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Athletes
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Name: Chris Byrd
Career Record: click
Alias: Rapid Fire
Nationality: American
Birthplace: Flint, MI USA
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV USA
Born: 1970-08-15
Stance: Southpaw
Height: 6' 2"
Reach: 74"
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Professional Career Chris is a 15-year pro. A former WBO and IBF heavyweight world titlist, he won the WBO title in April, 2000, with a ninth-round TKO on an injury against Vitali Klitschko and lost it by decision in his first defense against his brother, Wladimir Klitschko six months later.
Chris won the IBF title in December, 2002, and made four successful defenses before losing the title in the rematch against Wladimir Klitschko in April, 2006.
After fighting in the heavyweight division since 1994, Chris is now moving down in weight to the light heavyweight division.
He said, “I look forward to becoming the light heavyweight champion of the world as soon as possible. I know Roy Jones Jr. and Robert Fitzsimmons won titles at heavyweight and then light heavyweight, but I’ll be the first two-time heavyweight champion to move down to light heavy to win the title.
“It’s been eight years since I won my first heavyweight title against Vitali Klitschko, and I had a great run as heavyweight champion after beating Evander Holyfield. Now, it’s time for new challenges. All along I thought they would be at cruiserweight, but the pounds just kept coming off, and here I am!
“I’m looking forward to being on ESPN so that the people can see me at 175. I was a regular on cable back when I started, and the fans always let me know that they saw those fights and appreciated my style. I expect to show everyone that I’ll be dominant at this weight, but I know that every guy I face will be coming to knock off the former heavyweight champion. So, I’ll train extra hard to make sure they don’t get any ideas.
“The best at 175 are guys my age with a lot of experience – Antonio Tarver, Jones, Clinton Woods, Glen Johnson, Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe – and with one or two fights, I expect to be in that mix, making great fights between great fighters at light heavyweight.”
Chris competed at the top levels of competition in the heavyweight division for much of his career and had significant success. One of the most skilled boxers in the division – a lefthander who relies on speed, defense, and sharp counterpunching - he was nearly always physically overmatched. The last time he outweighed a heavyweight opponent was in January,
2000, when he weighed 220 pounds to David Washington’s 205.
He was not only one of the most skilled heavyweights, but also one of the most courageous. Nobody wanted to fight 19-0 bomber Ike Ibeabuchi in 1999, but - outweighed by 36 pounds – Chris did. A year later, he travelled to Germany for his first fight against 27-0 giant WBO world champion Vitali Klitschko, where he was outweighed by 34 pounds and gave up five inches in height. In 2002 he was prepared to fill in, on short notice, against six-foot five, 234-pound WBC-IBF world champion Lennox Lewis if Mike Tyson pulled out of their fight.
In an earlier interview, Chris said, “I train in my own gym. I got a lot of local sparring coming in. Basically, my training is just regular stuff. I haven’t changed nothing for a long time, I just do the same thing. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. With me, it’s the same old, same old every time. I’m always in shape. That’s one thing I pride myself on, to be in shape at all times. I don’t have to train that long when I’m in training camp.”
Chris is experienced against top opposition and has fought current or former heavyweight world titlists Wladimir Klitschko twice (TKOby7, L12), Evander Holyfield (W12), and Vitali Klitschko (TKO9), as well as heavyweight contenders Jameel McCline (W12), Andrew Golota (D12), Fres Oquendo (W12), David Tua (W12), and Ike Ibeabuchi (TKOby5). He has also fought former cruiserweight world champions Uriah Grant (W10) and Arthur Williams (W10).
