS, just out-punched Foreman at close range with excellent jabs, uppercuts,straight lefts and rights which Foreman couldn't counter or stop. Ali fought the best fight of his life against Foreman in Zaire. The real fight of the century.

[@deanladue5367]

Earnie Shavers too.

[@mr.blackhawk142]

@@garykeith1048 Ali was the biggest FRAUD in pro sports! Big George was DRUGGED! HE WAS SLIPPED A MICKEY in his water bottle. The ONLY reason Ali beat him...

[@renoblomberg4054]

That was a brutal knockout. I thought the ref should have stopped it sooner. I've seen hurt fighters, but I'll never forget the dazed look on Norton's face after that flurry of punches.

[@camtinley]

Very timid refereeing. Should have been stopped sooner.

[@assassindelasaucisse.4039]

Your videos are always up in the evening in my country. After dark indeed :)

[@johnchavezjr3312]

Tony Perez is the same referee in the Mercer/Morrison fight.

[@N17-o2r]

Yes he was! 👌

[@CocaineCowboyJones]

That Perez was fucking suck

[@aidenbrooks7529]

One of the most brutal KO’s in heavyweight history! Definitely one of Cooney’s better nights even if Norton was quite past it. Ken will always be one of the great champs of the 70’s though. Great video too

[@undertakerfanz628]

When Tommy Morrison got knocked out that was even more brutal that was worse

[@georgevincent1834]

Norton had a glass jaw.

[@mikthe2004]

Yeah, Norton was already down, but he took 4 unprotected blows to the head!! He was like a punching bag. The ref should have stopped the fight before those blows!! That was brutal!!

[@aidenbrooks7529]

@@undertakerfanz628true, ray mercer was a monster in his time but Larry Holmes had his number for sure!

[@raymondrocco8607]

Norton in his Prime would laugh at Gerry Cooney !!! 😂😂😂

[@TheIkaraCult]

It's really nice that Larry Holmes and Gerry developed a good relationship after their fight. It was only the promoters who pumped up the racial element - they were just fighters who were stepping in the ring

[@albundy6008]

That would be Don King. He was without a doubt the worst thing that ever happened to boxing!!

[@deanladue5367]

​@@albundy6008 and also Cooneys manager Dennis Rappaport, who was every bit as bad as King, Rappaport went on record as saying that America and professional boxing needed a white heavyweight champion for the sport to become legit once again.

[@MaximusWolfe]

@@deanladue5367 So what? That’s how he felt.

[@MaximusWolfe]

Actually Norton said a lot of racial things before this fight without being prompted.

[@gary-pietz4147]

Dennis Rappaport and Don King they were the problem greedy greedy

[@Michael-hq1iq]

I met ken norton in a club in san diego and he was extremely gracious with me and all the fans that were there ,

[@JEWinTx]

That ref should've been banned for life.

[@N17-o2r]

He’s the same guy who refereed the Mercer-Morrison fight. Another disgraceful stoppage

[@searchforthestrangler5034]

Norton was another one of the great boxing heavyweights of the 1970s. A tremendous decade for boxing. The sport was indeed a king

[@everettwhite9874]

One of the fights from my youth. RIP KEN 🥊🙏🏽

[@mr.blackhawk142]

two youts??? L0L

[@jonbathurst953]

Took more damage in this fight than his entire career

[@hungfao]

Ken was tragic. He was a good fighter but never quite got there. He is probably going to be best known for being the one fighter Ali couldn't completely figure out.

[@philldownes8685]

he broke ali's jaw and beat ali..... but almost got killed by cooney and foreman.

[@deanladue5367]

​@@philldownes8685 Earnie Shavers knocked him out too.

[@lordburlap4514]

I met Gerry Cooney twice…a perfect gentleman, friendly and approachable…

[@slarsp2]

They all said he was one of the hardest punchers in that era.

[@stanconnolly3792]

Thank you for this channel!! These men are the greatest pugilists in boxing, and without this channel, some of these amazing men/matches would be lost to history! Thank you again!

