Why don't boxing fans talk about the Ali-Norton Trilogy like they do the Ali-Frazier one?

Whenever the great boxing rivalries of history are the topic of conversation, the Ali-Frazier triology is always at the top of the list for discussion. This is understandable because Ali called Frazier such derogatory names as ';Gorilla'; and ';Uncle Tom';, and all three of their fights were classic wars that pitted the boxer against the slugger. Frazier is the only one to ever floor Ali, and, to this day, does not have any use for him.





But, why isn't the Ali-Norton triology ever given the same consideration. Norton broke his jaw in their first fight, and many of the experts think he actually won their other two encounters. Norton went the distance against Ali in all three of their battles, and was the only one who could match him in both intelligence and stragety. Where the Ali-Frazier triology goes down as the most bitter feud in boxing history, the Ali-Norton triology rarely even gets mentioned. Any of you boxing fans have any ideas why that may be?Why don't boxing fans talk about the Ali-Norton Trilogy like they do the Ali-Frazier one?
Well, think one of the reasons is because when Ali and Frazier met for the first time in Madison Square Garden, both were undefeated and Ali was coming off his 3 year exile from boxing, so there was a big debate on who people viewed as the real champion. And the fight was one of the best fights in history with Frazier knocking Ali down and winning the fight.Their second fight, while a good fight, there was no title at stake so that fight is not really mentioned as a great fight. But their third battle, The Thrilla in Manilla, was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Heavyweight championship fight ever. Both men fought their heart's out and Ali even said it was the closest thing to death after he TKO'd Frazier in the 14th round. These bouts were history making fights.





The Ali-Norton trilogy were all good, close fights but never were up to the level of Ali-Frazier in my opinion. Norton had sort of an awkward style that wasn't a thrilling, crowd-pleasing style like Frazier, but it gave Ali fits. Ali and Norton never really had that life and death struggle that Ali and Frazier had. But they were good, tough fights. But they didn't the historical impact on the sport like Ali-Frazier did.Why don't boxing fans talk about the Ali-Norton Trilogy like they do the Ali-Frazier one?
There was more hype for Frazier and Ali. Ali has since apologized for the way he treated Frazier and Joe being the man he is accepted the apology. Ali and Frazier have appeared together at several sporting events and know they wouldn't be as revered without the other.
Simple. No1 likes Norton, %26amp; Frazier is an ******.
Simple. Frazier was the more popular opponent. Like Ali, he was an Olympic gold medalist. He was an undefeated heavyweight champion when Ali first fought him. In other words, Frazier had already made a name for himself in the heavyweight division before he met Ali. On the other hand, Norton was relatively unknown when he first fought Ali. In fact, if not for the Ali fights, we won't even be talking about Norton now. And Ken surely knows this. He said, ';when you fight Ali, win or lose, it was good for your name.';





As you've mentioned, the hype (created mostly by Ali) generated by the Ali-Frazier fights further added to their luster and mystique. The tauntings, name-callings and controversies spawned by these fights really sold them even to non-boxing fans like movie stars, athletes and even heads of states. Lastly, at least two of three Ali-Frazier bouts were certified classics compared to Ali-Norton, where only the first fight stands out.
The fights never generated the same personal animosity as Ali-Frazier. Joe Frazier's intensity made those matches.
Norton, though a good boxer, was not the fighter Frazier was, and admittedly, generally liked Ali, though not the outcome of their fights.Frazier, as mentioned previously, had that intensity and dislike of Ali that made the trilogy what it was.
They do, it's just Joe still seethes to this day for the comments Ali used when hyping their fights. Such lifelong rivalrys are the stuff of ledgend. The fight Ali and Joe had in Manilla just might be the greatest single boxing match of all time. As great a Ken Norton %26amp; Ali's fights were, the drama and social impact of the ones he had with Joe were simply overwelming events that dominated the era.