Christopher Cornelius Byrd (born August 15, 1970) is an American former
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
who competed from 1993 to 2009. He is a two-time world
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
champion, having first won the
WBO title in 2000 after an upset
corner stoppage
A corner retirement or corner stoppage – abbreviated "RTD (Retired)" by BoxRec – are terms used in boxing to describe a fight that ends when, during any rest period between rounds, a boxer refuses to continue or their cornerman, corner pulls ...
over then-undefeated
Vitali Klitschko
Vitali Volodymyrovych Klitschko (; uk, Віта́лій Володи́мирович Кличко́ ; born 19 July 1971) is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer who serves as mayor of Kyiv[Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko; an equivalent English spelling is Vladimir Klichko . His full name in uk, label=Ukrainian is, Володимир Володимирович Кличко, Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko, . ( uk, Володимир Вол ...]
. In 2002, Byrd defeated
Evander Holyfield to win the
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
heavyweight title for his second reign as world champion. He made four successful defenses until losing his title again to Wladimir Klitschko in a 2006 rematch. He was ranked by
BoxRec
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing.
The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
as the world's top 10 heavyweight from 1996 to 2003, reaching his highest ranking of No.4 in 1998.
As an
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
, Byrd represented the United States at the
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
and won a silver medal in the
middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .
Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
division. He is also a three-time
national amateur champion, winning the
light middleweight
Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA an ...
title in 1989, and the middleweight title in 1991 and 1992.
Early life
Chris Byrd was the youngest of eight children growing up in
Flint, Michigan
Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...
. He began boxing at age 5, training in his father (Joe Sr.)'s Joe Byrd Boxing Academy. His father continued to train and manage Byrd as a professional. Byrd attended
Flint Northwestern High School
Flint Northwestern High School was a high school in Flint, Michigan, United States that served grades nine through twelve. It was part of Flint Community Schools and opened in 1964.
In July 2018, the campus was repurposed as Flint Junior High Scho ...
.
Amateur career
Byrd began competing in the ring at age 10, since then he had 285 amateur fights in various weight classes, compiled an impressive record of 275 wins, 10 losses. He was a three-time U.S. amateur champion (1989, 1991, and 1992). He was on the 1991 U.S. National boxing Team that became the first (and only) U.S. team to score a tie against the heralded Cuban team.
Byrd won the silver medal in the 1992
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
summer
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
as a
middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .
Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
, losing to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
's
Ariel Hernández in the final.
Amateur highlights
*Lost in the 1988 Olympic Trials at Light Welterweight, losing to eventual United States representative
Todd Foster
Todd Foster (born August 27, 1967, in Great Falls, Montana) is a former American boxer in the Welterweight division.
Amateur career
Foster was an amateur boxing standout. In the Light welterweight division, he was the 1987 National Golden Gloves ...
.
*1989 United States Amateur Light Middleweight Champion
*1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle, lost to
Torsten Schmitz
Torsten Schmitz (born 26 August 1964 in Crivitz) is a retired German boxer in the Light Middleweight class. He represented East Germany at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Amateur career
Schmitz was an amateur standout and fought in several notabl ...
(East Germany) on points, in Light Middleweight competition.
*1991 United States Amateur Middleweight Champion
*1991 World Championships, lost at Middlweight to
Ramon Garbey (Cuba)
*1992 United States Amateur Middleweight Champion
*1992 Middleweight Gold Medalist at Canada Cup. Results were:
**
Justin Crawford (Australia) won on points
**
Joe Laryea
Joe or JOE may refer to:
Arts
Film and television
* Joe (1970 film), ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle
* Joe (2013 film), ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage
* Joe (TV series), ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from ...
(Ghana) won on points
**
Igor Anashkin
Igor may refer to:
People
* Igor (given name), an East Slavic given name and a list of people with the name
* Mighty Igor (1931–2002), former American professional wrestler
* Igor Volkoff, a professional wrestler from NWA All-Star Wrestling
* ...
