Prime for prime. Two great sluggers. Ive got Morrison getting dropped four times in 3 rounds then scoring big with the left hook. Morrison TKO4.
I see Morrison getting treated the way a hungry German Shepard treats a steak bone. Lyle was a lot meaner and real than Razor Ruddock. Lyle ko 3.
No doubt Lyle was a junkyard dog with a great chin. Morrison had good head movement and Lyle wasn't that hard to hit. I can see LYLE destrpying Morrison. But I like Tommy using movement and digging down deep.
Some fights are guaranteed to be fun. I don't see Tommy winning but Lyle will have to pull himself off the canvas to finally wipeout Morrison somewhere between 5-7.
See Morrison VS Mercer - EXCEPT Ronny Lyle's tough-but-crackable chin might shatter BEFORE Morrison gets gassed. :!:
After an explosive first 3 rounds, I see Lyle knocking Morrison out between anywhere from rounds 4 to 6. Lyle proved he could take monster shots and get back up against Shavers and Foreman, and I don't see Morrison being able to take Lyle's return fire. Tommy would likely do well in the first two rounds, but in each round the fight would swing more and more into Lyle's favor as he starts to land heavy shots. Gun to my head, I'd say Lyle KO 5.
Lyle would be too much beast for Morrison - Lyle by very violent stoppage/kayo in the first six rounds.
Interesting match up ... I actually believe Morrison would be capable of possibly pulling an upset .... he was the faster man ... if he fought a smart fight like he did against Foreman and mixed combination punching with caution he might land on Lyle and badly hurt him ... it was when Morrison got careless like against Mercer in the fifth or against Bent that he got creamed ... Tommy would have to fight a perfect fight but he might pull it off ...
I pick Lyle, by brutal KO no later than the middle rounds. As others have pointed out, possibly Lyle gets off the floor to finish the job. HE Grant's analysis of a Morrison upset is intriguing -- not out of the question. Ultimately, though, I think Lyle's vastly superior durability is the clincher in this war between proven KO hitters.
I happen to be a huge Lyle fan ... for years I have brought to light to many on this forum what a huge puncher Ron was ... it was always fascinating to me how many were either clueless, defiant, in denial or all three ... however his durability is the one question to me ... the way he froze up against Ali just left an impression on me ... again, an interesting match up any highly unlikely to go the distance ...
Lyle really stood up to the bombs of Foreman and Shavers, so I think his durability and recuperative powers were for real. On the other hand, it is true that Lyle sometimes fell into defensive modes, often leaning back on the ropes and not fighting back. I remember Ken Norton pointed this out ("hangs on the ropes," Norton said) when doing color commentary for one of Lyle's fights. I don't know why Lyle had these lapses.