Key Fights – 2007 – IBF TITLE ELIMINATOR - in his last fight on 10-27-07 in Erfurt, GER, he was TKO’d against 2004 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist Alexander Povetkin (13-0): the bout headlined at Messehalle, and Povetkin kept a fast pace and dominated most of the fight; he pressed forward, consistently outworked Chris and landed the harder punches; Chris boxed and moved, and scored effectively with counterpunches at times, and Povetkin was cut over his right eye by a clash of heads in the 3rd round; Povetkin wore down Chris with body punches in the middle rounds and bloodied his nose in the 8th; Povetkin became more dominant as the rounds progressed, and Chris’ corner stopped the fight at 1:52 of the 11th round; after 10 rounds, Povetkin led by scores of 99-91, 98-92, 97-93 ...
On 4-18-07 in Nassau, BAH, he TKO’d Paul Marinaccio (22-2-2): Chris dominated the fight - he consistently outworked Marinaccio, landed the sharper punches, and rocked him several times; Marinaccio claimed he injured his arm, and did not continue after 0:01 of the 7th round...
2006 – LOST IBF WORLD TITLE – on 4-22-06 in Mannheim, GER, he was TKO’d in the rematch against former WBO heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko (45-3): Chris stood in front of Klitschko and exchanged punches, and Klitschko dominated the fight; he rocked Chris with several hard punches in the early rounds and scored a knockdown with a right hand in the 5th; Klitschko scored another knockdown with another right hand in the 7th – Chris got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 0:41; Chris was also cut over his left eye in the round; after the fight, Chris said, “I’m disappointed, for sure, but I’ve still got a lot of boxing in me, I think. He’s 241 pounds of muscle and I’m 212 pounds of bulked-up muscle, not even real muscle. I felt I could go in there and push him around. It didn't work out for me.”...
2005 - 4TH IBF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-1-05 he won a 12 round unanimous decision against DaVarryl Williamson (22-3): scored 116-112, 116-112, 115-113...
2004 - 3RD IBF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-13-04 in New York, NY, he won a 12 round split decision against Jameel McCline (31-3-3): the fight co-headlined with John Ruiz-Andrew Golota at Madison Square Garden, and drew an announced crowd of 12,777; Chris and McCline are good friends outside of the ring, and it was an exciting battle; 270-pound McCline outweighed Chris by 56 pounds, and started fast - he scored a knockdown with a right hand in the 2nd round, rocked Chris with a right hand in the 5th, and built a lead on the scorecards - after six rounds, McCline led by scores of 60-53, 58-55, 57-56; but McCline tired in the second half of the fight, and Chris rallied - he won the 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, and 12th rounds on all three scorecards; it looked like the decision could go either way, but Chris won by scores of 115-112, 114-113 Byrd, 114-112 McCline; after the fight, Chris said, “The way I fought back showed I am a true champion. I had to dig down. He weighed 270 pounds. I definitely did enough to win the fight. I am a champion.”…
2ND IBF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 4-17-04 in New York he fought to a 12 round draw against Andrew Golota (38-4): the fight co-headlined with John Ruiz-Fres Oquendo at Madison Square Garden, and drew an announced crowd of 15,1995; it was very close fight and unpopular decision; Golota started fast, pressed forward, and after six rounds, led by scores of 59-55, 59-55 Golota, 57-57; but Chris boxed and counterpunched effectively and rallied in the second half of the fight - he won four of the last six rounds on two scorecards and five on the other; many observers thought Golota deserved to win, but the judges scored 115-113 Byrd, 115-113 Golota, 114-114; after the fight, Chris said, “This is a great time to be a heavyweight. That’s what we need in this division, two guys willing to fight. I sat there and banged with a 230-pound guy. That was fun. Look at my face, I never get marked like this. Now I look like a fighter, a true fighter.”…
2003 - 1ST IBF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 9-20-03 in Uncasville, CT, he won a 12 round
