Having visited my favorite flea market in Oakland, California, this past weekend I came across a DVD copy of some George Foreman fights from the 1970s. In addition to well-known boxing classics that matched Big George against the likes of Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton, the DVD also included a bout with Ron Lyle. Not knowing too much about Lyle but having seen him get smoked in a 1975 bout with Muhammad Ali, let’s just say my expectations for the match-up were not high.
By the time they met on January 24, 1976, both George Foreman and Ron Lyle were licking their wounds, having both been beaten by the great Ali. Looking to pick up the pieces of their careers and move up the pecking order of the heavyweight division, they squared off at a packed Caesars Palace Event Center in Las Vegas, NV.
With Howard Cosell and number one rated contender Ken Norton at ringside handling the broadcasting duties for ABC, the drama and pressure going into the bout were squarely on the shoulders of Big George Foreman. How would he look against a solid contender in his first bout since suffering his first defeat fifteen months prior in Kinshasha, Zaire? Believing George Foreman is among the top three heavyweight champions to have ever lived, I figured he would have little trouble with the rugged Lyle who seemed far below his class.
Of course the one question I had was given the way he was defeated by Ali in his last bout, would the effect of that knockout work on the psyche of a self proclaimed bully? As we all know, bullies like to hit but tend to crumble when they get hit back. Against Ali, Foreman fell apart when he received return fire. The doubt that moment created in the head of Big George Foreman must have been huge, and whatever doubt he felt walking into the ring that night, Ron Lyle meant to exploit it from the opening bell.
Although he only entered the ring six pounds heavier than on the night he fought Ali, the first thing noticeable about George Foreman when he took off his red robe after the pre-fight introductions was he looked a bit soft and less intimidating than the norm. Of course all that changed a few seconds later during one of the most intense stare downs I’ve ever witnessed at center ring. With each man scowling and gazing into the other’s eyes, they were so close to one another that their lips were almost touching. The message from Ron Lyle was very clear….he was not in that ring to back down and George Foreman had a serious problem to deal with in front of him.
In the first round, Lyle circled well and Foreman stalked, as both men felt each other out until the upstart Lyle landed a crushing overhand right to Foreman’s left temple. The blow put Big George in serious trouble for the remainder of the round, as he mostly attempted to hold a flailing Ron Lyle until the bell rang.
George Foreman sought to reassert control in the second round and did so in fearsome fashion. Working off his left jab and exploiting Lyle’s aggression, the former heavyweight champion began putting together solid, scoring combinations. At the midway point of the round, a crunching half left hook, half uppercut staggered Lyle who retreated against the ropes and took a beating until the bell rang to end the frame. Ron Lyle was not only saved by the bell but saved by the timekeeper who mistakenly ended the round with one minute remaining. Little did anyone know at the time, but that mistake would result in the continuation of what turned out to be an all-time heavyweight classic.
The third round saw both men throw and land big, powerful blows until Ron Lyle decided to lean against the ropes in search of setting up a counterpunch to reverse a Foreman assault. The big counter shot never came, and George Foreman clearly carried the round.
In the first twenty seconds of the fourth frame, Ron Lyle scored with a big, straight right hand that set the tone for the remainder of the fight which can only be described as a slugfest. Lyle followed up with a combination of power punches that backed Foreman up until dropping him with a left hook. To these eyes it looked as though George Foreman was about to revisit that nightmare he experienced in Zaire all over again. Attempting to seize the advantage, Lyle looked to take Foreman out with a barrage of aggression, but George Foreman fought back, landed some vicious shots of his own and dropped Lyle with an overhand right. Foreman, who may be the best all-time finisher in the sport of boxing, then looked to close the show. Landing one power punch after another on an injured Lyle who was covering up on the ropes, Foreman left himself open and was caught with a punishing left hook that switched the momentum of the round again. Backing Foreman to the center of the ring, it was Lyle now who was the aggressor, landing rights and uppercuts on a staggered Foreman. It was then a right hand complements of Ron Lyle that sent Foreman crashing back to the canvas face first with two seconds left in the round. Although it did not look like he would get up, George Foreman did manage to get up and stagger back to his corner for instruction from his corner man Gil Clancy.
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