For a fighter who has literally made his career devising methods to remedy an opponent's advantage in size, power and in some cases talent, Chris Byrd at 37 has once again come upon an ingenious plan to extend his career and further his legacy. Byrd (40-4-1, 21 KOs), a former two-time heavyweight belt holder with five defenses, has reinvented himself as a light heavyweight.
Byrd will make his 175-pound debut against Shaun George (16-2-2, 7), on Friday, May 16, at the Cox Pavilion at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas to be broadcast live on ESPN's Friday Night Fights. In all of boxing history only two heavyweight champions have successfully moved down in weight to win the light-heavyweight title -- Bob Fitzsimmons in 1903 and Roy Jones Jr. in 2003.
As a heavyweight, the crafty Byrd defeated Vitali Klitschko for the WBO belt and Evander Holyfield for the vacant IBF crown. He defeated other big hitters such as David Tua, Jameel McCline and others along the way, and he did it with speed and science.
But as the years rolled by Byrd might have become an eyelash slower, just enough of a difference to diminish his natural elusiveness and make him more vulnerable to the big heavyweight wallop that he would dodge in his prime. The result was TKO losses to Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF belt in 2006 and to Alexander Povetkin in an IBF eliminator last October.
Byrd was always somewhat of a plumped-up heavyweight anyway. After Povetkin he talked about the possibility of moving to cruiserweight. To even his own surprise, the pounds dropped so easily through exercise and a normal diet that on the day of our interview this week, Byrd weighed 173.
Byrd said he feels great with his new body.
"I feel like I don't have to give 40 pounds a piggyback ride," he told us. "I eat every two hours, small portions but they give me energy. I even snack so I have something to burn."
The question to be answered is whether the lighter weight will translate into newfound power and how will it impact his speed and stamina.
"It remains to be seen," he replied. "I hope so. Sparring and training is one thing, but then you have to get in the ring.
"I can sit back in the pocket a little more rather than in the heavyweight division where you can be taken out with one punch.
"My speed feels really good. I feel fast, but until I get in the ring and fight these guys I won't know where I'm really at. I have to prove it in the ring."
Chris is widely known in the industry as being one of the sport's nicest guys, a good family man and devout Christian. This is a man who holds no grudges and speaks well of everyone and works hard to pass the same values to his children.
"I've been married (to his wife and manager, Tracy) 15 years and we dated before that so we've been together for 20," he began. "I have three kids (two girls, ages 15 and 9, and a boy, 13) and my nephew is here all the time and basically I help my sister raise him. We're a close-knit family and we're Christians and we love each other.
"I'm still boxing but I invest time in my kid's lives, trying to be the perfect father. I want them to say that Dad was home for everything. He treated Mom with respect. He loved Mom. I never went to training camp if my kids had some type of activity."
Byrd has only one regret:
"(Being a two-time heavyweight champion) was the ultimate challenge and now I have a new ultimate challenge at light heavyweight.
"But my thing was I wanted to fight everyone in my era. I didn't get a chance to fight everybody because they didn't want to fight me."
This is a fact. Byrd's style could make good fighters look bad and he was winning fights that he wasn't supposed to win. But the problem for a classic stylist such as Byrd in the heavyweight division is that there are some fans who don't appreciate the finer points of ring artistry.
Just give them a knockout and some blood and they'll go home happy. While Byrd was highly respected, he never became a champion at the box office.
Some of that responsibility has to fall to his former promoter, Don King, who virtually had the heavyweight division locked up during Byrd's prime. Still, Byrd being Byrd, he is reluctant to criticize King.
"The financial stuff wasn't good; it was very stressful," Byrd said.
Then, without even pausing for a breath, he continued by saying, "But as far as Don goes as a person, I actually miss him. When we sat down and started talking or I asked him certain questions about fights of the past, he would go on and on about the historic fights and I loved that stuff."
Byrd has no game plan cast in concrete for his light-heavyweight future. He will determine his performance level after the George fight and take the appropriate steps to move up. Still, he is mindful that he is in a division with over-35 fighters such as Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson and Jones Jr., and those are the guys that he hopes will be his competition.
"For now I just want to stay busy," Byrd said. "But I want to make matches for the fans. We can just round robin each other and make great fights. The fans don't care about belts; they want great fights."
Byrd has been discussed by boxing insiders as having the tools to be a great trainer. A fighter who relied on his ring smarts, it seems natural to picture him drawing up a game plan for a hungry young fighter working his way toward a title.
"I do have people ask me for tips," Chris said. "When I'm in the gym sometimes I see things and I don't want to take over from the coach but I try to give them advice.
"All boxing is style matchups. The right style can beat anybody. I love breaking down styles to counteract other boxers, so I would love to be in the corner when my career is done."
Chris Byrd is one of those special people that would be hard to dislike. When Byrd prays before his fights, he prays for his opponent as well.
"It's a hurting sport, but it's just boxing," he says. "I don't want either of us to get hurt."
Byrd has traveled all over the country to speak to young people in the role of a role model. He doesn't bring a publicist and a photographer to make sure everyone knows it, either. He does it because he feels that it is important. The hardest part for Byrd is breaking away so he can prepare for a fight.
There has to be a very special place somewhere for a Chris Byrd.
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