Editor’s Note: This story chronicles some of the career and life of famed professional boxer Orlin Norris. The story is split into sections about his fight against Mike Tyson in 1999, the ensuing court battle, the history of his career, life after professional boxing, and as an owner/operator of a local boxing facility.
Fight Night
On October 23, 1999, Lubbock native and number 10 ranked, Heavyweight boxer Orlin Norris went up against the number 1 ranked Mike Tyson in Las Vegas, to a sold out, star-studded crowd.
The event had been anticipated for years and finally the two fighters would meet in the ring in front of more than 12,000 fans.
“It was like any normal build up to a fight,” Norris said, “except you had Mike Tyson, who was one of the biggest names in boxing at that point. You know we had fought in the amateurs so I knew him.”
Norris spent time in the amateurs along with Tyson and many of the other top ranked boxers. While they had never gone head-to-head until that night, they had spent time at a training center together.
Although their upcoming fight was contentious, Norris and Tyson did not have much exposure to each other professionally, only coming together to promote their Las Vegas showdown. With Tyson and Norris both rising stars, Norris the two never had “beef” with one another prior to the fight.
“I can tell you what happened. What happened is that Mike Tyson hit me after the bell,” Norris said. “That’s what happened. That’s the beginning and the end of it- an illegal punch after the bell. Now what they did after that, I had no control over it.”
That night in Vegas ended after one round with a no contest decision. Mike Tyson’s purse was initially withheld after the fight, then paid out in full. Norris left with an injured knee.
The controversial fight made some critics think Norris had thrown the fight, while others saw Tyson’s hit as illegal and unpunished. Either way, Norris’ career was never the same after that match.
Norris said this fight was one of his biggest regrets of his career, because he did not speak up about his desire to keep fighting.
“I went back to the corner after he hit me, and I went down,” he said. “At that point my knee wasn’t on my mind, I was just thinking ‘okay what are they going to do? When are we going to get back out there?’.”
Norris’ knee began to swell from his dislocated kneecap. Initially thinking the doctor stopped the fight due to seeing his injury, Norris later realized it was the Nevada State Athletic commissioner, Marc Ratner, who decided to call the fight.
“So,” he said, “at that point I didn’t have any control over anything.”
Although Tyson had been disqualified once in Las Vegas previously, Norris felt his lack of punishment was due to Tyson’s celebrity status making him an important boxer in that arena. Even though Tyson was a favorite in the fight, both boxers were booed while exiting the ring.
“I wish I would’ve let them know that ‘hey I’m ready to go’, so now a lot of people say I quit in the fight,” he said.
As a public figure, Norris understands not everybody knows the full story behind the controversial fight.
“You know, I just say the long and the short of it is he fouled and he hit me after the bell. Had he not hit me after the bell, none of that would’ve happened,” Norris said. “If he were going to knock me out, he would’ve knocked me out. But now nobody knows. I mean, I felt like I was going to beat him. It’s like crying over spilled milk.”
Battle of Different Sorts
According to the Associated Press, in 1997 Norris sued Don King and the WBA for allegedly hurting his chance at a heavyweight title by not allowing him to rise in the rankings. The case ended in a settlement with King and WBA. After his experiences, Norris offers advice to those who are hoping to go pro today.
“The guys that want to go pro and want to fight from that standpoint, I can help with that as well. I’ve dealt with Don King and Bob Arum,” Norris said. “I sued Don King in the Federal Court of Philadelphia. I’ve been against those guys, so I’ve bumped heads with a lot of the big-time promoters.”
An important part of the business, having people in your corner that you can trust. To Norris, finding people to have a genuine relationship with in the boxing business, or any business, can be difficult- especially for new talent.
Rise to the Top
In 1985, Lubbock resident Orlin Norris won the coveted Golden Gloves as an amateur boxer. Once going pro, Norris went on to win 57 of his 70 fights. While a heavyweight fighter, Norris won the NABF heavyweight title and was a five-time defender of his WBA cruiserweight championship belt.
Orlin Norris. Photo from BoxRec.
Norris began learning his craft here in Lubbock as a child alongside his brother Terry. Terry Norris also went on to become a successful pro fighter.
