Editing Ken Norton (section)

=== WBC heavyweight champion ===
====Norton vs. Young====
In 1977,  Norton knocked out previously unbeaten top prospect [[Duane Bobick]] in one round. The fight had an interesting narrative to it, as Norton's previous trainer, Eddie Futch, opted to train Bobick instead of Norton. Norton then dispatched European title holder, Lorenzo Zanon in a 'tune-up' fight. Light-hitting but fast, Zanon was ahead on the scorecards until a barrage of right-overhands and looping-body shots put him down and out.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snowden |first=Jonathan |title=One Punch: How Ken Norton Became a Boxing Legend in a Single Night |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1779469-one-punch-how-ken-norton-became-a-boxing-legend-in-a-single-night |access-date=2022-09-09 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref>

Norton then defeated polished number two contender [[Jimmy Young (boxer)|Jimmy Young]] (who had beaten Foreman for the former champion's second loss, as well as twice top heavyweight contender  [[Ron Lyle]]) via 15-round split decision in a WBC title-elimination bout, with the winner to face reigning WBC champion Ali. (However, Ali's camp told ''The Ring'' they did not want to fight Norton for a fourth time.) Both boxers fought a smart fight, with Norton using a heavy body attack whilst Young moved well and countered. The decision was controversial, with many observers thinking Young had done enough to win.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

Although Norton was expected to face Ali for a fourth time, to fight for the WBC heavyweight championship, plans changed due to Ali's loss of his title to [[Leon Spinks]] on February 15, 1978. The WBC then ordered a match between the new champion and Norton, its number one contender. Spinks however, chose to face Ali in his first title defence, instead of facing Norton.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wZQKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NkwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4835,5436403&hl=en Spinks Snub Miffs Norton], AP via ''Ludington Daily News'', March 11, 1978</ref><ref name="news.google_a">Anderson, Dave (March 9, 1978) [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZewVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KhMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2403,1808741&hl=en No. 1 Contender – Norton only boxer behaving like a champion], ''The New York Times'' via ''Star-News''</ref> The WBC responded on March 18, 1978, by retroactively giving title fight status to Norton's victory over Young the year before and awarding Norton their championship, which split the heavyweight championship for the first time since [[Jimmy Ellis (boxer)|Jimmy Ellis]] and Joe Frazier were both recognized as champions in the early 1970s.<ref name="usmc-mccs"/><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XuAjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fykEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2358%2C2878012 "Norton-Young Bout May Be for the Title"], ''Milwaukee Journal'', November 5, 1977</ref>

====Norton vs. Holmes====
{{main|Ken Norton vs. Larry Holmes}}
In his first defense of the WBC title on June 9, 1978, Norton and new number one contender [[Larry Holmes]] met in a brutal 15-round fight. Holmes was awarded the title via an extremely close split decision. Two of the three judges scored the fight 143–142 for Holmes while the third scored the bout 143–142 for Norton.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Ken_Norton_vs._Larry_Holmes
|title=The judges' cards for Holmes vs. Norton |publisher=boxrec.com |date= June 9, 1978|access-date=March 17, 2011}}</ref> The Associated Press scored it 143–142 for Norton.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1gcdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-J0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=2555,2232253 Holmes get boxing title]. Associated Press via ''The Tuscaloosa News'', June 10, 1978</ref> The March 2001 edition of ''The Ring'' listed the final round of the Holmes–Norton bout as the seventh most exciting round in boxing history and International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) member Monte D. Cox ranked the bout as the tenth greatest heavyweight fight of all time. Holmes went on to become the third-longest reigning world heavyweight champion in the history of boxing, behind [[Joe Louis]] and [[Wladimir Klitschko]]. Years later, Holmes wrote that the bout was his toughest fight of all his seventy-five contests.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Tom |date=2018-06-19 |title=Larry Holmes: 'After Ken Norton my 20 title defenses were playground stuff' |url=https://www.ringtv.com/537941-larry-holmes-after-ken-norton-my-20-title-defenses-were-playground-stuff/ |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=The Ring}}</ref>