[@Alan-71351]

Are u saying Cooney was great?😂😂😂😂

[@Alan-71351]

Cooney fought no one who was in their prime

[@joefly8165]

Great video :D Do George Foreman vs Jerry Cooney next!

[@jray5363]

One of the first fights I remember watching! Cooney was outclassed! Or the years caught up with him! I remember the commentators demanding that the fight be stopped because Cooney was getting beaten so bad! There’s powerful punchers, then there’s George Foreman!

[@sherrilldean4598]

Ken Norton a great fighter...and even greater man.

[@dj012001]

Thank you for your example as a great Father. To be a really good Father while being famous, rich and in the public eye is impressive. To be that kind of human being takes a strong character and very good focus. Thank you, again, for your example.

[@anonymike8280]

Ken Norton was 37 and Ron Lyle was 38 at the time of their fights with Cooney, Jimmy Young was 32 at the time of the Cooney match, the only one who was still normal fighting age. Cooney was a good fighter even if he looked awkward. He went 13 rounds against Larry Holmes before the fight was stopped. He did as well against Holmes as anyone did. Cooney was around 25 or 26 when these fights took place, the peak age for a boxer. The heavyweight division in the era from the late 60s into the early 1980s was very strong and filled with boxers of great talent and charisma. Many of them came to sad ends.

[@funktron4]

Young was doing well----but the cut ended it.

[@canadianfortrump4057]

When the Norton-Cooney fight was scheduled, Larry Holmes said he asked Norton why he was fighting. Norton said 'I guess I could use the money'. That seems to be the usual reason boxers compete when they should have retired.

[@michaelcameron2292]

Muhammad Ali would have not punched an opponent who was down like that The Greatest in every way

[@fishycentaur2384]

Nice video honoring two absolute legends and gentleman ambassadors for a sport that really needs more of them.

[@sd097]

Love your channel from Australia 🇦🇺

[@Brent-qu3yk]

1981 was the year gerry was a dangerous fighter he could hit like a freight train he could have given any champion in any Era a real tuff fight or better yet knocked out any of the greats .he had probably the most power ever. 6'6 with that reach & those visious hooks 🪝 its sad big bad gerry neglected his career . cause @ that time in the early & middle 1980s gerry was probably the best after Larry Holmes In a rematch 2 years after there first fight he might of had some news for Larry Holmes & and would of given mike tyson fits .your a good man big gerry God bless you my friend 🙏 ❤️

[@MichaelStewart-j1l]

Cooney said Tyson was "A young man a lot of us wouldn't want to get in the ring with!"

[@strengthandbulkMadness]

Cooney was also a boozer. He drank bottles of booze even while training for matches.

[@gary-pietz4147]

It's too bad he didn't continue to do the work in the gym he thought he needed to do because he slacked off his training and just went downhill from there yes at that point against Orton he looked at his best then for some reason he never looked that good after that

[@paulbjarnason4696]

Could you imagine Muhammad Ali continuing to punch an opponent after he was down and out? No, Ali would have, as he always did, waved the referee in so that he could call an end to the fight. Ali did this with Jerry Quarry and with Ron Lyle, among others, even though waving in the ref gave his opponent a bit of recovery time. Ali's humanity was special.

[@gary-pietz4147]

Yes he was very compassionate

[@justinallport9789]

Cooney mostly fought guys that were over the hill"

[@MaximusWolfe]

So did Mike Tyson. The only hof fighter Tyson ever beat was Holmes 6 years after his prime.

[@gary-pietz4147]

Like most fighters do when they're coming up that's never unusual

[@57highland]

And then Cooney started fighting top contenders in their primes and wasn't dominant anymore.

[@reynaldoflores4522]

0:02 The year is NOT 1991. It was 1981 !!!!