(Russia) won on points
*1992 Qualified as a Middleweight at the Olympic Trials in Worcester, MA. Results were:
**
Derrick James
Derrick James (born January 23, 1972) is an American boxing trainer and former professional boxer.
Boxing Career
James’ boxing record was 21-7-1 (12 TKOs). He is a two-time winner of Texas State Golden Gloves and won a Bronze Medal at the U ...
won on points
**
William Joppy
William Torelle Joppy (born September 11, 1970) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2011, and held the WBA middleweight title three times between 1996 and 2003.
Professional career
Joppy won his first of three ...
won on points
**
Mike DeMoss
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
won on points
**
Eric Carr
Paul Charles Caravello (July 12, 1950 – November 24, 1991), better known professionally as Eric Carr, was an American musician who was the drummer for the rock band Kiss from 1980 to 1991. Caravello was selected as the new Kiss drummer after ...
won on points, this bout was at the Olympic Box-Offs in Phoenix, AZ*
*Captured the Middleweight Silver Medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Results were:
**
Mark Edwards (Great Britain) 21-3
**
Alexander Lebziak (Russia/Unified Team) 16-7
**
Ahmed Dine
Ahmed Dine (born 22 January 1965) is an Algerian boxer. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officia ...
(Algeria) 21-2
**
Chris Johnson (Canada) 17-3
**
Ariel Hernandez (Cuba) 7-12
Professional career
1993–1998: early career
Byrd turned professional on January 28, 1993, knocking out 10 of his first 13 opponents. Byrd moved up to
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
three fights into his professional career.
Byrd remained undefeated for his first 26 fights, knocking off then-notable opponents like
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...
,
Lionel Butler
Lionel Butler (born July 25, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2010. He is best known for his 1995 fight with Lennox Lewis, but also faced world champions Tony Tubbs, James Smith (boxer), James Smith, Chri ...
,
Uriah Grant
Uriah or Uriyah () is a Hebrew given name. It may refer to:
People In the Bible
*Uriah the Hittite, a soldier in King David's army in the Books of Samuel
*Uriah, a priest under Ahaz in the Books of Kings
* Uriah (prophet), a prophet murdered by ...
,
Bert Cooper
Bertram Cooper (January 10, 1966 – May 10, 2019), nicknamed Smokin' Bert Cooper, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2012. He fought Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer, Chris Byrd, Ray ...
,
Craig Peterson,
Frankie Swindell
Frankie may refer to:
People
*Frankie (musician), indie pop musician from Los Angeles, California
*Frankie Abernathy (1981–2007), American MTV Real World cast member
*Frankie Adams (born 1994), Samoan New Zealand actress
*Frankie Avalon (born 1 ...
,
Jimmy Thunder
Ti'a James Senio Peau (3 February 1966 – 13 February 2020), known professionally as Jimmy Thunder, was a Samoan-born New Zealand professional boxer who held the IBO heavyweight title from 1994 to 1995. He held multiple regional heavyweight ti ...
, undefeated
Eliecer Castillo
Elieser Ramos Castillo (born October 25, 1970) is a Cuban professional boxer in the heavyweight division.
Amateur career
Elieser Castillo Ramos was part of the legendary Cuban boxing program before he defected to the United States.
Defecting t ...
and
Ross Puritty
Ross Puritty (born December 18, 1966) is an American former professional boxer. A high-level journeyman and occasional heavyweight contender, Puritty is best remembered for his shocking upset of Wladimir Klitschko in 1998 that won him the WBC in ...
.
1999: Byrd vs. Ibeabuchi, comeback victories
However, in 1999, Byrd's undefeated record came to a dead end when he fought undefeated
Ike Ibeabuchi
Ikemefula Charles "Ike" Ibeabuchi (born February 2, 1973) is a Nigerian former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 1999 in the heavyweight division. He defeated the previously undefeated highly ranked contender David Tua in 1997 and anot ...
