Muhammad Ali is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest heavyweight to have ever laced up the gloves.
Known more commonly by his moniker ‘The Greatest’, Ali began his career as a professional back in 1960, just months after he walked away from the Olympic Games in Rome with a Light-Heavyweight Gold Medal.
He would go on to win the world heavyweight championship on three occasions throughout the course of his 21-year tenure, with perhaps his most famous victory coming against fellow countryman ‘Big George’ Foreman in 1974.
Another fighter that Ali got the better of on two separate occasions is former WBC heavyweight champion Ken Norton, who actually defeated ‘The Greatest’ in the first of their three clashes back in 1973.
Speaking about their third and final encounter in an interview with Mark Cronin, which took place at the Yankee Stadium in New York City in September of 1976, Ali admitted that he actually believed the judges got the decision wrong on the night, as he claims Norton should have been declared the winner over himself.
“I honestly thought he beat me in Yankee Stadium, but the judges gave it to me, and I’m grateful to them.”
Norton would go on to continue with his career for a further five years after he suffered that defeat to Ali. He would become the WBC heavyweight champion during the early stages of 1978 when Leon Spinks refused to face him, although he would eventually lose the title to the legendary Larry Holmes just a couple of months later.
