George Foreman Names The Best Fighter He Faced And It’s Not Muhammad Ali: “He Could’ve Ended Me”

George Foreman had two championship runs in the heavyweight division that were separated by a decade, dipping into the seventies, eighties and nineties for his opponents.

Still the oldest ever heavyweight champion, Foreman defeated the likes of Joe Frazier, Michael Moorer and Ron Lyle on his best nights under the lights and would only come up short five times during his long campaign.

Most notable was his loss to Muhammad Ali, who ended a 40-fight unbeaten run for ‘Big George’ when he defeated him in 1974’s The Rumble in the Jungle.

Ali allowed Foreman to tire himself out by putting his back to the ropes, covering up and allowing him to throw thudding shots. He would be gassed by the eighth round when Ali’s knockout combination came.

Despite tasting his first defeat that night in Zaire in front of 60,000 people and many more worldwide through their television sets, Foreman, speaking to the Ring Magazine, chose another opponent as the best overall fighter he faced.

“I have to say Lyle because he gave me the toughest fight of my career. He hit me so hard, knocked me down, got knocked down and picked himself up. That was the hardest fight I ever had in my life.

With Muhammad Ali I could do whatever I wanted, but I got tired and he was able to knock me down. If I had been more respectful of Ali I could have coasted at stages in that fight, and preserved energy, but I couldn’t coast with Ron Lyle because he would have killed me.”

Lyle was a feared puncher and his fight with Foreman – the latter’s comeback following that loss to Ali – in 1976 would go down in history as a thrilling watch-through-your-fingers brawl. Lyle had previously unsuccessfully challenged for Ali’s title but scored a good win over Earnie Shavers.

He benefitted from a mistake by the timekeeper in round two that saw it end a minute short after he had been hurt by Foreman, Lyle would take advantage of that by dropping ‘Big’ George twice in the fourth but touching the canvas himself.

Both visibly tired, the pair traded blows in centre-ring during an incredible fifth round with a total disregard for defence. It was Foreman who came out on top, forcing Lyle onto the ropes with a big right hand and then teeing off without anything coming back. By today’s standards, the referee took an age to stop it. He took his time, let the shots land and Lyle was too far gone.

Lyle retired with 43 wins from 51 fights having never reached the heights of the world championship but leaving a legacy for fans to enjoy. He passed away in 2011.