. With 48 seconds left in the fifth round, a left-handed
bolo punch
A bolo punch is a punch used in martial arts. The bolo punch is not among the traditional boxing punches (jab, uppercut, hook and cross).
''Bolo'' is a Filipino single-edged knife similar to the machete. The primary use for the bolo is clearing v ...
followed with a right hook sent Byrd to the canvas, face first.
2000: first world title, facing the Klitschkos
During the last week of March 2000, Byrd was offered the chance to be the replacement (for
Donovan Ruddock
Donovan "Razor" Ruddock (born December 21, 1963) is a Jamaican-born Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 2001 and in 2015. He is known for his two fights against Mike Tyson in 1991, a fight against Lennox Lewis in 1992, and ...
) against undefeated champion
Vitali Klitschko
Vitali Volodymyrovych Klitschko (; uk, Віта́лій Володи́мирович Кличко́ ; born 19 July 1971) is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer who serves as mayor of Kyiv[Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...]
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
(Klitschko's adopted home country) for the
WBO Heavyweight Title. He therefore had only seven days to prepare for the fight (not the customary 6–12 weeks). Byrd struggled greatly in the fight, trailing after nine rounds by scores of 88–83 (on two cards) and 89–82 (on one card), i.e. losing seven or eight of those rounds. However, Klitschko severely injured his shoulder and was unable to continue after the ninth round. The injury that Klitschko suffered was a torn shoulder rotator cuff, which required major surgery and a 7-month lay-off. Despite trailing on all three of the judges' scorecards, Byrd walked away the winner by a
technical knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
due to the injury to Klitschko.
Six months later, Byrd was back in Germany to defend the title against
Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko; an equivalent English spelling is Vladimir Klichko . His full name in uk, label=Ukrainian is, Володимир Володимирович Кличко, Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko, . ( uk, Володимир Вол ...
, Vitali's younger, more agile brother. Twelve rounds later, Byrd had lost a lopsided unanimous decision and the WBO belt after being knocked down twice.
2001–2002: comeback victories, second world title
Byrd returned to the U.S., signed with
Don King
Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction and civil cases against him, as well a ...
and beat
Maurice Harris
Wilbur Maurice Harris (born February 21, 1976), nicknamed "Sugar Moe", is the former United States Boxing Association heavyweight champion. A professional competitor since 1992, he holds notable victories over Siarhei Liakhovich, David Izon, Jam ...
to win the United States Boxing Association heavyweight belt in Madison Square Garden. He was now a top-five contender for the IBF title. After winning his next match (a title defense against New Zealand's top contender
David Tua
Faumuina To'aletai Mafaufau David Tua (born 21 November 1972), best known as David Tua, is a Samoan-New Zealand former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. A highly ranked heavyweight contender for most of his career, Tua was kno ...
) Byrd eventually received his mandatory shot at the vacant IBF world Heavyweight Championship against
Evander Holyfield in
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
. On December 14, 2002, Byrd won a unanimous decision and the IBF title.
2003–2005: four successful title defenses
Byrd has successfully defended the IBF belt against:
Fres Oquendo
Fres Oquendo (born April 1, 1973) is a Puerto Rican professional heavyweight boxer. He had a successful amateur record before turning professional in 1997. He has challenged three times for world heavyweight titles.
Amateur career
He had an amat ...
in 2003, a highly entertaining draw with
Andrew Golota
Andrzej Jan Gołota (; born 5 January 1968), best known as Andrew Golota, is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. He challenged four times for a heavyweight world title (by all four major sanctioning bodies), and as ...
and a decision win over friend
Jameel McCline
Jameel McCline (born May 20, 1970) is an American former professional boxer. He challenged for the world heavyweight title on an unprecedented four occasions, losing all four attempts to Wladimir Klitschko, Chris Byrd, Nikolai Valuev and Samuel ...
in 2004, and
DaVarryl Williamson
DaVarryl Jerome Williamson (born July 25, 1968) is an American former professional boxer. A highly-touted amateur, he challenged once for the IBF world heavyweight title in 2005.
