When Wladimir Klitschko fought Chris Byrd in their first encounter in 2000 for the WBO title, do you

Let me get on the phone to him.

 

Can you ask him why he was often so boring? I think we know but I want to know his thoughts.

 

It wasn't even seen as a noteworthy fight from memory tbh.

 

In my opinion Byrd was tailor made for Wlad. Much smaller, no power, no real explosiveness. Yeah he had slickness but all that gets you is being target practise for Wlad's jab all night. Byrd's footwork is average which means Wlad can dictate the distance too. Why wouldn't Wlad want the fight is more like the question.

 

Both brothers wanted the Tyson fight. They knew they could KO Tyson and would become superstars in doing so. Chris Byrd was probably seen as a pesky stepping stone.

 

Agreed. I'm also completely baffled when posters say Lewis ducked Byrd.

 

Wlad gets the WBO belt, and gets the revenge win that his sibling relationship seemed to make a pattern of in their career, and against a non-puncher who had a good name. Absolutely wanted it, in my opinion. But I understand what you're saying and I don't believe it owed anything at all to personal animosity. Wlad didn't have any toward Byrd. It's possible Wlad wanted another fight more or sooner but I don't think he just flatly didn't want it, no matter what he may've stated. Revenge isn't always about animosity or dislike. Sometimes it's just a right of passage.

 

It's because Lewis refused to face southpaws.

 

You're right. Lennox was terrified of Byrd and Michael Moorer. SMH.

 

You're correct. Wlad didn't have much interest in the WBO belt. He seemed to be targeting Lennox Lewis in 2000. Interest was building in that eventual showdown.

Lewis had to get thru his complicated mandatory situation (with Akinwande, Ruiz, Tua, Grant, etc.) in 2000 against guys that had been waiting while he unified in 1999 with Holyfield. And Wlad was the streaking young heavyweight. He was ranked in the top 10 by the other sanctioning bodies and was on the way up.

Wlad was hired to "fight" Lennox Lewis in the film Ocean's Eleven (where casinos where robbed during the big heavyweight fight). Everyone anticipated that would be the big matchup by the time the movie came out in 2001.

When Vitali lost to Byrd, you're correct, Universum had promotional rights to Byrd's first title defense. They (Universum) wanted to bring the belt back under their promotional control. Vitali had shoulder surgery and wasn't going to be ready to jump right back into a rematch first time back.

So, Wlad fought Byrd. Beating Byrd meant Wlad would lose his ranking in all the other sanctioning bodies' top 10s. It also meant he and Vitali basically swapped places.

Wlad had been the European champion. That belt became vacant when Wlad beat Byrd. Vitali picked it up against Timo Hoffmann. (It was Vitali's first fight that went to a decision, due in part to him still recovering.) And Vitali, who hadn't been ranked by the other orgs because he'd been WBO champ, was now getting ranked by them (while Wlad's name was removed).

Vitali eventually got the shot at Lewis that Wlad probably would've received had he not defeated Byrd.

Personally, I doubt Wlad would've lasted much longer against Lewis than Vitali did. Wlad didn't like getting jabbed, and Lennox tore Vitali's face off with it. And Vitali had a better chin than Wlad. Don't think Wlad could've taken Lennox's bombs.

 

But on the other hand, Wlad had a better jab than Vitali and was waaay more powerful. Lewis was in terrible condition in that fight, I can see Wlad getting through with some right hands and Lennox not being able to take them like he did Vitali's.

 

Wlad didn't like to be jabbed back. That was true throughout his career.

Mariusz Wach hung with him only because he was tall and jabbed back.

If you jabbed Wlad, it disrupted everything he tried to do.

Fury landed very little against Wlad, but the jab kept Wlad from doing almost anything most of their fight. He was like Ali in that regard. Ali had trouble with Norton because Norton jabbed when Ali jabbed. Wlad's timing got thrown off if his opponent's jab was in his face.