Muhammad Ali was never known as a big puncher.
“The Greatest” was everything but that. He was quick, athletic, strong, durable, a brilliant boxer and a long list goes on. One more thing that isn’t necessarily associated with him: He had a killer instinct.
That characteristic was on display on this date – May 16 – in 1975 at the Convention Center in Las Vegas, when he faced bruiser Ron Lyle, a decent boxer with tremendous punching power. The former convict is best known for his classic fight-of-the-year brawl with George Foreman the following year.
Ali had regained the heavyweight title two fights earlier with his stunning knockout of Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the result of his now-famous rope-a-dope tactics that wore Big George down.
Ali vs. Lyle was largely tactical. Ali fought flatfooted much of the fight, covering up in a rope-a-dope fashion as Lyle fired punches but mixing in a consistent jab and enough power punches to lead on two cards after 10 of the scheduled 15 rounds. The third card was even.
Lyle and his cornermen seemed to have learned from the Ali-Foreman fight, as Lyle paced himself throughout the fight. That’s why it was still competitive going into the 11th round.
Then BOOM! A right hand to the jaw put Lyle on his heels and hurt him badly, which energized Ali and ignited a barrage of almost 50 hard, remarkably accurate punches that did further damage and had Lyle staggering around the ring.
“Ali smells blood!” commentator Howard Cosell yelled in the middle of onslaught.
Lyle was taking a horrible beating with his back to the ropes in the final seconds when Ali stopped for a moment to signal referee Ferd Hernandez, as if to say, “C’mon man, stop it.”
Finally he did, at 1:08 of Round 11, ending one of the more breathtaking stretches in the incredible career of Muhammad Ali.
