- He fought George Foreman in January 1976 in Las Vegas, Nevada. During that match, he caught Foreman with a left-right combination that knocked him down in the fourth round. Then Foreman floored him with a right hand and knocked him down before he came fighting back in the fourth round. In the next round, Foreman battered him into a corner with repeated left hand blows mostly and he fell forward and was counted out.
- He defeated Oscar Bonavena and Jimmy Ellis before challenging Muhammad Ali in May 1975 in Las Vegas, Nevada where he lost in the 11th round after the referee stopped the fight. He inflicted a purplish swelling under Ali's right eye by the 11th round. But Ali unleashed punches in that round that left Lyle defenseless and the referee stopped the match.
- He won his first 19 fights, 17 by knockout, before landing a fight with Jerry Quarry at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1973 where he was defeated.
- He was an Amateur Athletic Union champion after his seven year prison sentence. He turned professional boxer at 30 years old.
- After retiring, he supervised a Salvation Army boxing program for youngster in Denver, Colorado.
- He retired from boxing after being knocked out by Gerry Cooney in the first round in 1980. He returned at 54 years old, winning four bouts with fighters before retiring for good. He won 43 fights (31 by knockouts), lost 7, and fought 1 draw.
- He was arrested on a murder charge on January 1,1978 for shooting an aide at his home on December 31,1977. He cited self-defense where he claimed that he was trying to rob him at gunpoint. He was found not guilty.
- He dropped out of high school and during a gang-fight killing was imprisoned. During his prison term, he was involved in the prison boxing program. A Denver cable television executive, Bill Daniels, who worked to rehabilitate prisoners like Ron guided him into the boxing world upon his release.
- Son of William Lyle, a minister and a steel mill employee, and one of 19 children. The family relocated to Denver, Colorado when he was a child.
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