Ronald David Lyle (February 12, 1941 – November 26, 2011) was an American
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
who competed from 1971 to 1980, and in 1995. He challenged unsuccessfully for the world
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
championship, losing to
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
in 1975. Known for his punching power, crowd-pleasing fighting style, and his courage and determination in the ring, Lyle defeated
Buster Mathis,
Oscar Bonavena
Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena (September 25, 1942 – May 22, 1976) was an Argentine heavyweight professional boxer with a career record of 58 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw. A rugged, wild-swinging puncher, he was nicknamed "Ringo" because of his Bea ...
,
Jimmy Ellis Jimmy Ellis may refer to:
* Jimmy Ellis (boxer) (1940–2014), American boxer
* Jimmy "Orion" Ellis (1945–1998), American singer
* Jimmy "Preacher" Ellis (born 1935), American musician
* Jimmy Ellis (1938–2012), lead singer of The Trammps
* Ji ...
,
Vicente Rondón
Vicente Paúl Rondón (July 29, 1938 – December 28, 1992) was a Venezuelan professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1974, holding the WBA light heavyweight title from 1971 to 1972.
Personal background
Rondón was born into extreme pov ...
,
Earnie Shavers
Earnie Dee Shaver (August 31, 1944 – September 1, 2022), best known as Earnie Shavers, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1969 and 1995. A two-time world heavyweight championship challenger, he is known as one of the harde ...
,
Joe Bugner
József Kreul Bugner (born 13 March 1950) is a Hungarian-born British-Australian former heavyweight boxer and actor. He holds triple nationality, being a citizen of Hungary and a naturalised citizen of both Australia and the United Kingdom. ...
, and
Scott LeDoux
Alan Scott LeDoux, nicknamed "The Fighting Frenchman," (January 7, 1949 – August 11, 2011) was a politician, professional heavyweight boxer, professional wrestler, and referee.
Career
Boxing
LeDoux began his professional boxing career in 1 ...
, but is best known for his fight against
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...
in 1976, which was voted
Fight of the Year Fight of the Year is an award given to the boxing match considered to be the best fight that year. It is awarded by a variety of different institutions. It may refer to:
* ''The Ring'' magazine Fight of the Year – awarded by ''The Ring'' magazi ...
by
''The Ring'' magazine.
Early life
Lyle was born the third of 19 children to William and Nellie Lyle of Dayton, Ohio. In 1954, they moved to Denver, Colorado, where his father got a job as a sandblaster at
Buckley Air Force Base. Growing up in the housing projects on the city's northeast side, Lyle associated with street gangs and at 19, after dropping out of Manual High School, Lyle was involved in the shooting death of a 21-year-old gang rival. Lyle argued he was being attacked with a lead pipe and was not the one who pulled the trigger, but he was convicted of second-degree murder
and sentenced to 15-to-25 years in the
Colorado State Penitentiary
Colorado State Penitentiary (commonly abbreviated CSP) is a Level V maximum security prison in the U.S. state of Colorado. The facility is part of the state's East Cañon Complex, together with six other state correctional facilities of various ...
. He nearly died on an operating table there after being stabbed by another inmate, but survived after 36 blood transfusions.
In solitary confinement for 90 days afterward, he began doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and other exercises, and he trained regularly from then on.
While in prison, Lyle, then age 26, enlisted the African-American self-help group named Black Cultural Development Society (BCDS,) and coached the group's football team, ''The Wildcats'', leading them to a championship among the inter-prison teams.
[Black and Proud Behind Bars](_blank)
by Donald Bogle, (August 1969,) ''Ebony'', vol. 24, no. 10, p. 70. He also played with the ''Canon City Rockbusters''.
He first attended a prison boxing event on July 4, 1962, as a spectator, where he decided he could compete as well. His prison boxing debut came in 1964. Lyle credited Lt. Cliff Mattax, the athletic director at the prison, with getting him interested in boxing.
Although when Mattax first approached Lyle, and tried to befriend him, he wasn't welcomed, "Man, you're a screw and I'm a convict. I came here by myself and I'll leave the same way." But after recovering from the stab-wound, he changed his mind. "It was the turning point of my life. Mattax was white, and he wore a badge, but he really cared. He believed in me and my ability. Right then I decided to be a success," Lyle said later. Mattax in turn said: "I don't like to take any credit for what happened, but Ron turned into a real gentleman."
