Ron Lyle vs. Jimmy Ellis

Ron Lyle 215 lbs beat Jimmy Ellis 193 lbs by UD in round 12 of 12

• Date: 1974-07-16
• Location: Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado, USA
• Judge: Danny Loos 59-55
• Judge: Jack Cappelli 58-52
• Judge: Jerry Bohn 59-52

"With the temperature a little over 100 degrees and the body heat of the record crowd of 11,446 adding to the indoor inferno at the Coliseum, Ron Lyle emerged as one of the hottest heavyweights in the division with a decisive 12 round victory over Jimmy Ellis. Ellis won the hearts of the Denver fans with skill and courage. He fought a fight for survival. He reached down deep into experience to hold off the 215 pound Lyle, who wields power in either hand. Lyle experienced one bad round - the 9th - in which Ellis threw some straight right hands punches which hit the target. Lyle once again proved he can take it. He backed away and went on to win the last three rounds by a wide margin." -Ring Magazine, October 1974 issue

• Unofficial Rocky Mountain News scorecard - 7-3-2 Lyle
• Gate - $120,325.50 (new Colorado record for a boxing gate, surpassing the $118,000 set by the Lyle - Bonavena fight a few months earlier)

Post fight comment

• "He's a lot tougher to hit than I expected. He defends himself well, and strikes back with a sledge-hammer power in the clinches. I'd like to fight him again, but I hope the arena is cooler the next time." -Jimmy Ellis