Off the Ropes - 2nd Edition by Candace Toft (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"Toft adeptly shows this to be the legacy Ron Lyle left behind, one that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with a boxing legacy that is nothing short of remarkable."--Rafael Garcia, The Fight City

"[Ron Lyle's] life was a remarkable one and the story of it worth re-telling, which makes the book's new edition thoroughly welcome. Off The Ropes is absolutely recommended reading."--Gary Lucken, Boxing Monthly

"Nobody ever hit me that hard. No question. I'll remember that punch on my deathbed. A great puncher, a great guy."--Earnie Shavers

In a life as tough as his battles in the ring, Ron Lyle had already served hard time for second-degree murder before he started his amateur boxing career at the age of twenty-nine. After he turned pro, fans knew him as the man who had Muhammad Ali beat on the scorecards for ten rounds in a fight for the heavyweight title; as the man who fought George Foreman in a legendary brawl with four knockdowns that nearly saw Foreman knocked cold; and as the man who was arrested for murder a second time.

Off the Ropes: The Ron Lyle Story is not your typical boxing biography, exploring not only the greatest era of heavyweights in boxing history, but also telling an equally compelling personal tale. Ron Lyle grew up in the Denver projects, one of nineteen children in a tight-knit, religious family. At twenty, he was convicted for a disputed gang killing and served seven and a half years at the Colorado State Penitentiary at Cañon City, where at one point he was nearly shanked to death, and where he learned to box before he was paroled in 1969.

After a meteoric amateur career, he turned pro in 1971, and over the next six years established an outstanding professional record, which, in addition to the near misses against Ali and Foreman, included a brutal knockout win over one of the era's most feared fighters, big-punching Earnie Shavers.

Then, in 1978, Lyle was indicted for murder a second time and, even though he was acquitted, his career was effectively over. The years that followed were filled with struggle, a captivating love story, and eventual redemption. Today, a youth center in Denver that he ran still bears his name.

Off the Ropes: The Ron Lyle Story is the poignant, uplifting biography of a singular man.

Review Quotes

"[Ron Lyle's] life was a remarkable one and the story of it worth re-telling, which makes the book's new edition thoroughly welcome. Off The Ropes is absolutely recommended reading."―Boxing Monthly

"Toft adeptly shows this to be the legacy Ron Lyle left behind, one that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with a boxing legacy that is nothing short of remarkable."―The Fight City

"Toft's thorough accounts and interviews put to rest any question as to Ron's moral core, rendering him sensitive and genuine, restless and profoundly driven." ."―David Curcio, Slugfest Boston

"For readers who haven't caught this one yet, it's a quick read and well worth the time. No star does it alone. It takes a rare collection of fighters to fill out a great era. Ron Lyle was part of a rare collection." --Boxing Scene

"Absorbing...Toft has done an admirable job of marshalling the facts of Lyle's often troubled, but strangely compelling life..."--Boxing Monthly

"Ultimately, Candace Toft has crafted a story of hardship and triumph. This is a tale that shows how a man is defined not only by his losses, but by his many victories in life, as well as in the ring."―Bert Sugar