lets talk about chris "rapid fire" byrd

There was some interest in the guy but nobody really understood why he was going up in weight at the time. He was in shape and Iguess I never saw the logic in him skyrocketing up a few divisions. To show his pedigree, he did terrific as a heavy but it's tough selling tickets when you don't get ko's. he was fortunate he came along when he did when there was USA cable televising fights---today he'd be an unkown.

 

Byrd was a very slick fighter, and coming up from middleweight to hold and defend the title was impressive in my mind. He took on some big punchers and was willing to fight anyone. It took a very quick fighter to beat him, and I believe Lennox Lewis was a hyprocrite for dumping his IBF belt and not fighting him after accusing guys like Bowe and Tyson for avoiding him. Regardless, of what anyone says about the fight not being box office enough, I believe Lewis would have had a tough time with Byrd at that point in time, and I think Emanuel Steward felt the same way.

 

One of the most underappreciated fighters of recent years.

I feel much like Jimmy Young his time will come in the following few decades.

 

Byrd is a fighter that I have a lot of respect for as a student of boxing history.

He was esentialy a light heavyweight with modest power who chose to step up to fight the top heavyweights of his day in an era when a heavyweight meant a big big man.

The guy has a streak of Sam Langford in him somwhere.

 

Really? Wlad beat the living **** out of him knocking him down twice, and he's very similar to Lewis in style and size. The big punching heavyweights like Tyson and Vitali, who Lewis fought, were much bigger threats and equally high ranked.

By contrast, Bowe fought Jesse freaking Fergusson to avoid Lewis and Tyson fought Seldon... need i say more?

 

What Bowe and Tyson did was fight soft touches to avoid a legit threat [Lewis] who would also make for one hell of an exciting fight.

What Lewis did was make a Legacy fight (Tyson) and another dangerous title defence against Vitali Klitschko. Tell me how not fighting a feather fisted counterpuncher who was already shut out by a very similar boxer in Wlad, while taking on huge punchers who, unlike Byrd, make for a sell-able fight, is similar to what Bowe and Tyson did?

 

You know what Occasio managed against Lewis, yeah?

 

only time will Russel, but frankly I have my doubts. The advantage that Jimmy Young had, was fighting in a far more charismatic era. Young's name is commonly associated with the Ali's, Foremans, Nortons, Lyles and Shavers. Byrd had good fights against Tua, Golata and Vitali, but the charisma simply isn't there. He might have had a chance if he had won his battles with the Klitschko bros as well as facing more names like Lewis, Tyson and even a younger version of Holy.

 

True boxing fans don't need a charisma to acknowledge that someone is a damned good fighter.

 

What, losing to a 10 fight Lewis?

Young, charismatic? I wasn't around during the mid to late 70's so i hope someone can expand on this, but my perception is that he was considered rather boring instead of the skilled boxer that we now, here, see him to be. I wouldn't be surprised if lack of ring-charisma was one of the reasons he got shafted in so many decisions, i.e. the Ali, Shavers II and Norton bouts.

 

Yeah, and making Lennox look terrible in the process.

Byrd was 10 times the fighter Ossie was.

 

Lewis was green as grass at that time, and won the fight. But if you believe Byrd is a bigger threat to Lewis than Tyson and Klitschko were, then more power to you.

 

Styles make fights. Wlad is a lot quicker with his jab than Lewis was with his so I think Lewis would have had problems with Byrd. I even asked Steward one time about it and he told me he never liked that fight for Lennox because of how awkward Chris was.