Ken Norton, former world heavyweight champion, dies aged 70 Muhammad Ali, right, winces as Ken Norton hits him during their re-match at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Ken Norton, who fought Muhammad Ali three times - breaking his jaw on his way to victory in their first bout, then losing twice - and went on to become the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, died on Wednesday in Las Vegas. He was 70. His death was confirmed by his son Ken Norton jnr, an assistant coach with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and a professional linebacker for 13 seasons, the Associated Press said. Norton had been in poor health for years after several strokes. Norton defeated Ali in a 12-round split decision in 1973 to capture the North American Boxing Federation heavyweight title. Norton was an exceptionally muscular 180 centimetres and 100 kilograms, but an underdog in that first Ali fight. ""Ali thought it would be an easy fight,"" Norton's former manager Gene Kilroy was quoted as saying. ""But Norton was unorthodox. Instead of jabbing from above like most fighters, he would put his hand down and jab up at Ali."" Kilroy said after the fight, Norton visited Ali at the hospital where he was getting his broken jaw wired, and Ali told him he never wanted to fight him again. But the second bout in their trilogy came six months later when Ali came back to win a narrow split decision. Ali retained his WBC and World Boxing Association titles when he defeated Norton on a decision in their final bout, at Yankee Stadium in September 1976. In 1977, Norton knocked out the previously unbeaten Duane Bobick in the first round and defeated Jimmy Young in a 15-round split decision in a WBC title elimination series and became the mandatory challenger for the winner of a title fight between Ali and Leon Spinks. Spinks defeated Ali for the championship but shunned Norton for his first defence in favour of a rematch with Ali. The WBC stripped Spinks of the title and awarded it to Norton. Norton made his first defence of the WBC title in 1978 against Larry Holmes and lost by a 15-round split decision in one of boxing's most exciting fights. When his career ended, Norton had won 42 fights (33 by knockout), lost seven times and fought one draw. Norton acted in many movies, most notably the 1975 film Mandingo, in which he played the slave Mede, who is trained to fight by his owner. Norton jnr played linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys from 1988 to 1993 and for the San Francisco 49ers from 1994 to 2000. He was a three-time Pro Bowl player with the 49ers.