[''Levin, Dan'']
Before the shower, deluge
''Sports Illustrated'', October 9, 1972, vol. 37, no. 15, p. 88.
He watched boxing on TV and said, "I can do better than that," and soon the prison was bringing in boxers for him to fight.
"They had fight cards in prison. I sat around watching them for a while and finally said to myself, 'I can do that,'" Lyle said. In his first match for the prison boxing team, Lyle was said to be defeated by Texas Johnson. He never lost a prison boxing match again, however. According to Colorado State' Warden Wayne K. Patterson, Lyle was a "natural born athlete."
Amateur career
During the remainder of his sentence, he had around twenty-five unaccounted amateur fights, losing only once, and winning six heavyweight titles for inmates.
[Ronnie Lyle Made Big Comeback; Not in Ring, but in Life](_blank)
by David Lamb, ''Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph'', June 19, 1970, 4-D.[Denver Boxer Lyle Readies for Professional Debut](_blank)
''Colorado Springs Gazette'', February 28, 1971, 6-E.
By 1969 Lyle was eligible for parole, but twice he was turned down. He was told that a professional boxing career was not a suitable parole plan. Fortunately, his fame had spread to Denver, where the Denver Rocks boxing team had just joined the short-lived International Boxing League.
Bill Daniels
Robert William Daniels Jr. (July 1, 1920 – March 7, 2000) was an American cable television executive and owner of professional sports teams. He was a pioneer in building the cable television industry and was known as the "father of cable televi ...
, a cable television executive, president of
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...
and owner of the Denver Rocks boxing team and the
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.
History prior to moving to ...
basketball team, offered Lyle an official job as a
welder with a firm he owned, and on Sunday, November 9, 1969, Lyle was released from prison on
parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
. He was released after serving 7½ years. The next morning he showed up at the Rocks' Gym in Denver (later known as Elks Gym,) and was trying out with the Rocks. He made the team, and in the succeeding fifteen months, before turning pro, he won a number of tournaments.
He was paroled on November 22, 1969, and later he was given a
full pardon by the Governor
John Arthur Love
John Arthur Love (November 29, 1916 – January 21, 2002) was an American attorney and Republican politician who served as the 36th Governor of the State of Colorado from 1963 to 1973.
Early life and education
John Arthur Love was born on a fa ...
.
"I asked around about the Rocks. They told me they already had a heavyweight (Richard Archuletta and Dan Hermosillo). I figured I could whip him so I stuck around." They were trained by the well-known boxing veteran Bobby Lewis. Less than a month later, Lyle made his amateur debut with the team, avenged an earlier Rocks' heavyweight loss and became the team's heavyweight at 215 pounds. Lyle's first amateur victory was a third-round knockout over Fred Houpe (who would later be
Leon Spinks
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
's final opponent). He was the 1970
National AAU Heavyweight Champion (outpointed previously unbeaten Mike Montgomery of Philadelphia), the 1970 North American Amateur Heavyweight Champion, and the 1970 International Boxing League Heavyweight Champion. After capturing the NAA title, Lyle became a member of the United States National Boxing Team, as he was still on parole he was given permission to leave the U.S., and dispatched on a boxing journey across Europe, visiting
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
, and
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and meeting top local heavyweights in the process. He lost by decision to Romanian
Ion Alexe
Ion Alexe (born 25 July 1946) is a retired heavyweight boxer from Romania. He competed at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and won a silver medal in 1972, losing to Teófilo Stevenson
Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence (29 March 1952 – 11 June 2012) wa ...
, but pounded
Soviet Armenia
The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...
n heavyweight Kamo Saroyan (89–9) against the ropes (referee interrupted and saved Saroyan from further pounding) in a match broadcast by ABC television's
Wide World of Sports, preparing for which he quit his regular job,
and dispatched of
Duane Bobick
Duane Bobick (born August 24, 1950) is a retired boxer from the United States. As an amateur he won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games and fought at the 1972 Olympics. He then turned professional in 1973 and retired in 1979 with a rec ...
