Ron Lyle's legacy?

[NYDominican]

Ron Lyle had a well established and respectable professional boxing career.

Ron had losses to Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Young (twice), Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Lynn Ball, and Gerry Cooney.

Lyle's fight against Foreman was VERY brutal. Ron's losses to Lynn and Gerry, he was past his prime.

1. Do you think that Lyle is underrated?

2. Should Ron Lyle rank somewhat near the top greats of the Heavyweight division?

If so, why? If not, why not?

Please explain.

[oogiebe]

-I've been fascinated with Lyle since I was a lad.

1 - Started boxing late due prison
2 - Was never out of a fight (not counting his last two losses when he was well past it)
3 - Gave Ali all he could handle before being stopped (questionable stoppage with Lyle ahead on the scorecards)
4 - In a life and death back alley brawl with Foreman, almost taking Big George out before being Ko'd himself.
5 - Got off the deck to destroy Ernie Shavers
6 - Lost convincingly to perrenial conteder Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Young
7 - One of the hardest punchers in HW history
8 - Fought in the Golden Era of HW boxing
9 - Never won the 'big' fight or a title.

Hard to call him an all time great and hard not to. He'd be competitive against any HW in history, but would most likely come up short to most of the top tier guys. Still, one of my all time favs and a great fighter!

[DrDuke]

Lyle was an around top 10 competitor of his era.

[Seamus]

Lyle was legitimately stopped by Ali. He was defenseless and getting pummeled without throwing back.

[Tony1244]

Arguably Lyle's best performances were losses to Ali and Foreman. Lyle was ahead on 2 cards going into the 11th round against Ali. Foreman was saved by the bell in the 4th round against Lyle in another fight Lyle was winning.

I would not say he was an all time great though. He started late. He is as good as others who had the title. I'd rate him higher than a Hassim Rahman or Buster Douglas.

[DrDuke]

I'd rate him higher than a Hassim Rahman or Buster Douglas.

Rahman maybe, but Douglas was better.

[Ambling Alp II]

He was a very good fighter. Certainly not an all-time time great. As mentioned, you can't count the Ball or Cooney fights against him when rating him.
He did have some nice wins - Shavers, Bonavena, and Bugner. the Bugner fight is an overlooked fight; it was fun to watch.
Not sure if he is underrated; maybe by some people who don't understand the era that he fought.

He was a better fighter than some world champions, and probably would have been a world champion in a weak era.

[prewarboxing]

-I've been fascinated with Lyle since I was a lad.

1 - Started boxing late due prison
2 - Was never out of a fight (not counting his last two losses when he was well past it)
3 - Gave Ali all he could handle before being stopped (questionable stoppage with Lyle ahead on the scorecards)
4 - In a life and death back alley brawl with Foreman, almost taking Big George out before being Ko'd himself.
5 - Got off the deck to destroy Ernie Shavers
6 - Lost convincingly to perrenial conteder Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Young
7 - One of the hardest punchers in HW history
8 - Fought in the Golden Era of HW boxing
9 - Never won the 'big' fight or a title.

Hard to call him an all time great and hard not to. He'd be competitive against any HW in history, but would most likely come up short to most of the top tier guys. Still, one of my all time favs and a great fighter!

Wow! I love this Oogibie. So was I.

I wrote to him as a fifteen year old in early 1973 and he sent me this back:

girl names that mean healer

He was true to his word. I have every copy of Ringside, published between 1972 and 1974. This is the first :



And this is what he sent me. I have treasured it ever since. Nearly fifty years ago now :



A top, top fighter. As you say, not one of the all time greats, but a man who would have held his own in any era. Especially today.

Miles Templeton

[oogiebe]

MIles...I am envious.

I still enjoy listening to his interviews. Such an insightful presence. Exciting fighter. Fascinating story. I'm still patiently waiting for the movie on his life!

Thanks for sharing all of that!

[f read]

-I've been fascinated with Lyle since I was a lad.

1 - Started boxing late due prison
2 - Was never out of a fight (not counting his last two losses when he was well past it)
3 - Gave Ali all he could handle before being stopped (questionable stoppage with Lyle ahead on the scorecards)
4 - In a life and death back alley brawl with Foreman, almost taking Big George out before being Ko'd himself.
5 - Got off the deck to destroy Ernie Shavers
6 - Lost convincingly to perrenial conteder Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Young
7 - One of the hardest punchers in HW history
8 - Fought in the Golden Era of HW boxing
9 - Never won the 'big' fight or a title.

Hard to call him an all time great and hard not to. He'd be competitive against any HW in history, but would most likely come up short to most of the top tier guys. Still, one of my all time favs and a great fighter!