unanimous decision against Fres Oquendo (24-1): it was a close fight and an unpopular decision; Oquendo started fast, landed the harder punches and outworked Chris in several rounds; Chris uncharacteristically pressed forward, Oquendo boxed and counterpunched, and after six rounds, all three judges scored 58-56 Byrd; there were many slow-paced rounds, and the crowd booed the lack of action; Oquendo tired in the late rounds, and Chris stepped up his pace and finished strongly - he won the last four rounds on one scorecard and the last three on another; it looked like the decision could go either way, but many fans thought Oquendo deserved to win and booed the announcement of the scores - 115-113, 116-112, 117-111; after the fight, Chris said, “I was fighting thinking the fight was close. I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to dominate.’ This was a tough fight, I kind of underestimated Fres Oquendo. I tried to be a little more aggressive. Fres was out there, he’s an elusive guy. He knows when to punch and come forward. I went twelve tough rounds and didn’t really get hit, and my dreads are going, and I still look pretty as a girl. I think people were surprised that I came forward, that I’m not afraid to get hit, but I’m the champ and I got to want it just as bad as a champion.”…
2002 - WON IBF WORLD TITLE - on 12-14-02 in Atlantic City, NJ, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against 40 year-old former four-time heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield (38-5-2): Holyfield injured his left shoulder in the 1st round, and Chris gave a strong performance; he frustrated Holyfield with movement, consistently outworked him, and landed the sharper punches; scored 117-111, 117-111, 116-112; after the fight, Chris said, “Now the world sees I can stay in there with the great heavyweights, because I just beat one of them. It’s time for me to move on, to try to beat the best guys out there. I felt that I beat him to the punch all night long. I showed that I could trade with him and that I could compete with the big guys. For me, this has been a long time coming.”…
On 6-8-02 in Mt. Pleasant, MI, he TKO’d Jeff Pegues (18-9) in the 3rd round…
2001 - IBF ELIMINATION BOUT - on 8-18-01 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against David Tua (38-2): Tua pressed forward and landed the harder punches, but Chris frustrated him with constant movement and outworked him in several rounds; scored 116-112, 116-112, 115-113…
WON USBA H TITLE - on 5-12-01 in New York he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Maurice Harris (18-10-2): scored 118-109, 117-110, 117-110…
On 1-19-01 in Mt. Pleasant he won a 10 round decision against late substitute David Vedder (21-18-3)…
2000 - LOST WBO WORLD TITLE - on 10-14-00 in Cologne, GER, he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against defending champion Wladimir Klitschko (34-1): Klitschko dominated the fight – Chris’ right eye was swollen shut by the 5th round, and Klitschko scored knockdowns in the 9th and 11th; Chris’ left eye was swollen nearly shut by the end of the fight; scored 120-106, 118-108, 119-107…
WON WBO WORLD TITLE - on 4-1-00 in Berlin, GER, he TKO’d previously undefeated defending champion Vitali Klitschko (27-0): Vitali dominated the fight with a busier pace and sharper punches, but injured his left shoulder in the 3rd round and did not continue due of the injury after the 9th round; Vitali led by scores of 89-82, 88-83, 88-83; Klitschko later underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff…
On 1-19-00 in Mt. Pleasant he TKO’d David Washington (12-3) in the 10th round…
1999 - on 3-20-99 in Tacoma, WA, he was TKO’d against contender Ike Ibeabuchi (19-0): it was a matchup of two undefeated young contenders, and pitted Chris’ speed and skill against Ibeabuchi’s strength and power; Ibeabuchi constantly pressured Chris and seemed to have an edge in most of the rounds, but Chris boxed well and holding his own; Ibeabuchi scored a knockdown with a left hook to the chin late in the 5th round that dropped Chris flat on his face; he got up, but Ibeacuchi scored another knockdown and the referee stopped the fight at 2:59…
1998 - on 7-14-98 in Bay St. Louis, MS, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Ross Puritty (22-12-1): Chris frustrated Puritty with movement, consistently outworked him, and won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, 99-91; Puritty went on to win the WBC International title…
