Ron Lyle
| Ron Lyle | |
|---|---|
Lyle c. 1967
|
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Ronald Lyle |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
February 12, 1941 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 26, 2011 (aged 70) Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 51 |
| Wins | 43 |
| Wins by KO | 31 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 1 |
Ronald "Ron" Lyle (February 12, 1941 – November 26, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1971 to 1980, and in 1995. He challenged once for the undisputed world heavyweight title, losing to Muhammad Ali in 1975. Lyle was known for his punching power, crowd-pleasing fighting style, as well as courage and determination inside the ring. He held notable wins over Buster Mathis, Oscar Bonavena, Jimmy Ellis, Earnie Shavers, Joe Bugner, and Scott LeDoux, but is best known for his slugfest against George Foreman in 1976, which won Fight of the Year honors by The Ring magazine.
Lyle was one of 19 children born to William and Nellie Lyle of Dayton, Ohio. In 1954, they moved to Denver, Colorado as his father got a job as a sandblaster at Buckley Air Force Base. He grew up on the Northeast side of the city, a predominantly African American area, in public housing projects.
During his time in Denver, Lyle was known to have associated with violent gangs. At 19, after dropping out of Manual High School, Lyle was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old gang rival Douglas Byrd. Lyle argued he was being attacked with a lead pipe and was not the one who pulled the trigger.
He was sentenced to 15–25 years in the Colorado State Penitentiary. While in prison, Lyle nearly died on the operating table after being stabbed by an inmate. He was released after serving 7 1/2 years.
Lyle credited Lt. Cliff Mattax, the athletic director at the prison, with getting him interested in boxing. In his first match for the prison boxing team, Lyle was defeated by Texas Johnson. He never lost a prison boxing match again, however.
After prison, Lyle joined the Denver Elks Gym and started boxing for Bill Daniels. Lyle's first amateur victory was a third-round knockout over Fred Houpe (who would later be Leon Spinks's final opponent). His amateur career lasted only 14 months, and he compiled a record of 25–4 with 17 knockouts. He was the 1970 National AAU Heavyweight Champion, the 1970 North American Amateur Heavyweight Champion, and the 1970 International Boxing League Heavyweight Champion. Lyle was a member of the United States Boxing Team. He lost to Russian Ivan Alexi, but knocked out Armenian (USSR) heavyweight Kamo Saroyan in a match broadcast by ABC television's Wide World of Sports.
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