, which took the latter's corner five minutes to bring him back into consciousness. No American before Lyle knocked out a Soviet heavyweight. Fighting Bobick to make it to the national team, Lyle was behind on judges' scorecards, and when he fought Saroyan, he again was behind on points, which nonetheless didn't stop him from knocking out both. On January 25, 1971, Lyle fought his last fight as an amateur, knocking out the Pacific Northwest Golden Gloves heavyweight champion Jim Wahlberg. Meanwhile, two world's top-ranked heavyweights,
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
and
Joe Frazier
Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fi ...
, were preparing themselves for the ''
Fight of the Century
Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as ''The Fight Of The Century'' or simply ''The Fight'', was a heavyweight championship boxing match between WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight champion Joe Frazier and former undisputed heavyweight champ ...
''. In February, Lyle visited both rival camps. First he went to
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...
, where the Ali's training camp was based, to spar several rounds with Ali. Then he went to
Catskill, New York
Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...
, to the Frazier's camp, but Yancey Durham, Frazier's manager, did not approve Lyle as a sparring partner, instead he went against one of already selected Frazier's sparring partners, a professional boxer from Chicago
[Ali, Frazier, . . . and Lyle?](_blank)
(Special Report) by Paul Loewenwarter, ''60 minutes'', March 1971, vol. 3, no. 12. (Frazier reportedly has invited Lyle for a two-round exhibition at
Kiamesha Lake, New York
Kiamesha Lake is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in the town of Thompson, in east-central Sullivan County, New York, United States. The zip code for Kiamesha Lake is 12751.
Kiamesha Lake is located on Route 42, between Monticello and Fa ...
, on January 19, but Lyle was busy qualifying to fight the Soviet.)
Highlights
IBL Denver–Chicago match-up (Denver Rocks vs. Chicago Clippers),
Auditorium Arena,
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, December 1969:
*Defeated Fred Houpe KO 3
IBL Eastern–Western Division match-up (Kentucky Pacers vs. Denver Rocks),
Memorial Auditorium,
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, January 1970:
*Lost to Tommy Garrett by split decision 1–2
IBL Denver–Milwaukee match-up (Denver Rocks vs. Milwaukee Bombers),
Auditorium Arena,
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, January 1970:
*Defeated James Sherard KO 2
Denver Golden Gloves, 1970:
*(no data available)
Colorado State Golden Gloves, February 1970:
*(no data available)
Regional Golden Gloves,
Salt Palace
The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named after Utah's 11th governor, Calvin L. Rampton, the name "Salt Palace" was previously used by two ...
,
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, February 1970:
*1/2: Defeated Charles Schoolmeyer KO 1
*Finals: Defeated Charles Banks KO 1
National Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nationa ...
,
Convention Center
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, March 1970:
*1/16: Defeated Lerdy Sargent KO 1
*1/8: Defeated Alan Kit Boursse TKO 3
*1/4: Defeated
Nick Wells
Nick Wells (born February 11, 1951) is a retired heavyweight boxer. He was selected a member of the All-American AAU boxing team for 1973, and was named the top heavyweight amateur boxer in the nation in 1973 by the National AAU Boxing Committe ...
by decision
*1/2: Lost to
William Thompson by decision
IBL Detroit–Denver (Detroit Dukes vs. Denver Rocks), Community Arts Building,
State Fairgrounds,
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, April 1970:
*Lost to Bill Hurt by decision
IBL Denver–Miami match-up (Denver Rocks vs. Miami Barracudas),
Auditorium Arena,
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, April 1970:
*Defeated ?
National Championships
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
,
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.[Duane Bobick
Duane Bobick (born August 24, 1950) is a retired boxer from the United States. As an amateur he won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games and fought at the 1972 Olympics. He then turned professional in 1973 and retired in 1979 with a rec ...]
KO 2
*Finals: Defeated Mike Montgomery by decision
IBL Denver–Milwaukee match-up (Denver Rocks vs. Milwaukee Bombers), 1970:
*Defeated Larry Penigar by split decision 2–1
North American Championships,
Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...
, June 1970:
*Finals: Defeated
Jack Meda
Jack Michael Meda (November 17, 1945 – September 22, 2019) was a boxer from British Columbia, Canada in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1970, he won a bronze medal in the 1970 Commonwealth Games. He was born in New Westminster, British Colu ...
(Canada) by decision
IBL Denver–Louisville match-up (Denver Rocks vs. Kentucky Pacers),
Auditorium Arena,
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, June 1970:
*Defeated Tommy Garrett
IBL Championships (Denver Rocks vs. Kentucky Pacers),
Auditorium Arena,
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, June 1970:
*Defeated Billy Freeman by split decision 3–2
Italy–USA Duals (Rocky Marciano Trophy),
Palazzo dello Sport,
Rome, Italy
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
...
