I watched that fight earlier today, and I had forgotten that Byrd was the underdog. The fight was much better than I remember, too. Chris clearly won, but David landed the more meaningful, powerful punches. I think Chris' ring generalship, slick moves, and charisma helped him when the fight, in addition to landing the most punches (although they were pitty pat) The biggest rounds were 8,9 and 10, all of which were won handsomely by Byrd. The funny thing to me is that Chris didn't even look David in the eye before the fight. I was having flashbacks of Spinks-Tyson or Patterson-Liston, expecting Chris to get KO'd and quick. Chris appeared scared before the fight, but took charge once the bell rang.
A telling loss for Tua. Here was a guy who was essentially smaller than him -taller but slimmer- and David's vaunted sledgehammers couldn't do much against him. This is the fight I fall back upon when I hear people getting too high on Tua. Sure, Byrd was slick, but to have a puffed up middleweight slap around the world's heaviest puncher was quite somethng.
Byrd showed some textbook southpaw boxing in this, too. He'd jab, throw the straight left to the body, then come back to the head with the right, and turn. Over and over. Had him winning by 4 points.
The crowd was certainly on Byrd's side. I think this was one of his best performances. He proved that he has a good chin, too, because Tua rocked him with some great shots to the head and body. I remember him landing some hard right hands, too. Didn't bother the Byrd, though. I laughed at one point when Chris spun David around and then smiled at him. Funny stuff.
Byrd never beat Tua. Respect for him for lasting the distance without getting much hurt though , although I doubt the board's knowledge of Byrd's post fight MRI / CT / ultrasound scans :yep
Or the demon visions and brutal rapes covered up by Don King. Nobody takes Tua's left flush without seeing demonz and rapez, Byrd is no exception.
Tua in the Byrd fight was equal to Bowe in the second Golota fight as far as conditioning and fitness goes. A lifeless melted down shell of his former self.
Tua was cut but may have been a little over trained as claimed, but Bowe lost way more weight in a shorter amount of time and looked soft, drained, and unhealthy.
I watched a few Byrd fights myself the last couple of weeks including the one against Tua. I don't think he was exciting in a way that he could knock people out but I like to watch his slick movement. He was at his best in the 90's and maybe early 2000's and I think he started to fade around 2002-2003. And Byrd never looked in his opponents eyes. It has nothing to do with that it was Tua. He didn't even look Tim Puller in his eyes.
Both were not in condition simple as that. There's a difference between being in boxing shape and looking cut or thin. Both fighters spent their respective camps working on looking good rather than being in fighting condition which takes time and actual boxing training not just work with a personal trainer. Tua was a far cry from the active punching machine he was in his younger better days. I think young Tua beats Byrd late.
While the younger Tua pre Ibeabuchi threw more punches, was better conditioned, and was the clearly fighter, this fight can't be ignored. The fact is that Byrd had a style that was always going to mean serious problems for the Tuaman. Even both at their absolute best I'd favor Byrd.
Probably but the young Tua was winning most of his fights late, because of his pressure and activity. He was throwing bombs rounds 10-11-12. Once Tua lost that fitness, it was just a matter of making it midfight and it was an easy cruise home, especially for a slickster like Byrd. I believe the young Tua would have caught up to Byrd late, just like he did to the majority of guys he faced. The fight with Byrd wasnt a blowout as it was.