This. People are getting over their skiis regarding his power and overlooking the skills he developed after a late start.
Regarding his bout with Ali many at the time felt Ali carried Lyle. Ali introduced a new strategy in this bout....."The Mirage"....basically ropeadope mid ring rather than against the ropes. Lyle in turn said he would beat Ali by "not trying to beat him". In other words he was not going to punch himself out if Ali layed on the ropes. So the fight was really a boring affair. Ali went round after round in a shell, Lyle opened up sporaticly trying to conserve himself. The combination of these strategies gave Lyle a lead after ten rounds. Ali opened up in round 11 seriously hurting Lyle and after 20 sum unanwered punches culminating in a on the button left hook that snapped Lyles head violently to his left the ref stopped the fight.
Ali tried a lot of things in this fight and they all failed, Lyle boxed a very smart fight and didn't fall for the Rope A Dope or the Mirage, or Ali's movement. I don't think it was Ali's plan to get his eye hurt and in so deep a hole he possibly needed a KO, though the post fight score cards are a bit fishy.
Great fight with Foreman. He starts with a right to the body which even George avoids by a country mile, Ron was wound up so tight. The staredown was brief but so intense. Lyle got himself about two inches max from Foreman's face. One minor irritant about that fight aside from the timekeeping but I wish George's mom had got in the ring and pulled his shorts up properly.
Lyle was a good to very good puncher. Not a great puncher. If he was a bit more durable and a bit faster, you'd have an all time great. You could argue he did better vs Foreman and Ali that just about anyone in the 1970's. He could have been #1 in sometime in boxing history from 1930 to present. A top 50 all-time heavyweight in my book & measuring stick for greatness for those who beat him. I also think those who avoided him did so with a reason. Lyle was a dangerous convict, once pronounced officially dead...flattened, and came back to beat death. He also was in a semi-pro boxing league that used to match a cities best vs each other. Lyle was the heavyweight for Denver. I never saw any footage from this USA boxing league. Research or videos here would be new ground for me. Lyle was a good to very good puncher. Not a great puncher. If he was a bit more durable and a bit faster, you'd have an all time great. You could argue he did better vs Foreman and Ali that just about anyone in the 1970's. He could have been #1 in sometime in boxing history from 1930 to present. A top 50 all-time heavyweight in my book & measuring stick for greatness for those who beat him. I also think those who avoided him did so with a reason. Lyle was a dangerous convict, once pronounced officially dead...flattened, and came back to beat death. He also was in a semi-pro boxing league that used to match a cities best vs each other. Lyle was the heavyweight for Denver. I never saw any footage from this USA boxing league. Research or videos here would be new ground for me.
They should its called Ron Lyle the mile high warrior. He gave full access to the author for this book. Also check bookfinder.com I liked the book it was good. Kool guy.
When Ali decided to box he, as typical, won rounds. When he covered up he lost rounds. Just minutes prior to fight time video interviews of both Ali and Lyle were played where Ali announced he would introduce the Mirage and Lyle stated his strategy would be to win via not trying to beat Ali. Therein were the reasons the bout was a stinker. That is until one of Ali's best right hands in round 11 which crumpled Lyle and led to the bout being stopped. Many felt because of the low output of the bout until round 11 and the quick ending that Ali carried Lyle.
You got that one right. Ali wasn't carrying Lyle at all. He was being out jabbed though. I would have given Lyle another 10 seconds or so before stopping it.
Hello Red; IMO Lyle was a clean Hard puncher who developed skills over his career. But IMO I think a tad overrated. Had "I run out of gas quickly" Shavers nailed Ron MID-second round with that left hook it would have been Ron, not Earnie, in a puddle at the end. Foreman was brain dead when he fought Lyle but...no one keeps George down, I thought Lyle was 'dead' after that one. I read a previous poster's record on Lyle's KO's/decisions. Again IMO nothing to write home about. Although a tad green at the time Quarry said (in Feb. 73) "I was a little scared about Ron, given his record, but I nailed him with a left hook in the first round and his knees buckled! I knew then that he could be hurt!"
