Athletes - Chris Byrd

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	Athletes - Chris Byrd

Chris Cornelius "Rapidfire" Byrd, (born August 15 1970), is a 6 ft. / 182.9 cm. tall southpaw boxer who won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) world Heavyweight Championship from Evander Holyfield on December 14, 2002 in Atlantic City, New Jersey (U.S.A.). They were fighting for the portion of the Undisputed (i.e., WBC+WBA+IBF) World Heavyweight Championship that Lennox Lewis had relinquished in exchange for one million dollars (U.S.) from promoter Don King.

Chris Byrd won the silver medal in the 1992 Barcelona summer Olympics as a middleweight, losing to Cuba's Ariel Hernández in the final. He moved up to heavyweight 3 fights into his professional career. As a result of his not being a "natural heavyweight" (i.e., well over 6 ft. tall and at least 230 lb. / 104.3 kg.) — the same supposed flaw alleged by Holyfield's critics — he lacks overwhelming punching power. This has led many to deem Byrd's highly technical style of boxing (jabbing, fast hands, sporadic combination-punching, and evasive body movement) too boring for the heavyweight division. Regardless, Byrd was one of the world's best heavyweights in the late 1990's.

Chris Byrd was the youngest of eight children growing up in Flint, Michigan (U.S.A.). He began boxing at age 5, training in his father (Joe Sr.)'s Joe Byrd Boxing Academy; he is still trained and managed by his father. Byrd began competing in the ring at age 10, and compiled a staggering 275 wins in the amateur ranks. He was a three-time U.S. amateur champion (1989, 1991, and 1992). He was on the 1991 U.S. National Team that became the first (and only) U.S. team to score a tie against the heralded Cuban team. Byrd turned professional on Jan 28, 1993, displaying punching power by knocking out 10 of his first 13 opponents. Byrd remained undefeated for his first 26 fights, knocking off then-notable opponents like Uriah Grant, Bert Cooper, Frankie Swindell, Jimmy Thunder and Ross Puritty.

Byrd kept fighting and winning until he received a phone call that all boxers dream of, the last week of March 2000. If he would come to Berlin, he would vie for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Heavyweight Title as a last-minute replacement (for Donovan "Razor" Ruddock) against undefeated champion — and, adopted (German) national celebrity — Vitali Klitschko. He would get the title shot that the top champions had been afraid to or uninterested in giving him......but with just 7 days' notice (not the customary 6-12 weeks needed to train for a known opponent).

Byrd took on this huge challenge (if the fight goes the distance, outsider opponents of “hometown” fighters generally lose decisions they deserve to win, due to biased local judges and crowd pressure). Byrd struggled greatly in the fight until Round 5, when he began to back up the 6-foot-7-inch (200.7 cm.) giant — much to the native Ukrainian's dismay. Byrd now tried even harder to “press the action” (i.e., land the preponderance of power punches), and started turning the fight against the champion. Klitschko finished Round 9, complaining to his corner of shoulder pain. He and his corner decided he could not continue; ironically, he was ahead on all 3 judges' scorecards (89-82, and 88-83 twice). Chris Byrd walked away with a TKO win and the fulfillment of a major goal: a heavyweight championship. Six months later, Byrd was back in Germany to defend the title (promoted by Universum, a German company) against Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali's younger, more agile and powerful brother. Twelve rounds later, Byrd had lost a lopsided (and he still claims, a "hometown") unanimous decision and the WBO belt.

“Rapidfire” would not give up on his top dream, winning a World Heavyweight Title, though. Two fights later, Byrd won the USBA heavyweight belt in Madison Square Garden. Although it was a minor title at best, the USBA is associated with one of the 3 “real” world title organizations, the IBF. He was now a top-five contender. The winner of his next match (a title defense against New Zealand knockout artist David Tua) would get a mandatory shot at the vacant IBF world Heavyweight Championship, against the legendary Evander Holyfield
, in Atlantic City. Making matters worse, in order to get the title shot, Byrd had to sign a deal making that fight's promoter — the notorious Don King — his sole promoter for the next several years.

December 14, 2002: His day to fight for a true world championship had finally come. Previous titleholder Lennox Lewis had opted not to fight number-one contender Byrd; instead, Lewis gave up the IBF belt for a buyout from the IBF’s promoter for the match (King). Byrd had to fight the biggest-name contender available to the IBF (and the man Lewis had beaten for the Undisputed Championship in 1999): four-time former World Heavyweight Champion, Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield
. Byrd's technical skills were simply too much for the suddenly slipping Holyfield; Byrd won a lopsided unanimous decision and the IBF Title in an impressive performance against one of the biggest names in boxing history.
[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Chris Byrd ]

Some related entries: Jared Palmer | Chris Scoville | Fielding Yost | David Aardsma | William R. Lyman | Gerry Cooney | Robert Horry | Frank Warren | Richard Todd | Jack Gardner | Brian Moorman
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