Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton's 1976 trilogy fight

On September 28, 1976, Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton met for the third and final time in their trilogy at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The event was notable for being the final boxing match ever held at the stadium.

Ali entered the bout as the WBC, WBA, and Ring heavyweight champion. While Norton landed more punches—with statistics citing 281 or 286 landed punches compared to Ali’s 199—the judges awarded Ali a unanimous decision victory. The scoring was extremely close, with the referee scoring it 8–6 and the judges scoring it 8–7 twice.

The decision remains a subject of historical debate. Although Ali retained his titles, many observers and sportswriters felt Norton had performed better. Following this match, Ali went on to fight six more times, while Norton later held the WBC heavyweight title after the belts split.