Not Sure Why Specifically, But the Fact Norton Never Actually BEAT Anyone for the WBC Title Probably Had Something to Do w/It. A Former “World Champion” That was WINLESS In World Title Fight’s. REED
I am pretty sure Norton inherited the WBC title after Ali retired. The documentary Champions Forever says so. 1:11:15 mark
10:01 Joe Frazier: "I was moving like a sharpshooter. Anything I went at I made sure it was on target". Misses with his very next shot.
@ The Time There was Only WBA/WBC...Ali was Undisputed Champ... After Spinks Beat Ali, Becoming Undisputed Champ, He was Stripped of the WBC Title for Failure to Face the # 1 Contender, Ken Norton... Instead, Spinks Gave Ali an Immediate RE, Norton Was Appointed "Champion" of the WBC and Lost His 1st "Defense" Against Larry Holmes... REED
Could Have Been a Don King Related SLIGHT Or It Could've Been NATHAN, Who Knows???... REED's Pretty Sure Holmes was Introduced PRIOR to Gerry Cooney as Well, Another Don King Promotion... REED
I thought about the Holmes vs Cooney thing too, in fact I wrote about it in my boxing book In ancient history there have been shamanistic ritual displays, in which the idea has been to prevent something bad happening for the tribe. A mask-wearing person has personified a disease, a foreign tribe or something, and then the Shaman has symbolically driven it away or killed it. This threatening character has always been introduced to the audience first, before the guy who defends the tribe has arrived. Boxing has been the same way, the one who threatens something prestigious has arrived and has been introduced first. When no championship is on the line, the visiting fighter gets introduced first, the home guy second. When it is a championship fight, the challenger who threatens to shake things up is introduced first. So my theory about Holmes vs Cooney was, that this way Holmes was introduced as the bad guy, in a subtle manner. Holmes was the one who was the threat that could threaten something prestigious, and Cooney had the role of defending the home tribe. I fully acknowledge that I might be reaching to see something that isn't there and it all could be a coincidence, but in the case of Cooney vs Holmes I don't think its far-fetched, considering what else was going on around that fight
You're Not Reaching @ All in Your Last Sentence and NO ONE Was More Acutely Aware of How to Manipulate Race and Boxing for FINANCIAL Gain Than Don King... He was Never "Blacker" than He Was for Ali-Foreman in Zaire or When Tyson was 1st Released from Prison...And it Wouldn't Surprise REED in the Least if King Actually WANTED Cooney to Beat Holmes That Night...Cooney WAS Holmes' Financial Ceiling; Cooney's Ceiling was LIMITLESS Back Then... Fighters were PROPERTY to Don King...He TALKED "Brother, Brother This, Racist White Devils That..." When it SUITED Him, But MONEY was All That Ever Mattered to Him... As Shitty as That Sounds (And IS), There was EVIL Genius to King's Method and REED Borrowed Traces of That Method w/Out Violating His OWN Personal Code of Ethics (or Compromising Fighters), During his Matchmaking Days... Close Friend of REED's Trained a White Guy Named Brent Urban...Ballsy, Tough Ass Dude Who Came By it Naturally, Growing Up in the Predominantly Black and Hispanic Oak Cliff Neighborhood of Souf' Dallas...One of Those Areas That Raises Eyebrows On Name Recognition ALONE, From Those Residing in the Dallas Area..."Oh, He's from Oak Cliff"??? Trainer Friend Nicknamed Brent "Hurricane" Because of His Workrate, But REED Suggested a Better Nickname; "Oak Cliff Ghost"...Brent Had a Sense of Humor About It, Didn't Really Care Either Way, Kelly Pavlik was Popping Around This Time and the Moniker Elicited an IMMEDIATE Response from Dallas/Ft. Worth Boxing Fans...Nickname Even Made Airwaves on Dallas Area Radio Stations... And Since Brent Could Actually FIGHT a Bit, REED Was Able to Generate Decent Club-Show Ticket Sales on Some Charles Hatley and Luis Yanez Undercards BECAUSE of the "Oak Cliff Ghost-Brent Urban"...Instant Fan Favorite, Action Fighter and His Story was AUTHENTIC...He Wasn't a "Wannabe" , So Brent Drew Rural and "Urban" Interest Just By Being HIMSELF... And Yes, Brent Was Always Featured on the "Good Guys" Side of the Bill, Walked Out 2nd and was Introduced 2nd, More Times Than Not vs. BLACK Opponents... REED
Unfortunately not. My publisher didn't know how to find an English publisher, and translating the book would cost a lot, after which I should find a publisher by myself
Not necessarily. It could be that in marketing the fight King wanted to portray Norton as 'the bad guy', but with King it could be anything else too, maybe even a screwup by the MC. In Jeffries vs Johnson Johnson was introduced first despite being the champion, btw
Best version of this story that I ever heard told was by William Guthrie, the guy that Johnson beat to get the IBF belt he lost to Jones Jr. Easiest guy to listen to. If I can't sleep I put on William Guthrie. 25:41 he goes on about King. But this one is best.... 3:40
