Chris Byrd on Lennox Lewis

FWIW Wlad has had a ridiculously long physical prime. I mean I know he has fine tuned things technically but he's as good as he ever has been today and physically he had all the attributes of today back in the first Byrd fight. That length of time at the top level is staggering and near unrivalled in the hw division.

 

Byrd didn't make Vitali quit. Again, in 3 fights against the Klitschkos he won 3 rounds.

Pathetic.

 

Corrie Sanders???

NOBODY was pushing for Lewis to fight Sanders....EVER!

Sanders had one,big career defining fight, which happened AFTER Lewis fight his last fight!

How can you duck a guy who is ranked below all the fighters you were fighting???

 

Its a non-issue.

There have been 38 True lineal Heavyweight champions, only 1 was a southpaw(Michael Moorer)

 

Agree, yet still he and his achievements get rubbished...

 

That's a great stat. :thumbsup

 

Holy, fair enough.
Tyson was shot to pieces.
Vitali, legit.
Ruddock, hard to call.
Golota, crazy farm, doesn't mean much.


Strange that he never fought one southpaw and Byrd is a big miss on his record regardless of outcome.

 

Fighters Lennox Lewis ducked

Rematch Vitali Klitschko

Wladimir Klitschko. Number one ranked contender.

Riddick Bowe. Number 1 ranked contender.

Chris Byrd. Number 1 ranked contender.

John Ruiz. Number 1 ranked contender.

Corrie Sanders.

Foreman.

Ibeabuchi

Homles

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Roy Jones

 

Byrd was not a great heavyweight and Lewis beating him would have been one of the most underwhelming victories in his career. If he KOed him, everyone would say "big deal, so did Ibeabuchi" and if Byrd took Lewis to the final bell, that would have been massively disappointing for Lewis. It's a fight which is low risk, low reward for Lewis.

Of course, in a fight, it would have been a complete mismatch. Even an old Lewis would have stopped Byrd in three or four rounds.

Byrd is not a all-time top 50 heavyweight. He just wasn't that good. Oquendo and a past prime Golota both deserved to beat prime Byrd, which tells you what level he was at during his peak.

 

And it wasnt a prime Golota!

And Golota was robbed!

 

Prime Golota would have knocked Byrd out. A far superior fighter at his best.

 

Tyson was shot but he was coming off a destruction of Golota and was ranked by most everyone above Byrd.

Ruddock was that avoided many called the fight between him and Tyson a fight between the two best HW fighters. Noone would touch him, Lewis destroyed him so bad that team Bowe ran for the next ten years.

Golota past his best pushed Byrd as far as he'd go. Twice he battered Bowe and twice he mentally exploded. He was seen as arguably the most dangerous fighter in the world, Lewis destroyed him.

Byrd is a fighter who grew in stature but at the time he was never perceived as a threat nor a challenge. He was no more worthy than the wbc mando in Rahman. Plus his promoter wanted to pay Lewis step aside money.

It'd look good with hindsight but anyone following at the time will tell you noone was interested.

 

:rofl Do you know any more silly jokes like that?? Lennox would do to Byrd what Ike Ibeabuchi did to him cept Byrd wouldnt struggle up after Lennox big right hand :happy

 

:good

I don't think anyone who doesnt hate Lewis would truly believe Byrd WOULD beat Lewis.
That said, I don't even think Byrd's biggest fans would believe he WOULD beat Lewis.
You'd have to give Byrd a shot.....especially knowing Lewis history of being KOd hard, and getting overly comfortable in the ring. Also, Lewis loved to tie up when he wasn't comfortable, and if Byrd was countering him effectively, I could see Lewis tying up too much and losing rds like that. He wasn't especially loved by judges.

But it would be a looooong shot to take Byrd. Still.......who wouldnt want to see that fight:huh.....much better fight IMO than Golota, Ruddock, Tua Botha or Mavrovic ffs.:good