Ken “Jawbreaker” Norton (1943-2013) standing a solid 6' 2 ¾", 220lbs, made boxing history in 1973 when he met Muhammad Ali for the North American Boxing Federation title, and won, breaking Ali's jaw in the process.

Norton's professional ring career began in 1967 at the age of 23 - he won 16 straight bouts before being knocked out by Jose Luis Garcia. Soon afterward, he read Napoleon Hill’s motivational book “Think and Grow Rich” which he said changed his whole way of thinking and how he approached boxing. It was six years later that he finally got his shot at the title. Going up against Ali in that famous 1973 fight, Norton seized the opportunity and won, in what boxing experts call one of the most memorable fights of all time.

That victory was followed the same year with another bout against Ali, and this time Norton lost a split decision. The two heavyweights met a final time in 1976, for the title, and Norton lost this bout in a highly disputed split decision. After a long and colorful career which included fights against Leon Spinks, George Foreman and Tex Cobb, Norton retired from boxing in 1981.

In retirement, Norton found joy in acting, appearing in a variety of movies and TV shows, and making public appearances, until a near-fatal car crash in 1986 left him with slurred speech. Overall, Norton fought 50 fights, winning 42, (33 by knockout), with 7 loses and 1 draw. Ken Norton was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame (1989), the International Boxing Hall of Fame (1992), the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame (2004), and finally, the World Boxing Council Hall of Fame (2008).

Ken Norton passed away September 18, 2013 at the age of 70 after a series of strokes and a long illness.