On 5-30-08 in Atlantic City he won a 10 round unanimous decision against previously undefeated Cuban prospect Eliecer Castillo (14-0): Chris consistently outboxed and outhustled Castillo and won by scores of 99-91 on all three judges’ cards…
1997 - on 12-13-97 in Mashantucket, CT, he TKO’d James Thunder (32-8): Chris scored a knockdown in the 1st round, dominated the entire fight, and stopped Thunder at 1:07 of the 9th…
On 6-20-97 in Atlantic City he won a 10 round decision against Frankie Swindell (31-15-1)…
On 3-18-97 in Flint, MI, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against former contender Bert Cooper (33-15): scored 100-90, 99-91, 98-92…
On 1-28-97 in Auburn Hills, MI, he TKO’d fellow-southpaw Craig Petersen (22-5-1): Chris scored a knockdown in the 6th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:22…
1996 - on 10-8-96 in Flint he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Levi Billups (19-11): Chris dominated the fight; he scored a knockdown in the 4th round, and won by scores of 100-88, 100-89, 99-90…
On 8-6-96 in Flint he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Uriah Grant (24-11): scored 100-89, 100-89, 99-89; Grant went on to win the IBF cruiserweight world title…
On 1-30-96 in Auburn Hills he won a 10 round unanimous decision against previously undefeated Jeff Wooden (11-0): scored 96-94, 96-93, 99-91…
1995 - on 11-21-95 in Auburn Hills he won a 12 round unanimous decision against former world title challenger Phil Jackson (34-2): scored 119-109 on all three scorecards…
On 5-23-95 in Auburn Hills he won a 10 round split decision against Arthur Williams (24-3-1): Williams scored a knockdown in the 1st round; Williams staggered Chris in the 6th round and cut him over his left eye; but Chris came back and staggered Williams in the 7th, and won by scores of 97-93, 95-94 Byrd, 95-94 Williams; Williams went on to win the IBF cruiserweight world title…
He debuted at the age of 22 on 1-28-93 as a super middleweight, and moved up one weight division in each fight until he reached the heavyweight division 17 months later…
AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: 1992 Olympic silver medalist, 165 pounds: in his first fight in Barcelona, Spain, he won a 21-3 decision against Mark Edwards of Great Britain; in his second fight he won a 16-7 decision against Alexander Lebziak of Russia; in the quarterfinals he won a 21-2 decision against Ahmed Dine of Algeria; in the semifinals he won a decision against Chris Johnson of Canada; in the finals he lost a 12-7 decision against Ariel Hernandez of Cuba…
1992 U.S. National amateur champion, 165 pounds…1991 U.S. National amateur champion, 165 pounds…1989 U.S. National amateur champion, 156 pounds…
Chris was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, the youngest of eight children in his family, five boys and three girls…Chris started boxing at the age of five in his father’s gym, the Joe Byrd Boxing Academy in Flint; Joe now trains Chris at Chris’ home gym in Las Vegas…
Chris started competing as an amateur when he was 10, and reportedly had 315 amateur fights (290-25)…
Chris’ brothers Tim and Joe Jr. are former pros at light heavyweight, Patrick fought at jr. middleweight…Ronnie was an unbeaten 130-pounder who retired because of a car accident…one sister played pro basketball in Europe, and is now an assistant coach for the Detroit Shock team in the WNBA…sister Tracy is a school police officer in Las Vegas and pro boxer…Chris said, “I fought my brother Patrick in the amateurs, and although I love him, we fought like dogs. We went at it.”…
Chris and his wife Tracy live in Las Vegas and have two daughters, Jordon and Sydney, and one son, Justin...
STRENGTHS: A lefhander with good skills, speed, and movement…an accurate combination puncher…has a good defense…is experienced against top heavyweight opposition…has a strong family boxing background…had a strong amateur background…
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 15 years, 4 months…45 fights…346 total rounds…67 world championship rounds…
AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 7.6 rounds…
KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 46 %...
DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds - 9 (7-1-1)...11 rounds – 1 (0-1)...10 rounds - 11 (11-0)…
External Links
Chris Byrd - Official Website
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Last Updated ( Friday, 24 April 2009 )
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