Las Vegas, USA

When I am asked what was the most exciting heavyweight fight of all time I surprise many by picking the George Foreman versus Ron Lyle match. Many people expect me to say one of the Ali versus Frazier fights or even Ali’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ with Foreman. Many other people expect me to pick one of Mike Tyson’s fights or the knockdown fest that was Jack Dempsey versus Luis Angel Firpo, but for me it will always be Foreman v Lyle.

At times during their contest Foreman and Lyle resembled two Ray Harryhausen monsters battling it out such was the intensity, ferocity and sheer primal brutality which was decided on pure instinct and willpower. It was what they call a ‘throwback’ the kind of toe-to-toe slugfest that would not have looked out of place in 18th Century pre-Marquis of Queensberry rules England where a fight was to ‘the finish’ i.e. when one of the combatants was knocked out.

The eagerly anticipated match took place in Las Vegas just when it was becoming the fight capital of the World. The two contestants would make sure that this one would live long in the memory of even the most casual of boxing fans.

Both men were world class heavyweight boxers and both were that divisions hardest hitters (with the exception of Earnie Shavers who Lyle had recently defeated in another up and down brawl in a fight prior meeting to Foreman). No one was betting on this one going the distance!

Ron Lyle was 34 at the time and was a late starter in the professional game, having served seven and a half years in Colorado State Penitentiary for murder. So far in his career which began in 1971 at the late age of 30 he had defeated world class contenders in Buster Mathis, Larry Middleton, Oscar Bonavena, Jimmy Ellis (former WBA world champion) and Earnie Shavers, not bad going!

The only blemishes on his record before the Foreman contest were on points to the rugged Jerry Quarry and the slippery Jimmy Young; he drew against Gregorio Peralta and after being well ahead in his World title challenge against Muhammad Ali he was stopped in the eleventh round. His record going in against Foreman was an impressive: 31 – 3 – 1 with 22 of those wins coming inside the distance.

George Foreman was 40 – 1 with 37 of his wins coming inside the distance. ‘Big George’ had some very big scalps on his record in former world champion Joe Frazier and future world champion Ken Norton, both were destroyed in two rounds apiece by this scowling and menacing Foreman, far removed from the genial, self deprecating and PR friendly incarnation of the George Foreman we all know today.

Famously Foreman had lost his world title in Zaire in October 1974 against the old champion and common opponent Muhammad Ali. This loss had been devastating to the proud young fighter and he sank into the deepest of depressions. Up until then all the ring experts had predicted a long reign at the top for the Texan and Ali had shattered his aura of invincibility.

Foreman had been inactive apart from a farcical exhibition contest in 1975 held at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada where he had taken on and defeated five opponents in one night. His fight against the intelligent Lyle would be his first major test to see what he had left after the Ali contest. In Foreman’s corner was the highly respected trainer Gil Clancy who was also involved with the great welterweight and middleweight boxer Emile Griffith. The Lyle match was the perfect way to see the new Foreman in action and in Lyle, Foreman would have a very big and dangerous test.

Once in the ring it was clear that both men were evenly matched: Foreman at six feet three and a half was just a half inch taller than Lyle. The former world champion tipped the scales at 226 pounds compared to Lyle’s 220. The crowd at Caesars Palace and the millions watching on television eagerly awaited what was sure to be a classic confrontation between two big hitting men.

No one could have predicted the sheer drama and excitement that was about to unfold and it must be said that in all the years of heavyweight boxing this has to be one of the most explosive of all time. Never have the fortunes of two protagonists swung back and forth as much as they did in this one.

From the first bell Lyle thundered from his corner on a collision course with Foreman. Lyle showed his intentions from the start, forgetting to jab and immediately trying to land a big right which Foreman managed to dodge. The former champion was the one using his head as he jabbed well and looked comfortable, biding his time and looking for openings. It has to be said that when he did use his jab it was a fine weapon in his arsenal, not only was it accurate but it was as powerful as most of the top heavyweights hardest rights!

Lyle managed some success early on with a left to the face and in the last minute of the first round he shook Foreman with a solid right to the head. This spurred on the man fighting out of Denver and he attacked with both hands forcing Foreman to the ropes. Foreman showed character and intelligence by holding and smothering his opponent allowing his head to clear and managing to survive until the bell. There was a palpable air of excitement in the arena as now everyone knew that Lyle could hurt Foreman.

In the second round Lyle started with a rather hopeful and wild swing. Foreman looked clear-headed but got tagged by a good left-right combination from his confident foe. Lyle perhaps too confident walked onto a solid jab and Foreman opened up with both fists sending Lyle in trouble onto the ropes. As the crowd erupted Lyle responded with a good left of his own at the bell. Both men glared at each other at the bell for a round which only lasted two minutes instead of three because of the timekeepers’ error.

