Ken Norton vs Gerry Cooney - Norton’s Final Fight (Full Fight Highlights)

Ken Norton 225 lbs lost to Gerry Cooney 225 lbs by TKO at 0:54 in round 1 of 10 Date: 1981-05-11 Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA. The Ring Magazine’s Annual Ratings (1980) had former WBC Heavyweight Champion Ken Norton ranked #10 and Gerry Cooney ranked #2. Cooney entered the fight ranked #1 by the WBA and WBC. Norton was ranked #6 by the WBC. Norton retired from boxing after this fight with a record of 42-7-1. Norton was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1989, the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992 and the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. The 1998 Holiday Issue of The Ring Magazine ranked Norton #22 on the list The 50 Greatest Heavyweights of All-Time. The 2003 Ring Yearbook ranked Cooney #53 on the list The 100 Greatest Punchers of All-time. Post fight comments: “I hit him with a right hand to the jaw, a straight right. Then I dropped down to the body and caught him inside with two punches. I heard him gasp. I got a little frightened. I was hitting him and he was unconscious. I was afraid I might hurt him.“ -Gerry Cooney “It’s self-explanatory. I did not expect Gerry to come out that quick. He hit harder and quicker than I thought he would. He surprised me with everything he did. I just didn’t expect it. He’s a very talented fighter.“ -Ken Norton