ALL-OUT WAR
5, overcoming severe damage and two knockdowns in the fourth to claim a career-defining triumph. Lyle, who was floored twice himself, would never win the championship, but his incredible performance against Foreman became the keystone moment of his career. The Ring celebrates the ultimate heavyweight brawl as we close in on the 50th anniversary of Foreman vs. Lyle. FIGHTER RECORDS/ PRE-FIGHT ODDS The 27-year-old Foreman (40-1, 37 KOs) was coming off his first professional defeat, having lost the championship to Ali in “The Rumble in the Jungle” on October 30, 1974. He had taken part in a notorious and ill-advised exhibition against five fighters in Toronto before gearing up for the Lyle fight with a more meaningful exhibition against Jody Ballard. Still, the 15-month layoff was, to that point, the longest of Foreman’s professional career by far. Lyle, 34, had an impressive record of 31-3-1 (22 KOs). His only losses came against the very best: Jerry Quarry (UD 12), Jimmy Young (UD 10) and Ali (TKO 11). In his most recent outing, Lyle had picked himself up off the canvas to annihilate another authentic knockout artist, Earnie Shavers (KO 6). The Ohio-born slugger was in excellent fighting shape and had
been substantially more active than Foreman. The oddsmakers viewed Foreman’s youth and world championship experience as crucial, installing the colossal Texan as a prohibitive 5-to-1 favorite.
FORM GUIDE: LAST SIX FIGHTS
FOREMAN Date
Opponent
Result L KO 8 TKO 2 KO 1 TKO 2 KO 2 KO 2
Oct. 30, 1974
Muhammad Ali
March 26, 1974 Ken Norton
Sept. 1, 1973 Jan. 22, 1973 Oct. 10, 1972 May 11, 1972
Jose Roman Joe Frazier Terry Sorrell
Miguel Angel Paez
LYLE Date
Opponent
Result KO 6
Sept. 13, 1975 May 16, 1975 Feb. 11, 1975 Dec. 13, 1974 Sept. 17, 1974 July 16, 1974
Earnie Shavers Muhammad Ali Jimmy Young
L TKO 11 L UD 10
Al Jones
TKO 5 TKO 8 UD 12
Boone Kirkman
Jimmy Ellis
Much of the action took place in close, with both fighters throwing knockout shots exclusively.
PURSES: BLOOD MONEY After losing the championship to Ali, Foreman’s stock plummeted. His guarantee for Lyle was $250,000, which is a mere 5% of the $5 million purse he made for the Ali fight. As the great former champ would later recall, this kind of pay drop was expected during the golden era. “The thing that’s really changed [in boxing] is there’s money available for heavyweight champions to fight just about anyone,” Foreman told The Ring in 2016. “In the ’70s, you only made big money by taking on a world champion who put bread on the table.” The $140,000 Lyle received represented the second-highest payday of his career to that point. He earned approximately $300,000 for his unsuccessful title challenge against Ali. WHO WAS RON LYLE? As a youth, Lyle was a gang member. He served seven and a half years at a Colorado penitentiary for second- degree murder and learned to box during that time.
Legendary heavyweight champ Joe Louis poses with the fighters.
pounds, while Lyle was six pounds lighter on the scales.
A NEW HOME FOR BOXING Foreman vs. Lyle was the first boxing event held at the Caesars Palace Sports Pavilion in Las Vegas. Over the next several years, this 4,500-seat indoor arena would host more spectacular fights, including Ken Norton vs. Larry Holmes, Wilfred Benitez vs. Sugar Ray Leonard, Salvador Sanchez vs. Wilfredo Gomez, Donald Curry vs. Mike McCallum, Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Dokes, and Pernell Whitaker vs. Azumah Nelson. THE RING AWARDS Foreman, who also defeated Joe Frazier (TKO 5), Scott LeDoux (TKO 3), and John Dino Dennis (TKO 4) in 1976, was named the Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year for the second time. The Foreman vs. Lyle bout was named the Ring Magazine Fight of the Year, beating out all four of Ali’s title defenses, as well as other notable bouts
After he was released, Lyle had a successful, albeit brief, amateur career, the highlights of which were two knockout wins over Duane Bobick. In his second win over Bobick, at the 1971 Nationals, the stricken fighter lay unconscious for five worrying minutes. The 30-year-old Lyle was eager to turn professional and exited the unpaid ranks with a 25-4 record. He made his debut in April 1971, while Bobick would go on to represent the U.S. at the 1972 Munich Olympics. In the first two years of his professional career, Lyle posted 19 straight wins and scored 17 knockouts before being outpointed by Jerry Quarry. WEIGHTS Both men came in at what were career-high numbers at the time. Foreman weighed in officially at 226
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