[@saptabitel3070]

Norton, Ali, Frazier and Foreman are the REAL legends

[@MARTIAL.ART.PLANET]

Love you bro 🎉❤😂

[@patrickcolon8809]

Entering this fight, Gerry Cooney was the #1 contender for both the WBC and the WBA ...... he was hardly unknown.

[@Baz-Ten]

plus he was 13 years younger...

[@georgesouthwick7000]

And then Cooney fought Larry Holmes…….then retired.

[@leftys408]

He got KO’d by Spinks and then by Foreman before hanging up his gloves.

[@dennisduran8500]

Norton just sat on the ropes and gave up .

[@richardknott2021]

Cooney kept hitting Norton even when his arms were down..that was bull shit..the ref should have been fired.

[@RobbyByrne]

Well put together. Great of you to honor both fighters.

[@renancastillolopez6033]

Cooney was a beast... Norton was horribly injured...😢

[@chevy4x466]

Boxing legend. Shows what a great champ Larry Holmes was. Coney could have used more seasoning 🧂. He just didn’t have it upstairs. Otherwise he would have been a great champ

[@bobvylan7215]

Facts. Cooney caught him,so let’s not pretend the ref got Norton beat. The ref was very slow, but it was a weird moment, where a guy was knocked out, but still up. He was not down, he was just out. There should have been a quicker notice that Ken was not responding, but he lost because his career was over, and should have been a year before 1981.

[@christopherdelmastro8031]

Norton to 4 or 5 more shots than he needed to. Ref should have jumped in sooner.

[@markregan5882]

Very ironic that this video says Cooney only had a left when in this fight the turning point is a straight right. Cooney gets another right in when he's finishing him off. And the criticisms of the ref are grossly unfair - Norton was caught in a strange position, suspended on the ropes, and was a great fighter deserving of a chance to recover...

[@haveabossday]

Brilliant refereeing

[@stevepatrick5818]

Coney rose to prominence by fighting and defeating bóxers who were well beyond their best years. He was ultimately exposed.

[@joking6052]

Jerry hit Kenny with about four vicious blows while Kenny was on the canvas. Seems to me that this violation could have disqualified Jerry somehow. It was extremely unsportsmanlike behavior.

[@markchapman2585]

Haha you don't know shit about boxing you go till the Ref steps in or take a knee nothing wrong with this beautiful ko.

[@funktron4]

He was on the ropes. Fighters fight. If there was an oversight, that's on the referee, not Norton's opponent.

[@joking6052]

@@funktron4 maybe, can't tell

[@funktron4]

Looks like he was sitting on the turnbuckle. @@joking6052

[@1223jamez]

I remember the Cooney/Norton match at my friend’s house in Huntington Long Island. Everybody boys and girls were cheering for Jerry Cooney! Met Jerry many times being from my hometown and he was a good guy!

[@gary1642]

A black friend of mine had his own take on GC. He mocked our group in the pub saying " us white guys waited 100 yrs for a possible heavyweight champion and when one comes along his name is Cooney". He's a prick but very funny.

[@TroyBaugh-wu7ek]

That's not funny. Have some self respect, for God's sake, and remind that "prick" that all four heavyweight titles are currently held by White men. Should shut him up but fast.

[@fmills1583]

Would have been nice had the referee been a little quicker at the end there. His slow officiating cost Ken Norton about a billion brain cells that night.

[@MrBradfordchild]

Fight went on at least 3 punches too long. Cooney should've stopped. This isnt MMA, dont need ref to tell you. Bad sportsmanship by Cooney.

[@whocares5769]

Wawawawa

[@MrBradfordchild]

@@whocares5769 idiot.

[@psier78]

You fight until the ref stops you. That's the ref's fault.

[@JAMESGANG-f5u]

MrsBurtfordchild You ain’t know nuthin about dat life YO

[@lindebr]

Norton and his glass jaw.

[@JaySelvanto]

I remember being at that fight in 1981 and being interviewed outside Madison Square Garden by a ABC News sports and being on TV that night, I guess I’ll never forget that, I was only 22 years old.

