George Foreman’s toughest fight
Thanks for the memories, George . . .
“The Steak with the Sizzle”
J. Monte . . .
As the news passed last week that George Foreman died at 76, it brought back memories of the mid-’70s, when George, after being defeated by Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble In the Jungle” in October 1974, changed trainers and hooked up with the tutelage of Gil Clancy and Howie Albert.
Foreman was considered invincible until the fateful night in 1974, with an Olympic Gold medal in 1968 and registering an impressive 40-0 mark as a professional.
Clancy and Albert were made famous by their longstanding guidance of Emile Griffith. As Griffith’s career was winding down, they tutored other boxers, such as Jerry Quarry, Ken Buchanan, Jorge Ahumada, and many others — and, of course, George Foreman.
In 1975, Foreman was inactive. His only action was a carnival-like promotion in which he took on five heavyweights in a sparring-like exhibition.
As 1976 approached, Foreman signed to fight a top contender, who, like Foreman, had previously lost to Muhammad Ali.
Foreman’s opponent, the ever-dangerous Ron Lyle, from Denver, Colorado, was coming off one of the best wins of his career, a KO over the equally dangerous Ernie Shavers in Sept ‘75, a furious fight with Shavers clocking out in round 6. While many knew the ex-champ Foreman, Lyle was known as a pure puncher even though he proved he could box well if he had to.
1976 Fight Of the Year
What was anticipated as a compelling fight, nobody could predict how crazy this fight would turn out. It took many by surprise. To many, this was a fight with “a mind of its own.”
Legendary broadcaster Howard Cosell’s best moments were highlighted in this fight. He was part of the package. This is as much a mastery of a slugfest as any heavyweight matchup can be.
Ultimately, George Foreman secured victory with a fifth-round knockout. Lyle gassed out and had nothing left after trying to knock out George earlier in the round. It was one of his finest moments and most challenging fights. The second coming of George Foreman (87 through ’97) is the older, wiser version and the one most fans remember. But the fighter who fought Ron Lyle, that slugger, produced one of the most exemplary moments in history, which exemplified the primal power of heavyweight boxing, where brute strength and resilience took center stage. What stands out most about this bout is the incredible drama—few fights (Hagler-Hearns is one) have been as action-packed in such a short period.
Foreman finished his career 76-5, with 68 knockouts.
If you know of any heavyweight slugfests (other than Dempsey-Firpo) in the 20th Century that fall into this category, please put your thoughts in the comment section.
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Great article about a great fight and time in boxing history. Howard Cossell and Ken Norton commentating, what a team. The referee was Charley Roth, who had 78 professional bouts himself in the 1930s and 1940s. Two judges had Ron Lyle ahead at the time of the stoppage. The other judge had it a draw. No wonder it was 1976 Fight of the Year! The conditioning and stamina the boxers had in that era are just extraordinary! Both boxers just shook off each other’s bombs and kept punching. Lyle was dangerous nearly to the end. I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like this again. Very special!!!