A star baseball player during his high school years, Norris bypassed a career on the diamond for one in the ring, amassing a stellar 291-4 amateur record. Displaying a stunning combination of hand and foot speed as well as the ability to throw dizzying combos, Norris' athletic ability was an uncanny attribute in the ring. After turning pro Norris compiled a record of twenty one wins and two losses before challenging Julian Jackson in Norris's first title fight. He beat future champion Steve Little for the NABF junior middleweight title in December, 1988, and defended once against Buster Drayton. His two losses were by unanimous decision to Derrick Kelley and a disqualification to Joe Walker when Norris hit Walker when Walker was down.
Norris challenged Julian Jackson for the WBA junior middleweight belt in July 1989. Norris seemed to win the first round, but a big second-round right cross from the champion knocked Norris out. Norris made it to his feet before the count but was deemed unfit to continue by referee Joe Cortez.
After winning three comeback fights, including a victory over former welterweight champion Jorge Vaca, Norris traveled to Tampa, Florida, in March 1990 to challenge John Mugabi for the WBC junior middleweight title. Norris wasted no time in stopping the champion, flooring him twice in the first round - the second time for the full count - and thus starting what would be the first of three reigns as champion.
After defending his belt against Rene Jacquot, Norris faced the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard in Madison Square Garden in February 1991. Norris easily beat Sugar Ray via a 12-round unanimous verdict. His next defense, a June victory over another former welterweight kingpin - Donald Curry - further cemented Norris' place in the history of the 154-lb. division as Norris wore down his foe and knocked him out in the eighth.
Other prominent foes in that first reign included the tough future titlist Jorge Castro and two welterweight champions, Meldrick Taylor (then the WBA champion), and Maurice Blocker (who held the IBF version at the time of his challenge).
In a shocking upset in December, 1993, Simon Brown, former WBC and IBF welterweight titlist, knocked out Norris in four rounds to win the title and halt Norris' defense streak at ten. Ring magazine named this fight as their "Upset of the Year" for 1993. In their rematch, Norris then regained the title by unanimous verdict over Brown in May 1994.
His second reign proved short when he lost the title by disqualification to Luis Santana in November, 1994. The decision to disqualify Norris was controversial. Norris hit Santana in the back of the head and Santana went down, claiming he was unable to continue. Some at ringside, however, felt that Santana refused to get up in order to gain the disqualification win. Because of the controversial nature of the match, a rematch was ordered. Norris also lost the April, 1995, rematch by disqualification, this time for hitting Santana after the bell had sounded to end the round. In their third fight in August of that year, Norris knocked out Santana to regain his title.
Norris then won a 12-round unanimous decision over hated San Diego rival Paul Vaden in December 1995 to add Vaden's IBF title to his WBC version, and made defenses against Vincent Pettway (former IBF champion), Nick Rupa, and Alex Rios, before being stripped of the IBF title by that sanctioning body in 1997. Keith Mullings then ended Norris's championship career by way of ninth-round knockout in December 1997.
Norris fought twice more after losing his title. Dana Rosenblatt defeated him by twelve-round decision in a middleweight bout and then WBA junior middleweight champion Laurent Boudouani ended his boxing career with a ninth round knockout.
Norris was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.
