Norton says Manny-Floyd tiff inevitable

CANASTOTA – Former world heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton said the other day a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is inevitable because the money is too tempting to refuse.

“Manny’s a great fighter, very exciting, always coming forward,” said Norton who was in this New York village as a special guest of the 22nd induction ceremonies of the International Boxing Hall of Fame last weekend. “The fight (against Mayweather) will happen for sure. You know why it’s going to happen? It’s the money. Who’s going to win? I think it’s 50-50.”

Pacquiao is expected to bankroll as much as what he earned in his last three bouts if only Mayweather finds the courage to step up to the plate. The estimate is Pacquiao and Mayweather will pocket at least $65 Million each in their much-awaited showdown, if it materializes.

Norton, 67, was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 1992. Asked if he would rate Pacquiao as one of the world’s best 10 fighters of all time, Norton nodded. But he hesitated to rate the Filipino icon as one of the world’s best five.

The first thing Norton said when this writer introduced himself as a Filipino was “kumusta.” Norton was in the Philippines once – as a TV commentator for the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier “Thrilla In Manila” at the Araneta Coliseum in 1975. He joined the broadcast panel with actor Hugh O’Brien of TV’s “Wyatt Earp” fame, comedian Flip Wilson and anchor Howard Cosell.

Norton, who used to be known as the “Black Hercules,” is now just a shell of what he once was. His speech is strained and slurred. His voice is deep and guttural. He moves with the aid of a walker. It’s difficult to imagine that the virtual cripple once broke Ali’s jaw en route to scoring a win via a 12-round split decision in 1973.

Norton’s condition wasn’t a result of his boxing career, which ended in 1981. He nearly lost his life in a horrible car accident on a Los Angeles freeway in 1986. Norton’s skull was split open. His right leg was broken above and below the knee. His jaw was shattered. Norton underwent a three-hour operation to save his life. He was hospitalized for three weeks and lost 43 pounds. 

Norton was on his way home from a fund-raiser for Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley when his Clenet sports car crashed off an expressway ramp. Investigators confirmed he was neither drunk nor drugged. 

The ironic part is that the blow to the head (from the accident) affected his speech,” said Norton’s wife Jackie. “People think it’s from boxing but it’s not.”

Norton is lucky to be alive. Stitches were sewn on his skull from one ear to the other because his skull was cracked. “It bothers me to speak like this because it’s so much different from what I was,” said Norton in an interview a year after the crash. “Some days, my voice is kind of husky, some days, it’s plainer.”

When The STAR spoke to Norton, his mind seemed clear but his voice was hardly audible. He was in good spirits and spoke animatedly about Pacquiao’s impact on the sport.

“At first, I thought I might die and if I didn’t die, I wouldn’t be coherent,” he said, quoted by Rich Roberts in the Los Angeles Times. “Then, they thought even if I couldn’t talk, I’d be a cripple. Now, I’m talking and walking and I can even chew gym at the same time.”

Norton wrote about his remarkable recovery in a 2000 book “Going the Distance” and a 2009 book “Believe: Journey from Jacksonville.”

“If God had wanted me, he would’ve taken me,” Norton told Michael Falgoust of USA Today. “I thought I was very lucky. Each day, I tried to do something better than the day before. Doing that, I’ve grown to be a better man, a more intelligent man and a stronger person.”

Two years ago, Norton suffered two strokes and survived a quadruple bypass surgery after a heart attack. He also took treatment for prostate cancer. His remarkable recovery from adversity was recognized when a statue was built in his honor for working with developmentally disabled people in his birthplace of Jacksonville, Illinois.

Norton compiled a record of 42-7-1, with 33 KOs. He fought Ali thrice, winning once. In 1977, the ex-Marine beat Jimmy Young on a split 15-round decision in a heavyweight title eliminator and was later awarded the championship after titlist Leon Spinks signed to take on Ali in a rematch instead of defending against the No. 1 contender Norton. In his first title defense, Norton lost a split decision to Larry Holmes. 

Before his accident, Norton appeared in about 20 movies, including “Mandingo” and “Drum.” In 1973, he was given the Napoleon Hill award for being an “outstanding positive thinker” whose motto is “What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.” 

Norton was married two years with his first wife Jeannette and their son Ken Jr., now 44, is in the history books as the only pro football player to be on three straight Super Bowl champion teams.  Norton married his second wife Jackie in 1977. In all, Norton has five children and six grandchildren. He lives in Orange County, California, near the Pacific Ocean.