In his first defense of the WBC title on June 9, 1978, Norton and new # 1 contender Larry Holmes met in a classic fight. After 15 brutal rounds, Holmes was awarded the title via an extremely close split decision. The three judges ' cards were as follows: 143 -- 142 for Holmes, 143 -- 142 for Holmes, and 143 -- 142 for Norton. The Associated Press scored it 143 -- 142 for Norton. The March 2001 edition of The Ring magazine listed the final round of the Holmes - Norton bout as the 7th most exciting round in boxing history. As noted above, Holmes - Norton is ranked as the 10th greatest heavyweight fight of all time by Monte D. Cox, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO). Holmes went on to become the third - longest reigning world heavyweight champion in the history of boxing, behind Joe Louis and Wladimir Klitschko. Years later, Holmes wrote of his experience that this was his toughest match in over 70 contests.
who won the fight between norton and holmes
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