On May 16th, 1975, Muhammad Ali faced off against Ron Lyle in a heavyweight fight that would prove to be one of the toughest battles of his career. Despite his recent win against George Foreman, Ali was in for a significant challenge.
Lyle put up an excellent fight, controlling the center of the ring and accumulating an advantage in the scorecards. Ali tried his usual tactics but to no avail and began to feel a sense of urgency in his corner. However, he mounted a comeback in the 11th round when he cornered Lyle on the ropes and unleashed a barrage of punches that prompted the referee to halt the match.
With this victory, Ali successfully retained his Ring championship title, but he still had many significant battles ahead of him. For Lyle, the match against Ali would remain his only title shot. Despite this, the fight remains one of the most challenging battles faced by these two boxing legends.