There have been a few Lyle threads started recently. Ive always thought hes a tough H2H prospect for many modern time champs and contenders(60s-current). My question is this, He had his first pro fight at 29 and had only a prison amateur career, how good do you believe he could have been had he taken up boxing as a free man at a younger age
Logic would certainly tell us that if he had started earlier, he would have been better off. Of course, there's no way of knowing how exactly it would have played out for him. Maybe if he had turned pro five years earlier, he would have hooked up with the wrong managment, or sustained an injury that may have inhibited him. One thing is for certain, he definately had potential, and I happen to believe that he could have gone further under different circumstances.
I never really thought much of Lyle. I think he benefits a bit from revisionist thinking. He gets rated largely on performances in losing efforts to Ali and Foreman. People forget that at the time, he had terribly embarassing losses to Quarry, Young, and Lynn Ball, all of whom he was expected to beat easily.
I think if Lyle had started earlier the results would still have been similar. He was just in a very tough and competitive era...Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Quarry...the list goes on.
