This is an entry in an occasional series of posts looking back at the Ring Magazine Fights of the Year from 1970 to 2009.
In 1976 George Foreman fought Ron Lyle for the fringe NABF title in his first real bout since the 1974 loss to Muhammad Ali. The match turned into a terrific slugfest: Lyle was knocked down once and Foreman twice in the 4th round. Foreman ultimately won by 5th round KO.
Overview
Both Foreman and Lyle were skillful power punchers, and each was looking from the opening bell to dispatch his opponent decisively. The fight’s storyline at first progressed as had so many in Foreman’s career: an initial feeling-out period was followed by thunderous power once Foreman figured out how to land on his opponent.
The usual plot might have been changed when Lyle was rescued by an early bell in the second round. That mistake gave him a reprieve, and that rest might have been what allowed him first to adjust his defense to survive Foreman’s onslaught, and then to mount a counterattack in the fourth round.
Once Lyle counterattacked and stunned Foreman, the fight became a wild contest of will and power, ultimately (but barely) won by Foreman.
Reaction
This is the first “minor” FOTY that we’ve seen; it wasn’t selected for its significance, but for its spectacle — and it is, indeed, spectacular. This wasn’t a hard fight to score, but its outcome was in the balance for almost every second of the 4th and 5th rounds, as both fighters sought to win the bout with pure power, and as both were capable of doing so.
It’s almost a side note, but the officiating could have cost Foreman dearly. Most significantly, he was robbed of the last minute of the 2nd round, when he had Lyle in trouble on the ropes. Less seriously, a knockdown perhaps should have been called late in the 5th round when Lyle went into, and seemed held up by, the ropes.
Continue reading →