“I started kind of ironically,” Norris said. “My mother, in order to keep my brother and I out of trouble, she put us in boxing. That seemed to work so we pretty much stayed out of trouble. It was fun because I had somebody else to bounce things off of.”
While his brother went on to play baseball, Orlin continued on with boxing. They were only reunited when they both had become professional fighters.
After winning the national Golden Gloves, Norris was contacted and asked if he had considered going pro. From there, the transition to the pros was simple for Norris, who had drawn attention as a budding talent in other tournaments as well. What came later, Norris said, was politics.
“There is really nothing you could do to equalize the playing field,” he said. “A lot of times when I was with a promoter like Don King, he had a favorite fighter and when I would go against that fighter, I couldn’t knock him out.”
Norris went on after that fateful Tyson fight to compete as a heavyweight for five more years and win 7 of his last 13 fights. Although he said he did well, his age caught up with him and changed his boxing.
“I had a lot of fights,” Norris said. “I had a lot of amateur fights and it’s amazing how at one moment you feel like you were doing what you were doing when you were 25 years old and you continue doing the same exercises and everything, but that effort is just not there.”
Back to His Roots
Norris at Boxing Kinetics Academy. Photo by Anna Holland.
Thirteen years after retiring from boxing in California, Norris is back home in Lubbock giving back to the community he first began boxing in. His boxing club, Boxing Kinetics Academy, gives people of all ages the chance to learn from a legend.
“I always wanted to come back to Lubbock,” he said. “This is home. I know a lot of people here, a lot of friends and I always wanted to come back.”
After his career came to a close, Norris saw that boxing had waned in popularity, especially after Mike Tyson left. Once new boxers entered the ring, he noticed the renewed interest and saw how he could eventually contribute his own knowledge.
“We were thirsting for a good boxer especially in the heavyweight division and then you start having some guys like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather,” he said.
While he knew some fans disliked Mayweather, Norris saw him as a similar figure to Muhammad Ali, and more importantly as a fighter to bring the boxing business back into the mainstream.
Norris at Boxing Kinetics Academy. Photo by Anna Holland.
Norris saw his experience in the amateur and professional divisions as two different aspects he could share with those who come to his club. He could also help those young people who didn’t want to become professionals, but who wanted to get experience competing, gain confidence, or get in shape.
Norris at Boxing Kinetics Academy. Photo by Anna Holland.
“I started the club because I wanted to teach young people how to box and also wanted to mentor,” Norris said. “Boxing is what I’ve done all my life and I felt it would be good for me to give back.”
There is a diverse mix of people in his club and Norris intends to keep it that way. He takes the opportunity to train female boxers as well, even though women are relatively new to the sport. He said the different ages, genders, and experience levels can help each other learn in the club.
“I like that it’s kind of blazing a new trail and I believe that everybody should have the same opportunities,” Norris said.
Orlin Norris and Ira Herrera. Courtesy of Ira Herrera.
One of the many stories coming out of Boxing Kinetics Academy is of Ira Herrera and his kids, who both train with Norris.
Herrera said he met Norris in his childhood and was able to attend some of Norris’ professional fights and meet professional boxers at a young age. After he began boxing with Norris, he took time time off for personal reasons.
Sixteen years later, Herrera and Norris have reconnected at the Boxing Academy, this time Herrera can share his love for boxing and connection with Norris with his daughter and son at the club too.
“The same qualities that I want to give my kids, I learned through boxing,” Herrera said.
Orlin Norris, Ira Herrera, and family. Courtesy of Ira Herrera.
Herrera and his family train weekly at the club with Norris alongside the diverse group. Herrera hopes the club and Norris will teach his kids about life and coping skills; the same skills he learned through the sport when he was her age.
“A person is training to punch you in the face and it’s happening fast and that’s a metaphor for life,” Herrera said. “Life comes at you fast and hard and you have to be able to adapt or you’re not going to be able to keep whatever opportunities in front of you that you want to have.”
For those Texas Tech students hoping to join, the Boxing Kinetics Academy offers a discounted price so students can get involved and learn from him. When it comes to offering life advice to anyone after his professional career, Norris also sees boxing as a perfect metaphor for the real world.
“A lot of people think it’s easy but life is hard,” Norris said. “Just keep fighting. It’s just like a boxing match, you know you keep on until the last bell rings.”
Orlin Norris. Photo by Anna Holland.
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