This a much closer fight than you might think ....I’ve been saying for years that Chris Byrd would have made an excellent Cruiserweight ...the only thing he lacked was size and punching power...he was fast and skillful with a good amateur pedigree like Usyk
You know ...I could actually Byrd being aggressive in this fight ...stalking like he did against Vitali Klitschko
Byrd would force Usyk to come to him, and when he did Usyk would be dismantled and left for the vultures. This is one of those fights that would seem to start put on even terms and would gradually start to shift by the 3rd or 4th rounds, and by midway point it the whitewashing would be on full display. Byrd is not known for his punching power, but I see him ending this fight like he did against Jimmy Thunder, with Usyk in the corner eating straight flush combinations to his unprotected face. His shoulder would most likely have come dislocated while he was missing against the Byrd man. A compassionate referee would have jumped in and stopped the fight, but being as Byrd is regarded as a light puncher, and Usyk is treated like the crown Royal Prince of Persia, the carnage is allowed to continue until Usyk can take no more and takes a knee in the neutral corner with no ambition of ever rising to his feet
I think is one of the better and more original hypotheticals. I would lean towards Byrd but expect a close decision win for either guy would be the outcome. This would be a much better fight for those who enjoy technical and tactical affairs rather than wars.
Usyk. Byrd does well against guys that commit to their shots and try to nail him hard. Usyk will show him angles and a high workrate of punches that are controlled enough not to fall into the trap of missing and then getting countered. Byrd would not have an easy time, even though he'd be fairly competitive.
