George Foreman could take a punch and give one too.
The heavyweight from Marshall, Texas is in the history books as the division’s oldest ever world champion. To achieve that feat he fought across four decades, starting off in 1969 into the seventies before taking a decade long hiatus and returning in ’87.
During that time he fought and beat the likes of Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, Joe Frazier and Michael Moorer. He was also in memorable but unsuccessful fights against Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield.
Whilst he was known as a thudding puncher himself, ‘Big’ George stepped through the ropes with some of the biggest hitters of his era. For him, it is Lyle who stands out as the hardest. He once said that, during the fight in 1976, he ‘went numb’ from the Ohio heavyweight’s power.
Foreman elaborated when speaking to the Ring Magazine about their Fight of the Year.
“This guy hit me so hard that it didn’t even hurt. Joe Frazier caught me with the left hook but he couldn’t hit like Lyle and although Muhammad knocked me down I was exhausted and still got to my feet. Lyle was the hardest hitter.
The thing about Lyle was he was completely unafraid and challenged me at ring center. Nobody, other than Sonny Liston in sparring, stood and punched it out with me with any success. Joe Frazier only tried once and even the great Muhammad Ali couldn’t back up quick enough. Ron Lyle would not back up.”
Lyle knocked Foreman down twice in the fourth round of their bout and touched down once himself inside those three minutes. The slugfest continued into the fifth and it was Foreman who would come out on top, delivering a barrage of unanswered shots to KO Lyle.
The courageous heavyweight was well known for his power, but it never led him to a world title – his one challenge being against Ali in 1975, losing by stoppage in the 11th round.
