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This '70s heavyweight trilogy was a bit under-sung and overlooked, imo. The San Diegan ex marine first caught Ali in one of his underestimating, undertrained distraction cycles of his career and broke his jaw at some point in the first fight while winning a decision at a second tier venue out on "Sports Arena Blvd" in the "Midway District between Ocean Beach and Mission Beach" in San Diego.
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Ken Norton's crablike pressure style was made to give Ali three of the hardest fights and two of the closest contested nights in Ali's career. You could've called this first rematch either way as the judging did. Both my co-renter and I were undecided enough to call it a draw . . . or "at least a draw" as my then Phoenix housemate put it.