What was Ken Norton's Net Worth?
Ken Norton was an American professional boxer who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 2013. Ken Norton turned professional after completing his military service in 1967. He went on to fight 50 bouts over the course of his professional career, winning 42, 33 via knockout. He is most widely remembered for being one of only two boxers to defeat Muhammad Ali during his prime. He broke Ali's jaw in the 12th round of their fight in March 1973. They fought twice more. He lost both fights, though the third bout is still widely debated. Norton was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992. He died on September 18, 2013. Ken's son, Ken Norton Jr., went on to become a professional football player and coach.
Earnings
Ken earned $300,000 for his first bout against Muhammad Ali in 1973. That's the same as around $2 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation. He would go on to earn millions more from guarantees and Pay Per View bonuses primarily from his two rematches against Ali.
Ken Norton In Caracas, 1974 (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Early Life and Education
Ken Norton was born on August 9, 1943 in Jacksonville, Illinois. As an adolescent, he went to Jacksonville High School, where he was a star football and track athlete. He was an All-State selection in football, and competed in eight different track and field events his senior year, taking 1st in seven of them. After winning seven of the eight events, the "Ken Norton Rule", was subsequently implemented for all Illinois track and field teams. It limited the number of track and field events in which a student athlete could participate to four.
Norton went on to attend Northeast Missouri State University on a football scholarship. There, he studied elementary education.
Amateur Boxing
After dropping out of college, Norton enlisted in the US Marine Corps, where he served from 1963 to 1967. He took up boxing during this time, compiling a 24-2 record and winning three all-Marine heavyweight titles. Norton ended his amateur career as the best boxer ever in the Corps, and was awarded the North Carolina AAU Golden Gloves, International AAU, and Pan American titles.
Professional Boxing, 1967-1978
Norton racked up an unbroken string of wins after turning professional in 1967. Over his first three years as a professional boxer, he defeated such fighters as Grady Brazell, Harold Dutra, Jimmy Gilmore, Wayne Kindred, Gary Bates, Stamford Harris, and Ray Junior Ellis. Norton's first loss, a surprise to most, was to the unproven Jose Luis Garcia in July of 1970. Not long after that, he was given the motivational book "Think and Grow Rich"; upon reading it, he went on a 14-fight winning streak, ending with his shocking split-decision upset over Muhammad Ali in March of 1973. As a result, Norton won the North American Boxing Federation heavyweight title. Later in the year, he narrowly lost the heavyweight title in a rematch with Ali. Next, in 1974, Norton went up against George Foreman for the world heavyweight championship, but lost in the second round.
Norton regained the NABF heavyweight title in 1975 by defeating Jerry Quarry via TKO. The following year, he had his third and final fight with Ali in a hotly contested bout. With the judges' scores even going into the final round, Ali came out strong and won both the judges' and referee's scorecards to retain his world championship title. Norton had better luck against the previously unbeaten Duane Bobick, whom he knocked out in 1977. He went on to defeat Lorenzo Zanon and Jimmy Young. In 1978, the WBC ordered a match between Norton and new world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks. However, Spinks chose to face Ali for his first title defense. In response, the WBC retroactively gave title fight status to Norton's win over Young the previous year, making him a world heavyweight champion.
1978-1981
In his first defense of the WBC heavyweight title in 1978, Norton was defeated by Larry Holmes via a narrow split decision. The bout was a complete slugfest, and is considered one of the greatest heavyweight fights in history. Following his loss, Norton beat Randy Stephens. He lost his next fight to Earnie Shavers in 1979. Norton subsequently drew with Scott LeDoux. Now 37 years old, Norton felt it was time he retired from professional boxing; however, looking to go out on a more auspicious note, he decided to face the undefeated Tex Cobb in late 1980. Norton ended up winning the action-packed bout with a split decision.
Norton had his final fight in May of 1981 against Gerry Cooney at Madison Square Garden. Like Cobb before him, Cooney was coming into the fight undefeated. Things did not go well for Norton, as he was buckled by Cooney's punches early in the bout and was defeated not long after that when the fight had to be stopped. Cooney was the victor via first-round technical knockout. After that bout, Norton decided to retire and focus on charitable endeavors.
Other Appearances
Beyond the ring, Norton did some acting. He appeared in the 1975 blaxploitation film "Mandingo" and its 1976 sequel "Drum," and had bit parts in many other productions after that. Following his retirement from boxing, Norton served as a television boxing commentator and made frequent appearances as a public speaker. He did this until a near-fatal car accident in 1986 left him with debilitated speech.
Personal Life and Death
Norton married his first wife, Jeanette Henderson, in 1966; they had a son named Ken Jr. before divorcing in 1968. Ken Jr. went on to play and coach in the NFL. In 1977, Norton wed his second wife, Jackie Halton, with whom he had a daughter named Kenisha and a son named Kene. They divorced in 2000. Norton later married Rose Conant. He also has a son named Keith from before his first marriage.
On September 18, 2013, Norton passed away at a care facility in Henderson, Nevada. He was 70 years of age.