Wow! I love this Oogibie. So was I.

I wrote to him as a fifteen year old in early 1973 and he sent me this back:

girl names that mean healer

He was true to his word. I have every copy of Ringside, published between 1972 and 1974. This is the first :



And this is what he sent me. I have treasured it ever since. Nearly fifty years ago now :



A top, top fighter. As you say, not one of the all time greats, but a man who would have held his own in any era. Especially today.

Miles Templeton

Wow. Thanks for sharing. Yes if he was in another era he surely would have been a world champion. Not an all time great but a very good tough B level all time heavyweight.

[Seamus]

Ironically, Ron Lyle's finest ring moment perhaps, was coming within a hair's breadth of kayoing George Foreman.

[prewarboxing]

-I've been fascinated with Lyle since I was a lad.

1 - Started boxing late due prison
2 - Was never out of a fight (not counting his last two losses when he was well past it)
3 - Gave Ali all he could handle before being stopped (questionable stoppage with Lyle ahead on the scorecards)
4 - In a life and death back alley brawl with Foreman, almost taking Big George out before being Ko'd himself.
5 - Got off the deck to destroy Ernie Shavers
6 - Lost convincingly to perrenial conteder Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Young
7 - One of the hardest punchers in HW history
8 - Fought in the Golden Era of HW boxing
9 - Never won the 'big' fight or a title.

Hard to call him an all time great and hard not to. He'd be competitive against any HW in history, but would most likely come up short to most of the top tier guys. Still, one of my all time favs and a great fighter!

Wow! I love this Oogibie. So was I.

I wrote to him as a fifteen year old in early 1973 and he sent me this back:

girl names that mean healer

He was true to his word. I have every copy of Ringside, published between 1972 and 1974. This is the first :



And this is what he sent me. I have treasured it ever since. Nearly fifty years ago now :



A top, top fighter. As you say, not one of the all time greats, but a man who would have held his own in any era. Especially today.

Miles Templeton

Wow. Thanks for sharing. Yes if he was in another era he surely would have been a world champion. Not an all time great but a very good tough B level all time heavyweight.

Up there with fighters like Tommy Gibbons, Ernie Schaaf, Steve Hamas, Johnny Risko, Lou Nova, Harry Matthews, Roland LaStarza, Nino Valdes, Cleveland Williams and Eddie Machen. Almost top level, but just not quite.

Miles Templeton

[Ambling Alp II]

That was pretty cool.

[orbtastic]

That is pretty cool, back before the internet was a thing and a retweet seemed to satisfy most folk.

Interesting he had the letter typed up, the letter is not impersonal but suggests he didn't like writing or he had someone type it up. I can't imagine he was getting as much fan mail as say, Ali.

I always liked Lyle, he was a no nonsense, hard hitting heavyweight and he was very intimidating. His book is a decent read too.

[prewarboxing]

That is pretty cool, back before the internet was a thing and a retweet seemed to satisfy most folk.

Interesting he had the letter typed up, the letter is not impersonal but suggests he didn't like writing or he had someone type it up. I can't imagine he was getting as much fan mail as say, Ali.

I always liked Lyle, he was a no nonsense, hard hitting heavyweight and he was very intimidating. His book is a decent read too.

Yes you are right. Those pre-internet days were really so satisfying for stuff like this. I was sent the first four copies of Ringside along with the autographed photo, his pro and amateur record and the letter. Then, over the course of the next year or so, I would occasionally come home from college to find another Ringwise lying on the doormat. This happened seven times. I still have them, and they are a real period piece as well as also being quite rare. So much better than getting a pdf file in a mass email circulation.

The letter would be written and then sent by an underling I am sure. I didn't believe it then, and I certainly don't believe it now, that Big Ron typed it up and posted it. He did sign it though and it is quite personal. Class act!

Those days are gone I am afraid. But I am so glad that I lived through them.

I also got personally signed pictures from the likes of Floyd Patterson and Sugar Ray Robinson at about the same time.

Miles Templeton.

[Caractacus]

what he had allowed to happen to Bill Daniels was a real betrayal tho IMOP.
( and ultimately it led to him betraying himself )

[evrenb]

If you guys haven't seen this and you are Lyle fans you should enjoy this.

[prewarboxing]

If you guys haven't seen this and you are Lyle fans you should enjoy this.

Top quality that. Thank you

Miles Templeton

[orbtastic]

I must admit sometimes watching a bruising fight, you think who needs that.

He came pretty close to KOing Foreman, which is no easy feat. That fight was just nuts, two big guys just leathering each other, zero finesse.

[Caractacus]

This short documentary aired on CBC (Candadian Broadcasting Company) a year later in 1972.