Regardless of the oversight it was clear that both men had the power to seriously trouble each other. What was not clear was who would emerge victorious. It really was like watching two deadly gunslingers trying to draw the fastest, sending their enemy into quick oblivion.

The third round saw Lyle scoring well to the body as both men wasted no time in going on the attack. Both men were swinging freely and taking pot-shots at one another. Forget science and skill, this was all about destroying the other man before he got to you! Foreman managed to trap Lyle in a corner but just as Foreman moved in for the kill Lyle caught him cleanly. Concerned cornerman and chief second Gil Clancy yelled at Foreman imploring him to ‘go to the body’ to lower his opponents guard but the canny Lyle managed to counter well with rights and stayed out of trouble to the bell.

The fourth round has to be one of the most exciting and savage rounds in boxing history regardless of weight. It saw Lyle landing an overhand right that forced Foreman to hold on. A series of uppercuts and hooks most landing flush put the former champion down.

The crowd roared and it looked very bleak indeed for Foreman. Somehow he managed to rise and took the mandatory eight count from the referee. Incredibly Foreman elected to stand and trade, swapping devastating punches which would have knocked out most of the other heavyweights in the world.

More drama was to follow as Foreman finally found the punch he was looking for: a crunching right to the head which sent the stunned Lyle crashing down to the canvas! Somehow Lyle managed to get back to his feet and against the ropes. Foreman moved in for the finish only to get tagged by an accurate and powerful right hook from sending him pitching face first to the floor. Again, Foreman showed tremendous heart and character as he beat the count at the bell.

One round, three knockdowns and still no winner. The contest was on a knife-edge. Although the momentum had swung back in Lyle’s favour it was still unclear who was going to emerge as the winner. The two men were dropping bombs on each other and something had to give. In the fifth round we would get our answer. Lyle advanced towards Foreman determination written on his bloodied face. It was clear that both men were exhausted and reaching the limits of their durability.

Both men continued to trade blows and Lyle’s looked the stronger as Foreman staggered and swayed like a leaf in the wind. Lefts and rights continued to crash through Foreman’s guard yet he remained standing. Suddenly Lyle looked punched out! A left from Foreman sent Lyle staggering across the ring and into a corner.

Foreman made no mistake; he refused to let Lyle back into the contest as he measured his man and mercilessly pounded him with nearly twenty (yes twenty!) unanswered punches. Finally a sickened and exhausted Lyle pitched face-first to the canvas. Amid the cheers and pandemonium the thoroughly beaten Lyle was counted out. It had been almost unbearable drama whilst it had lasted.

After the contest Foreman said ‘I’m never gonna quit...I’ll die before I give up.’ On this showing no one was going to argue with him!

Years later a reflective Foreman in his autobiography By George said of the contest: ‘Eventually Lyle just sank to the canvas, his will more than his senses knocked out of him. He realized that nothing short of a bullet between the eyes would stop me...When the referee raised my hand in victory, I felt I’d been redeemed...’

That is perhaps the best way to look at this remarkable contest. Foreman had gone from being perceived as the ‘bully’ of the ring to a tremendously brave warrior with an almost superhuman will to win. He never got his rematch with Ali and after a points loss to Jimmy Young in 1977 he retired from the ring and became a preacher.

Ten years later a totally different George Foreman returned to the ring: an outwardly cheerful and friendly giant who was happy to talk to the media and the public at large. The ‘Punchin’ Preacher’ showed that his will and determination were as great as ever as he won the world title back in 1994 twenty years after Zaire and at the incredible age of 45 (still a record in boxing).

Ron Lyle boxed on through the 1970s also losing on points to Jimmy Young. He beat the likes of Joe Bugner and Scott LeDoux but after a shocking one round knockout loss to up and coming Gerry Cooney in 1980 he retired from the ring. Lyle worked as a security guard in Las Vegas. He became involved in a murder when a man was shot and killed in his apartment, however Lyle was found not guilty.

Like his old nemesis Lyle began a boxing comeback in 1995 at the age of 54. After four easy wins over second-rate opposition he finally called it a day and retired for good after he was unable to secure a rematch with Foreman. His biography Off the Ropes: The Ron Lyle Story by Candace Toft was released in 2010 to much acclaim. Again like his old opponent George Foreman, Ron Lyle today runs a Youth Centre in Denver bearing his name.

Their fight in 1976 has rightly gone down in boxing lore as The One for the Ages. For sheer drama and excitement I wonder if it will ever be equalled let alone bettered. Foreman versus Lyle: what a contest!