[@GooffuX]

1991? WRONG!

[@CoreyT127]

F’ing up straight out the gate!😂😂😂

[@tommy..980]

He was from Jacksonville Illinois he was a amazing football player and track and field star… I never heard one bad word about Kenny Norton.. Everyone said he was a very kind and humble person… I believe he is was laid to rest in Jacksonville RIP.. KN

[@Unbothered_Brother]

Terrible ref

[@funktron4]

Cooney wasn't exactly "unknown" at that point. He was being shown on nationally televised fights and talked about a lot in boxing magazines, etc.

[@rustynail766]

If Norton was in his prime and fought Cooney it would have been exactly the same result! Remember Jose Luis Garcia knocked Norton down 3 times in KO, Foreman, Shavers and Ledoux knocked him down. Frazier knocked him out sparring in 1970, Ron Lyle would have dismembered him. Norton had a weak chin.

[@ericwilliams398]

Thanks for upload…..never knew there was a referee that could challenge Mercer-Morrison for worst stoppage ever

[@Airwolf1957]

Ernie Shavers from my State of Ohio had the hardest punch. That's from Muhammad Ali....

[@juanmonge7418]

Cooney was being hyped as the next great white hope. He never really lived up to the hype. After Ali, there weren’t a lot of famous names out there. Holmes and Spinks.

[@Ribble66]

Ken Norton was a man of class. Much respect.

[@DexterHaven]

I met Ken at a local boxing event in the mid-80s in San Diego. Archie Moore was there too. It was a good boxing area. Ken was helpful and nice. He talked to fans and gave us boxing tips after the event. He told me to try shadow boxing with 5 lbs. weights in my hands, which he did.

[@BoxingAfterDark]

Wow, thanks for the story. Getting to meet Norton & Moore in the same day, can't say i'm not a little bit jealous of that encounter haha

[@markdavies9054]

The well known English boxing commentator Harry Carpenter said of Ken Norton,”this man has muscles in places that I haven’t even got places.”

[@cedricliggins7528]

Cooney looks more Italian than Irish.

[@AlmondGlazedSunrise]

Rumor has it that the ref is still scrambling to stop the fight.

[@GrandChamp93]

That Father Time Is Something Serious And You Got To Respect It 💪🏾💯💯🙏🏾🕊️

[@JackPeters-yk9wg]

Underrated.....Wicked left hook...Kenny was also a great heavyweight..Always a gentleman and a Marine veteran...

[@jameslang1367]

I didn't know he beat Ron Lyle.

[@judex3226]

Schoolboy error. It was 1981.

[@seanfried5583]

Kenny Norton was always a class act.

[@MattDief]

Norton, Young, & Lyle had their heydays in the '70s and were well past it when they fought Cooney

[@jogman262]

I liked Gerry Cooney I was a fan, but those three in their prime would have given Cooney fits.

[@dcfunhouse]

Always liked Norton, seemed like a very decent human being. Tough to watch the end of the Cooney fight, but as they say boxing is a hard way to make an easy living. R.I.P. Mr. Norton.

[@FEROZKHAN-mz6qj]

The fact that Cooney went on punching Ken even after he fell itself is horrible and disgraceful. Remember, when Ali fought Big George in Zaire and saw George going down, he stopped punching him. That is the difference between a commoner like Cooney and the Greatest. Even George mentions that in his interviews. Says, "when Ali saw me going down he stopped throwing punches at me. That's a gentleman", he said.

[@jackdaniel7465]

Rest in Peace Ken Norton!🙏

[@richardweiler6931]

Cooney wasn't exactly unknown when he fought Norton. He was considered the Next Big Thing in the heavyweight division.

[@thomasthomas6777]

The Eastern Assassin made Cooney look like a middle schooler.

[@dangermouse957]

Two absolute legends. If you watch Ken's fight against Ali it looks like Norton won at least one of those fights he was a true warrior as was looney.

[@DragonGP]

RIP to the great Ken Norton.