I can still hear the crack of the first hard right hand he landed on George Foreman in round one of the Super Brawl in Vegas in 1976. I still see Foreman awkwardly attempting to avoid Lyle’s vicious body attack. I can still see the devastating right hand he landed in round four, after which George hit the floor – hard. Though he didn’t win, he had Foreman down twice and seriously hurt. Ali had outboxed and outfoxed Foreman. George fell as much from exhaustion as from the final right hand in his bout with Ali, which was Ali’s plan. Lyle battered Foreman unlike any fighter ever did. Both men gained mutual respect in this bout. As Foreman said after that bout, “no good, lowdown, good hard hitting young man.”

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Ron Lyle. He said, “George Foreman is heavy-handed… when George Foreman hit you, it felt like the house fell on you.”

I remember the angry red welts on the sides of Joe Bugner as Lyle ruthlessly pressed the tall and talented Brit. Bugner was as durable as they made them during the greatest and most talent-laden era in heavyweight boxing history. Very few could have concluded that bout on their feet. Lyle said of Bugner, “he could box, he could punch and he could take a punch.  And if you weren't on your game, guess what – you got an ass whuppin’.”

Ron Lyle was on a short timetable. The splash he made on the division during its absolute peak was remarkable. Had he been on the scene from the beginning, he would’ve been in the mix during Ali’s exile, in his prime and experienced. As impressive as he was in his thirties, I believe he would have been devastating.

I found a Ron Lyle who seems wise, philosophically sound and seems to have gained character from a life that has never been easy. He said, “…coming from prison, I felt as though I had something to prove to the people and to myself and to my parents and to the authorities... that I made a mistake and they gave me a chance to rectify that mistake…I don't think you can ever really prove anything, other than to yourself, so in that sense, I proved to myself that no matter how far down you go, if you don't quit, you can always climb the ladder back up.”

I don’t mind telling you that Ron Lyle was ‘my’ heavyweight. I was proud of all he did in the ring. Hey, he was my guy – remember? Today, he is working with youths of Denver, Colorado in the Denver Red Shield Boxing Program. He is making an impact, giving those who may wish to fill their time in destructive pursuits, such as gang activity, an outlet. “Some are gang members, some are not.  Some want to be, some trying to be.” He is imparting learned skills. He is giving them exposure to an icon from heavyweight boxing’s golden age. “They need an outlet. They need an outlet to go to the professional ranks. But at the same time, they need someone that will protect them until they can protect themselves, in proper managing and moving them right.”

He concluded the interview with a message for the people of New York. “And I want to say to the people of New York that when I came to New York to train, they made me feel like I was a New Yorker... I had a chance to learn at Gleason's Gym, under Bobby Lewis I learned to box.  And the things I learned, I am teaching my kids here in Denver and I want to say thanks to the people of New York.” 

Lyle won his first 19 fights. Even though he lost to Jerry Quarry in 1973 and Jimmy Young in 1975, he was given an opportunity to face Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali in 1975, Ali's second title defense in his second reign as champion. Lyle was very cautious throughout the fight. Lyle did not try to go after Ali and knock him out, but instead tried to out-box Ali. The fight was close going into the 11th round, with Lyle winning by a slight margin, but Ali then caught Lyle with a strong right hand, hurting Lyle badly, and then hitting Lyle with almost 20 unanswered punches before the referee stopped the fight. However, Lyle team was not happy with the referee’s decision to stop the fight.

Lyle is perhaps most famous for his fight against George Foreman. Foreman had not fought an official match since his loss to Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle, and Lyle took advantage of this long lay-off, swarming Foreman and dropping Foreman twice in the fight. Foreman knocked Lyle down several times as well, knocking Lyle out cold in the 5th round after a barrage of punches while Lyle was pinned in the ring corner. This fight earned the fight of the year award, and is considered one of the most exciting fights in Heavyweight history.

Lyle currently trains other boxers.