, June 1970:
*Defeated Amedeo Laureti (Italy) KO 1
Yugoslavia–USA Duals,
Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mil ...
, July 1970:
*Defeated Anton Vukušić (Yugoslavia)
Romania–USA Duals,
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, July 1970:
*Lost to
Ion Alexe
Ion Alexe (born 25 July 1946) is a retired heavyweight boxer from Romania. He competed at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and won a silver medal in 1972, losing to Teófilo Stevenson
Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence (29 March 1952 – 11 June 2012) wa ...
(Romania) by decision
Rocky Mountain Golden Gloves,
Derks Field
Derks Field was a Minor League Baseball, minor league baseball Baseball park, park in the Western United States, western United States, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was the home field of the Salt Lake Bees, Angels, and Salt Lake Gulls, Gull ...
,
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, July 1970:
*(no data available)
IBL Denver–Mexico Exhibition (Denver Rocks vs. all-star Mexican team),
State Fair Grounds,
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo County, Colorado ...
, August 1970:
*Defeated Pete Chiano (San Antonio, Texas) TKO 1
*Defeated Pedro Vega (Mexico)
National Team Selection Eliminator,
Fort Carson, Colorado
Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs ...
, January 1971:
*Finals: Defeated
Duane Bobick
Duane Bobick (born August 24, 1950) is a retired boxer from the United States. As an amateur he won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games and fought at the 1972 Olympics. He then turned professional in 1973 and retired in 1979 with a rec ...
KO 2
USA–USSR Duals,
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks.
Caesars P ...
,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, January 1971:
*Defeated Kamo Saroyan (Soviet Union) TKO 2
IBL Denver–Seattle match-up (Denver Rocks vs. the Pacific Northwest team),
Auditorium Arena,
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, January 1971:
*Defeated Jim Wahlberg KO
His amateur career outside of prison lasted only 14 months, during which he compiled a record of 25–4 (no stoppages,) with 17 knockouts at national and international contests. (plus unaccounted record of 23–1, 15 KOs, and also without a stoppage, while serving seven-and-a-half-years prison term,
bringing his overall amateur record to around 47–5.) During his amateur days he was never knocked down or cut.
[Former Prisoner Is No. 4 Among Heavyweight Boxers](_blank)
''Jet'', February 8, 1973, vol. 43, no. 20, p. 56. Lyle was an obvious choice for the
1971 Pan American Games and the
1972 Olympics, but as he stepped into the pro ranks,
Duane Bobick
Duane Bobick (born August 24, 1950) is a retired boxer from the United States. As an amateur he won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games and fought at the 1972 Olympics. He then turned professional in 1973 and retired in 1979 with a rec ...
, whom he knocked out twice, was set to represent the United States.
On February 24, 1971, Lyle, age 30, signed a professional boxing contract with Bill Daniels. "Daniels told me ‘You fight this Russian in January and we'll turn you pro.’ This was the door that had to be opened, whuppin' the Russian. So I quit my job and trained for six months. I wasn't going to get beat because I wasn't in shape," Lyle recalled.
Daniels, in turn, said of Lyle that, "The reason Ron has adjusted is that he's got a talent, something he knows he's good at and can dedicate himself to."
After he turned pro, Lyle visited his fellow inmates in prison the day before or after each and every professional fight.
Professional career
![Ron Lyle boxer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Ron_Lyle_boxer.png)
Lyle had a very late start in professional boxing. He turned professional under Bill Daniels, with trainer Bobby Lewis. His first fight was at the age of 30 in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, against A. J. Staples, which he won by knockout in the second round. Lyle went on to post a 19–0 record with 17 knockouts, and became the 5th rated heavyweight contender. He scored impressive knockouts over notables
Vicente Rondon, a light heavyweight champion; hulking
Buster Mathis; and won by unanimous decision over former
WBA Heavyweight Champion,
Jimmy Ellis Jimmy Ellis may refer to:
* Jimmy Ellis (boxer) (1940–2014), American boxer
* Jimmy "Orion" Ellis (1945–1998), American singer
* Jimmy "Preacher" Ellis (born 1935), American musician
* Jimmy Ellis (1938–2012), lead singer of The Trammps
* Ji ...
