"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.
Candace Toft sadly passed away on May 22, 2015.
She won her first award in 1999 for Best Personal Essay in University Publications, Western Region; the piece, entitled Not Just Another Cancer Story had been submitted on behalf of the National University periodical Insight and was later published in Coping Magazine, under the title, The Love That Sees Me Through. In 2000, her novel A Mingled Yarn won first runner-up in the San Diego Book Awards unpublished novel. In 2002 Candace won runner-up for poetry Chapbook with Poems to My Mother, and for The Trap in the category of Novelist Grant Award. In 2004, she, along with her co-author, Gordon Ooley, won first place in San Diego Book Awards Unpublished novel category for Emergence.
Al Bernstein (Foreword) is known to millions on both sides of the Atlantic as an award winning sports commentator for ESPN, Showtime and Great Britain's Channel 5. At the core of his skill set, he is a writer. He used this talent to chronicle his great broadcasting career and interesting life in his new book "30 Years, 30 Undeniable Truths." Through anecdotes, observations and story telling, Al talks about the great events he has covered and the fascinating people he has met along the way. This humorous and sometimes poignant book underscores the fact that Al has carved out a career of varied endeavors, including successes in television, radio, internet, movies, public speaking and stage performing.
Al was the voice of boxing for over 24 years at ESPN, and covered other sports there as well. In 2003, he moved to Showtime Networks as analyst on the Showtime Championship Boxing series. He also announced boxing for NBC at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. Most recently, he became the first American to join Great Britain's Channel 5 as an analyst on their boxing series.
Once a pioneer of cable television, Al is now forging a new road on the internet as Executive Producer of www.BoxingChannel.tv, the first all boxing channel every created. In addition, through his company Al Bernstein Live, he continues to criss-cross the world as a speaker, emcee and spokesperson for businesses and nonprofit organizations.
In 2012, Al received the highest honor in boxing by being inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. He is one of only a few broadcasters to be so honored.
