ALL-OUT WAR
WHEN GEORGE FOREMAN
AND RON LYLE THREW DOWN 50 YEARS AGO, THERE WAS NO
FEELING-OUT PROCESS, NO TACTICAL APPROACH AND NO THOUGHT OF CONSERVING ENERGY. PAIN WAS THE TOP PRIORITY. By Tom Gray L ess than four months after Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had concluded their epic trilogy with “The Thrilla in Manila,” fight fans the world over would be treated to another heavyweight collision that will never be forgotten. Former champion George Foreman going against feared contender Ron Lyle on January 24, 1976, is arguably the most brutal puncher vs. puncher matchup that boxing’s glamour division has ever produced. The ebb and flow of the action was astonishing. The punishment inflicted by both men was horrific. Hardened ringsiders looked on in awe. Incredibly, Foreman vs. Lyle was a free-to-air broadcast on ABC television. Such was the excitement that veteran broadcaster Howard Cosell sounded close to hyperventilating during the live call, his words marred by static as the microphone seemed to struggle at containing his dramatic shrieks. Both men were badly hurt in every round, even in the second, which due to timekeeper error was only two minutes long. Lyle, under heavy pressure when the bell rang to end that session, was the beneficiary of that oversight. Foreman prevailed at 2:28 of Round
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