. After dispatching of Buster Mathis, Lyle stated that he is looking for a match-up versus current undisputed champion
Joe Frazier
Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fi ...
, saying "When I'm ready. I'm not taking any shortcuts." Yancey Durham, Frazier's manager and an interested observer, did compliment Lyle on his punching power.
He was ranked #4 heavyweight in the world by WBA and the Ring Magazine.
Lyle's undefeated streak ended on a one-sided decision to veteran
Jerry Quarry
Jerry Quarry (May 15, 1945 – January 3, 1999), nicknamed "Irish" or "The Bellflower Bomber", was an American professional boxer. During the peak of his career from 1968 to 1971, Quarry was rated by ''The Ring'' magazine as the most popular ...
: the latter gave one of his career best performances using a boxer/puncher style to create openings first, gaining the initiative using his greater experience. Lyle then lost to
Jimmy Young in 1975. In a later rematch, Young again edged Lyle and went on to outpoint
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...
in 1977.
Lyle vs. Ali
On May 16, 1975 he was given an opportunity to face
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
champion
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
, during Ali's second title defense in his second reign as champion. Lyle had Bobby Lewis and Chico Ferrara in his corner. Lyle was the more aggressive fighter in the early rounds, with Ali conserving his energy and covering up in the center of the ring allowing Lyle to score. Lyle also showed restraint and did not respond to Ali's attempts at the
rope-a-dope
The rope-a-dope is a boxing fighting technique in which one contender leans against the ropes of the boxing ring and draws non-injuring offensive punches, letting the opponent tire themselves out. This gives the former the opportunity to then ...
ploy. Though in danger of falling too far behind on points, Ali appeared to be in control of the pace of the fight, and picked his moments to score. The fight was close going into the 11th round, with Lyle winning on all three of the judges' score cards. Ali then hit Lyle with a strong right hand and followed with several flurrying punches, scoring. The referee stopped the fight, seeing that Lyle was unable to defend himself and Ali was punching him in the head at will. Lyle's corner was not happy with the referee's decision.
Lyle vs. Foreman
Lyle is perhaps best known for a brawling fight in 1976 with
Hall of Famer
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...
. Foreman was making a comeback after suffering his first loss to
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
in the
Rumble in the Jungle
George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as ''The Rumble in the Jungle'', was a heavyweight championship boxing match on October 30, 1974, at the 20th of May Stadium (now the Stade Tata Raphaël) in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of t ...
.
The fight is looked upon to this day as one of the most exciting and brutal in heavyweight history. Lyle took the offensive against the former champion and won the opening round. At one point he hit Foreman with a staggering body punch. After almost being knocked out in Round Two, Lyle amazed the crowd by flooring Foreman twice in the fourth round while being knocked down once himself. Lyle, Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Young are the only boxers to have ever knocked down Foreman during a professional boxing match. Foreman later said that Lyle was the toughest man he ever fought, and the hardest hitter he ever took up. The former champion recovered and scored a knockout in the fifth round. Foreman later said he won the fight due to Lyle's exhaustion.
Lyle scored impressive victories over rated
Jose Luis Garcia, and big names
Oscar Bonavena
Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena (September 25, 1942 – May 22, 1976) was an Argentine heavyweight professional boxer with a career record of 58 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw. A rugged, wild-swinging puncher, he was nicknamed "Ringo" because of his Bea ...
and
Earnie Shavers
Earnie Dee Shaver (August 31, 1944 – September 1, 2022), best known as Earnie Shavers, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1969 and 1995. A two-time world heavyweight championship challenger, he is known as one of the harde ...
during his career. He also won a split decision over
Joe Bugner
József Kreul Bugner (born 13 March 1950) is a Hungarian-born British-Australian former heavyweight boxer and actor. He holds triple nationality, being a citizen of Hungary and a naturalised citizen of both Australia and the United Kingdom. ...
, boring in with a thudding body attack in a fine contest.
While Lyle was working as a security guard in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, he was accused of another murder. He shot a man in his apartment who had spent time with him in the Colorado State Penitentiary. On December 16th 1978, Lyle was acquitted. His attorne
Walter Gerashsaid Lyle shot Clark in self defense.
According to
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...
