Ringside Report Looks Back at Former Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd

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By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

In era where the heavyweight scene is lauded as being one of the most vibrant in recent times it can be hard to compare any other time, other than the seventies, long believed to be THE era whilst the Mike Tyson years are clouded in every type of drama imaginable.

Consider then growing into your gloves as a professional in the 1990’s and then you won’t need to wonder why it is that not many people remember your name. That isn’t right when you managed to get your country an Olympic silver at middleweight and then went on in your 47 professional fights to become the champion of the world, not once but twice.

Who did that?

Chris Byrd, 41-5-1, 22 KO’s, did that.

The nineties were his professional formative years though they did lead to winning the WBO title when Vitali Klitschko stopped by a shoulder injury, who at the time was undefeated; on April’s Fool Day 2000.

He lost the title in his next fight to the other Klitschko, Wladimir!

Two years from first winning the WBO title he went on to take the IBF version from Evander Holyfield.

Not bad for a man who in 1992 was competing at middleweight and held both the national championships in middleweight in 1991 and 1992 and the light heavyweight title in 1989. As an amateur he looked like he was shrinking until as a professional he grew. And boy did he grow! The problem for him was that he was eating badly to gain the weight he needed at heavyweight. He was fighting at an unnatural weight.

His early life, as one of eight siblings, in Flint, Michigan was in a family that included five boxing brothers, a boxing sister, a father as a trainer and a mother as an assistant trainer! How could he ever escape!

In an interview for the Ring Magazine, “My early years were all boxing. Every weekend we’d go to a show or a tournament, that’s how life was for me. It was all boxing, I didn’t have toys. Boxing was just life.”

His earl amateur career had allegedly nearly 300 fights in a variety of weight classes; there were only reportedly 10 losses. It led to an Olympics representing his country and an experience he would never forget. As he continued that self same interview, he commented, “Oh man, I can’t even describe it. It’s the highest point in my career. Making that Olympic team was a dream for me.”

Byrd turned pro the year after the Olympics on the 28th January and within three fights of starting out – he was a heavyweight. Later on he was to explain why, “I thought if I’m going to make a splash in boxing I can’t fight at my normal weight, nobody wants me at my normal weight. You only get one career, I might as well make a splash in it and shock the world. Now you’re going to take notice of me.”

Twenty six opponents shared a ring with him up until 1999 and he dispatched all 26. Undefeated he then went in against Ike Ibeabuchi and in the fifth round, Ibeabuchi sent him to the canvas in his first defeat in the 5th round.

All must have seemed lost.

Then came an offer to be a late replacement for Donovan Ruddock to take on Vitali Klitschko. The WBO title was on the line and with only 7 days to prepare, Byrd was thrown in the ring in Berlin. He was being well beaten until, in the ninth round, Klitschko was forced to retire with a torn rotator cuff. Unable to continue, Byrd had just won his first world title, despite being behind on all of the scorecards – with all three giving him only one or two of the completed rounds.

Six months later, back in Germany, this time Cologne, younger brother Wladimir knocked him to the canvass twice to take the title and belt back to the family Klitschko! It was a very one sided points loss.

He regrouped, signed with Don King and came back, this time with his sights firmly on the IBF version of the world title.

He managed to get past David Tua, a man he claimed had the best chon of any fighter he faced, in an eliminator before in December 2002 and the Christmas present of all Christmas presents – he goes in against Evander Holyfield in Atlantic City and takes the points win and the title. In later years, in the Ring magazine interview, Byrd believed that Holyfield was the smartest boxer he had ever faced, “He tried to put you in traps. I’m not stupid in the ring, but he tried to trap me in the corner. It was a cat and mouse game. He would take steps both ways to try to trap me. I had to go in my bag of tricks. He used his head at certain times. It was smart stuff and it breaks a guy down in the course of the fight.”

It didn’t break Byrd this time and this was a belt he was not going to give up easily. He managed no fewer than four defenses – against Fres Oquendo – controversial win for Byrd, September 2003 in Uncasville, Andrew Golota – that was actually a draw, April 2004 in Madison Square Gardens, Jameel McCline – split decision, November 2004, back in the Gardens and DaVarryl Williamson in October 2005, in Reno on points.

On the 22nd April 2006 he found himself in a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko in his fifth defense and the IBF title was to be joined by the IBO belt in a showdown that hit Mannheim, Germany as hard as Byrd was hit in the 6th; he lost both titles to Klitschko in a 7th round stoppage.

His career continued with a win then a stoppage loss to Alexander Povetkin in October 2007 which signalled the end of his heavyweight run. He dropped down in weight to light heavyweight. There are few people out there who think going down in weight is a good thing and so it proved to be less than successful for Byrd as he ended his career with 2 more fights and just 1 more win.

He has popped up again, perhaps buoyed by the idea of Tyson and Jones, JR. making a comeback, slimmed down at age 50 for what he claims might just be a middleweight comeback. No amount of a ripped and impressive physique at 50 year of age is going to convince me that he has what it takes to get back in a professional ring. His time at the top was not the most remarked upon at the time or since but with the benefit of hindsight we can surely agree it was a time worthy of his titles and our attention now.

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