World Heavyweight Division: Ron Lyle Vs George Forman (1976)

Source:Murmurings of a Boxing Madman- George Foreman vs Ron Lyle in 1976.

"Big George Foreman was attempting to put back together the pieces that had been shattered in the African jungle by Muhammad Ali. Foreman had been devastated by his loss to The Greatest, hence the length of time he'd spent inactive between Zaire and hooking up with the equally big Ron Lyle. With fifteen months of inactivity under his belt and the ring rust one would expect to go with it, Foreman entered the ring at Caesars Palace for his first real fight since "The Rumble."...

From Murmurings of a Boxing Madman 

"After losing his title, Foreman remained inactive during 1975. In 1976, he returned to boxing in Las Vegas against Ron Lyle, (who had been defeated by Muhammad Ali in 1975 by a TKO in round 11, while leading on all scorecards by 6-4) in a fight hailed by Ring Magazine as "The Fight Of The Year." At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard left that sent Foreman staggering across the ring. In the second round, Foreman pounded Lyle against the ropes and might have scored a KO, but due to a timekeeping error the bell rang with a minute still remaining in the round[citation needed] , and Lyle survived. In the third, Foreman pressed forward, with Lyle waiting to counter off the ropes. In the fourth, a brutal slugfest erupted. A cluster of power punches from Lyle sent Foreman to the canvas. When Foreman got up, Lyle staggered him again, but just as Foreman seemed finished he retaliated with a hard right to the side of the head, knocking down Lyle. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. Again, Foreman beat the count. In the fifth round, both fighters continued to ignore defense and traded their hardest punches. Each man staggered the other and each seemed almost out on his feet. Then, as if finally tired, Lyle stopped punching and Foreman delivered a dozen unanswered blows until Lyle collapsed. The fight was stopped and Foreman was declared the winner." 

Source:Boxing At It's Best- Ron Lyle vs George Foreman, from 1976.

From Boxing At It's Best

George Foreman, knocking out one of the strongest fighters whose ever fought in Ron Lyle. What separates Big George and Big Lyle, I think has to do with the professional training that Forman had that he started as an amateur and of course the 1968 Summer Olympics. 

Ron Lyle, on the other hand learned how to box as a prison inmate in prison and learned how to fight there so he could make a legitimate living once he got out of prison. 

My point here is not to put Lyle down who was one of the hardest hitting and best power-punchers in boxing in the 1970s, but to show that Foreman wasn't just a slugger who would win his fights by landing the last big shot, but he was a boxer who knew how to box: how to take a punch and how to avoid punches. And he also had great training from Archie Moore and others. 

You could probably flip a coin as far as who was the stronger fighter and puncher in this fight. But Foreman was clearly the better boxer. George Forman, two-time World Heavyweight Champion. One of the best heavyweights of all-time. Can't say the same about Ron Lyle. 

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