, Ron Lyle was one of the three hardest punchers he had faced in his career along with
Gerry Cooney
Gerald Arthur Cooney (born August 24, 1956) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1990, and challenged twice for world heavyweight titles in 1982 and 1987 (for the WBC and lineal title in 1982 and 1987, and for the ...
and
Cleveland Williams
Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams (June 30, 1933 – September 10, 1999) was an American professional boxer. A poll in '' The Ring'' magazine rated him as one of the finest boxers never to win a title.
Early life
Born in Griffin, Georgia, Williams sta ...
.
Later career
The year 1979 marked a decline in Lyle's abilities. Draws with fringe contenders Stan Ward and
Scott LeDoux
Alan Scott LeDoux, nicknamed "The Fighting Frenchman," (January 7, 1949 – August 11, 2011) was a politician, professional heavyweight boxer, professional wrestler, and referee.
Career
Boxing
LeDoux began his professional boxing career in 1 ...
were followed by a stunning one-punch loss to unheard-of Lynn Ball. Ball went on to match other names but never achieved similar success. ''
The Ring'' magazine quoted Lyle as saying afterwards "No one does that to me."
He would return to the ring, however, but not for long. Ron retired again after a first-round knockout loss to then-rising star and undefeated power-hitting
Gerry Cooney
Gerald Arthur Cooney (born August 24, 1956) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1990, and challenged twice for world heavyweight titles in 1982 and 1987 (for the WBC and lineal title in 1982 and 1987, and for the ...
. By then, Lyle was 39 years old and his best years had gone.
Comeback
In 1995, after
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...
made his comeback into the ring to capture the world heavyweight title again, Lyle, at the age of 54, also decided on a brief comeback. After scoring four quick knockouts over second-rate opponents, Lyle tried to get a rematch with Foreman. The match was never made, however, and Lyle retired from boxing.
Retirement
Lyle ran the
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
gym Denver Red Shield in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. He was the former trainer of
light welterweight
Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional boxing
In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
contender
Victor Ortíz
Victor Ortiz (born January 31, 1987) is an American professional boxer and film actor. He held the WBC welterweight title in 2011, and was formerly rated as one of the world's top three active welterweights by most sporting news and boxing web ...
, who fought out of Denver during some of his amateur career.
In 1992 Lyle trained a young promising talent from Las Vegas, Arash Hashemi, and under his mentorship Hashemi won two Golden Gloves championships.
Death
Lyle died at the age of 70, on Saturday November 26, 2011 from complications from a sudden stomach ailment. "We're gonna miss Ron. He was a friend", Earnie Shavers said. "He was the strongest man I have ever known, inside-and-out. When he gave advice, it was solid. He will never know how much I loved him. I will greatly miss him now that he is gone. I will never have a close friend like him again", states Lisa Dawn Sheridan.
Lyle in the media and popular culture
A biography titled ''Off the Ropes: the Ron Lyle Story'' was written by Candace Toft and released in the United Kingdom by Scratching Shed Publishing in May 2010. It was republished in the United States by
Hamilcar Publications
Hamilcar Publications is a Boston-based book publisher and a division of Hannibal Boxing Media LLC. Founded in 2018 by Kyle Sarofeen and Andy Komack, Hamilcar's titles focus on professional boxing, true crime, and hip-hop.
Hamilcar Publications i ...
in October 2018.
Ron Lyle appeared in the film ''
Facing Ali
''Facing Ali'' is a 2009 documentary directed by Pete McCormack about Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky) as told from the perspectives of ten opponents he faced during his career: George Ch ...
'', a 2009 documentary, where he discusses his life and career. About his fight against Ali, when referee Fredy Nunez stopped the fight, he said "I couldn't believe it, you know. I'm ahead on all scorecards.
..Am I bitter? Forget about it. I never took it personal. If there don't be no Ali, you think you'd be sitting here talking to Ron Lyle? About what?"
During this documentary he revealed that, during his stint in prison, where he received one meal a day consisting of a bowl of spinach, he passed time by doing up to 1,000 push-ups in an hour each day.
Professional boxing record
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyle, Ron
Boxers from Denver
1941 births
2011 deaths
Heavyweight boxers
Boxers from Ohio
Sportspeople from Dayton, Ohio
Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers
American male boxers
American people convicted of murder
American sportspeople convicted of crimes
Deaths from digestive disease