Underestimated and overlooked
Styles for fighters and horses for races. Don't kid yourself, Terry Norris would have faired well against any fighter in all of boxing history between 145-155 pounds. In any expert analysis, Norris will never be remembered for the handfull of fights he lost, or the miniscule number of fights he was knocked out in. He will be, and is (by the Boxing writers and ring insiders who actually know what they're talking about) remembered as one of the most gifted fighters to ever enter the ring in the lower weight classes. The suspect chin, the fouls, the strange disqualifications bordering on the surreal...all secondary and over-inflated incidents...minor flaws barely worthy of mention in comparison to the supreme artistry and uniqueness in the sum of the overall picture being critiqued.
Based solely on the incredible, multiple-punch power combinations he put together with devastating effect, Norris deserves inclusion in some pretty elite company. Norris didn't just beat up guys, he destroyed them. Great fighters end other fighter's careers, and he stopped some pretty reputable fighters convincingly. Leonard, Mugabi,Taylor, Curry,Brown...all former champions considered to be dynamos at one point or another in their own careers, and all dominated in the end by Norris. Granted, all the afore mentioned were past their prime when they crossed paths with Norris, but all five were also under the age of 30: not exactly ancient by historical standards. All five were also convinced they could "get to " Norris's supposedly weak chin...a popular slight while he was putting together his wins one after another. And what of the fighters that flat out dodged Norris? Pernell Whitaker, for one prime example, didn't want anywhere near Norris during his streak of victories as a champion, whether he had been knocked out by Julian Jackson or Simon Brown or not. Why? Because Norris was seriously dangerous. When all is said and done, his true weakness wasn't neccesarily a weak chin, but a weakness in restraint and an over-willingness to trade bombs. If you're going to hold that against a fighter, you can throw out Sugar Ray Robinson as well. In the case of fighters like Robinson, or Hearns, or Norris, one must consider them by the sheer brilliance they exhibited at the height of their ability, not demean them by the low points which were few and far between.