Ron Lyle vs. Larry Middleton (2nd meeting)

Ron Lyle 218 lbs beat Larry Middleton 205 lbs by UD in round 10 of 10

• Date: 1973-10-31
• Location: Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Referee: Tom Kelly 50-42
• Judge: Lew Eskin 47-43
• Judge: Benny Goldstein 47-43

"Larry Middleton didn't dispute his defeat but he resented the contention that Ron Lyle had avoided a knockout and used the 10 rounder as a mere tuneup for tougher opponents. Lyle had little difficulty scoring a unanimous decision Wednesday over the same opponent he flattened in three rounds last December. Lyle had a 13 pound weight advantage, landing the most decisive blows in a somewhat dull bout. Middleton failed to take advantage of his longer reach, and claimed his layoff had dulled his competitive edge. His nose, injured in training, bled from the 2nd round on." -Associated Press

• Unofficial AP scorecard - 50-42 Lyle
• Attendance - 4,356
• Gate - $33,667

Post fight comments

• "I wanted to knock him out and at the end of the 2nd round I thought I could, but Chickie wanted me to go the distance." -Ron Lyle

• "I told him that 3 weeks ago. I want to prepare him for the bigger ones, and I didn't think Middleton would cause any trouble after his long layoff." -Chickie Ferrara, Lyle's trainer, claiming that he wanted Lyle to go the distance.

• "That's a lie and a half - a joke. When he saw blood, he tried to take me out." -Larry Middleton