Ron Lyle vs the best of the 80's

Ron's most important fights -(Rated Opponents)
9-6-1 (3 Knockouts)

07/10/72 Vicente Rondon #2 WBA, #7 Ring (Light-Heavyweight)-TKO Win 2
12/09/72 Larry Middleton #4 WBA -KO Win 3 (Lyle -1972 WBA fighter of the year)
02/09/73 Jerry Quarry -L UD 12 (WBHOF) -(Lyle 19-0, 17 KO'S)
10/31/73 Larry Middleton #9 WBA-W UD 10
11/17/73 Gregorio Peralta #10 WBA-Draw 10
03/19/74 Oscar Bonavena #7 WBA, #6 Ring -W UD 12
07/16/74 Jimmy Ellis #8 WBA -W UD 12
02/11/75 Jimmy Young #9 WBA- L UD 10
05/16/75 Muhammad Ali World Champion-KO by 11
09/13/75 Earnie Shavers #7 Ring -TKO Win 6
01/24/76 George Foreman #2 WBA, #4 Ring -KO'd 5
11/06/76 Jimmy Young #3 Ring-L UD 12
03/20/77 Joe Bugner #4 WBA, #10 Ring-W SD 12
09/14/77 Stan Ward #9 Ring-W MD 10
05/12/79 Scott LeDoux #10 WBA-W SD 10
10/24/80 Gerry Cooney #3 Ring-KO by 1

 

The best version of lyle loses to the peak Holmes Tucker Tyson and Douglas for sure.
Peak Thomas and Witherspoon should be favored.
tubbs and doks are winnable but tubbs and dokes are also favorites if at their absolute best. But if they're off their game a bit then it's anyone's guess
Williams, Berbick, Smith, bruno,coetzee and page are very winnable at least 50/50 or better for lyle

 

Holmes and Tyson beat him hands down. Holmes out boxes him, but could have as much difficulty with Lyle as he had with Weaver, but Holmes arm is raised in victory. Lyle would probably try trading with Tyson like did Berbick and the result would be the same. Tyson stops him rounds 2-4.

Vs Thomas could go either way, but I'd slightly favor Thomas. Thomas was arguably the better boxer and had the chin to take Lyle's power.

Vs Greg Page I' favor Lyle

Vs Witherspoon 50/50 IMO

Vs Dokes I'd favor Lyle

Vs Cooney slightly favor Lyle

Vs Weaver slugfest which Lyle stops Weaver

Vs Tony Tucker I'd favor Tucker

Vs Buster Douglas if it was the same Douglas who beat Tyson, I'd favor Douglas to stop Lyle. Otherwise, could go either way

 

Bummy how was it you got to be in Lyles dressing room? I read his biography and enjoyed the book a lot.
Can you add a bit of insite on what the man was like in your interactions with him?

 

Is this going to be a level playing field in which Ron is promoted by Don King, too? If so, the list of guys who could beat him just got quite a bit longer.

 

He might be generally overrated as a puncher, based on overall results, but he was what I'd call 'heavy-handed'. Capable of delivering concussive power, at times, he was more a consistently stiff puncher. He, more often than not, showed patience and constraint; prepared to go the distance and he could really put his punches together very nicely. He could throw a right cross as well as anyone I've seen.


I can understand why the Lyle Legend was extrapolated from his slugfest with Foreman. Perhaps somewhat ironically, Lyle's professionalism and restraint went completely out of the window.

It was raw, unadulterated power on display that night - from both men. I don't think anyone else ever really hurt Foreman the way Lyle did in their meeting. For mine, that's got to count for something in the 'Big Puncher' stakes.

 

Tyson and Holmes beat him, the rest fall victim to knock out unless Douglass comes in like he did against Tyson.

 

Bummy you quoted me but there' s no replys?

 

I didn't have an opinion before reading this thread. I was going with the case that Ron's results didn't reflect extraordinary power based on McGrain's argument, which I thought he put forward really well.

Then I read the last paragraph of this post and, now, I'm not so sure. I can't find fault in a single word of it.

 

In fact, the first two paragraphs were none too shabby, either. Hats off to you, man_machine. Great post.

 

Hi Robert, There was some great boxing action at MSG & the Felt forum back in those days & I was a young man in my teens but I knew many of the boxing people & usually had pretty good seats back then. I had a major boxer as a family friend (I dont want to mention) & also had a family friend who was close to Teddy Brenner the MSG matchmaker. I always payed for my tickets but always had good seats. & was friendly with others through networks but I was a boxing nut and sparred in a local gym the 28th st gym as well as others in Brooklyn gyms & Long Island Gyms occasionally but also hung out with the boxing sages & writers, etc.outside the garden before each fight. Russel Peltz, Flash Gordon & Johnny Bos and old Frddie Brown Etc. were some who used to gather & talk.

There was a writer named Eddie Cool who wrote for an Austrailian boxing magazine who I was friendly with and he took me in to talk to Lyle before the Quarry fight at the Main Garden. I had followed Lyle and his buildup since his amatuer days (prison stabbing story etc.) I met Lyle who was a big strong guy, he was nice but had that prison look. Back then we had Mac Foster & Foreman & Lyle, the big muscle guys who I thought would kill everyone because of their size and power. Quarry hurt Lyle with a left hook & pretty much had him in the survival mode, he tried but Quarry won a pretty clear UD.

Lyle was a strong man but not really a elite puncher, he had the size and muscle and at 6'3 215-225lbs was a big guy for the day. Lyle could hurt you and look good doing it because of his muscles (much like Clevlend Williams but what quality opponents did they KO?

The Shavers fight was impressive but really an attrition fight & Shavers was already KO'd by Ron Stander & Quarry in 1 rd. Lyle was strong as I said and took a good punch and all heavyweight can hurt you if they hit you clean. Lyle hit much harder than guys Like Randy Neuman, Chuck Wepner, Holmes & Young all guys I saw fight in MSG.

Lyle had the look & was a good all around fighter who fought some of the best of an era, he started late but was put on the quick path & had quite a career. The last time I seen him fight was in Nassau Colossium in Uniondale LI when he was KO'd in 1 by Gerry Cooney. At that event I went into Cooneys dressing room before the fight a friend of mine was a former fighter & boxing judge that used to train along Victor Valle. I remembered watch Cooney in the NY golden Gloves as a 6'6" middleweight by the way I remember Ridduck Bowe in the GG fighting as a 6"5 light heavyweight & he was impressive as well.

I hope my resonse was not too long

 

Thanku Bummy that was a great story! Not too long at all matter of fact wish the post continued more.
Did you happen to read the bio on Lyle that he cooperated with? I liked it. Not sure what to make of him on a personal level though. Seemed like a guy that wanted to live a clean life but he had a few instances that are hard to just brush off. Definitely seemed like a guy that didn' take any sh#t though.
Again thanks for the response I really enjoyed it

 

I am not sure how well he would do but he would be competitive a few different styles here but all were big with Weaver being the smallest at 207.....this era had the bigger heavyweights he would have fit right in