Early and personal life
Williamson was raised in poverty in th ...
in 2005. Byrd's fight with Golota did 75,000 buys on
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
.
2006: Klitschko rematch
On April 22, 2006, Byrd faced
Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko; an equivalent English spelling is Vladimir Klichko . His full name in uk, label=Ukrainian is, Володимир Володимирович Кличко, Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko, . ( uk, Володимир Вол ...
for the second time. Byrd was making his fifth defense of his IBF title and the fight was also sanctioned by the
International Boxing Organization
The International Boxing Organization (IBO) is a US based corporation that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and regional championships.
It is an independent and well-known organization not recognized by the "big four" gove ...
for its title, which had been vacated upon the retirement of
Lennox Lewis. The fight took place at
SAP Arena
SAP Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Mannheim, Germany. It is primarily used for ice hockey and handball, and is the home arena of the Adler Mannheim ice hockey club and the Rhein-Neckar Löwen handball club. Inaugurated in 2005, the arena has ...
in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Byrd was heavily dominated throughout the fight, was down in the fifth, and again in the seventh. Referee Wayne Kelly stopped the fight after the second knockdown when Byrd had an open cut near his eyes. Klitschko won in a TKO
2007–2010: Povetkin bout, move to light heavyweight, and retirement
After losing to
Alexander Povetkin, Byrd would drop about 40 pounds to return to the light heavyweight division. He fought
Shaun George on May 16, 2008, at the
Thomas and Mack Center
The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference.
History
The facility was fi ...
in Las Vegas. Byrd was dropped by George in round one and rocked again in round two. George then hammered Byrd with his right hand at will, finally flooring Byrd twice in the ninth round. Byrd beat the count after the first knockdown, but was then battered down again and the bout was waved off by the referee.
In 2010, Byrd officially announced his retirement from boxing.
Life outside boxing
Byrd hosts a weekly video podcast, entitled "Byrd's Eye View", which showcases former boxers as well as current professional and champion-level fighters.
Additional information
*Byrd's hometown is
Flint, Michigan
Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...
, where he trained along with his brother Patrick Byrd and sister
Tracy Byrd
Tracy Lynn Byrd (born December 17, 1966) is an American country music artist. Signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, MCA Nashville Records in 1992, Byrd broke through on the country music scene that year with his 1993 single "Holdin' Heaven" ...
. Byrd's other sister,
Laurie Byrd
Laurie Byrd is a basketball coach and former basketball player from Flint, Michigan. She is sister to the professional boxer Chris Byrd.
College
A graduate of Hamady High School in Flint, Michigan, Byrd joined the Eastern Michigan Hurons women' ...
, is a professional basketball coach. Byrd is also a first cousin of
Lamon Brewster
Lamon Tajuan Brewster (born June 5, 1973) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2010. He held the WBO heavyweight title from 2004 to 2006, and is best known for scoring an upset knockout victory over Wladimir Klitsch ...
, himself a former world heavyweight champion and two-time Klitschko opponent.
*Byrd's
corner
Corner may refer to:
People
*Corner (surname)
* House of Cornaro, a noble Venetian family (''Corner'' in Venetian dialect)
Places
*Corner, Alabama, a community in the United States
*Corner Inlet, Victoria, Australia
*Corner River, a tributary of ...
consisted entirely of family members
*Byrd made an appearance in the 2008 documentary ''Beyond the Ropes''.
*Byrd also makes an appearance in the 2011 documentary ''Klitschko'', in which he discusses his trio of title bouts with the brothers.
Professional boxing record
Television viewership
Germany
US pay-per-view bouts
See also
*
List of heavyweight boxing champions
*
List of IBF world champions
This is a list of IBF world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the International Boxing Federation (IBF). The IBF is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and has certified world champions in 17 diffe ...
*
List of WBO world champions
This is a list of WBO world champions, showing every world champion certified by the World Boxing Organization (WBO). The WBO is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and has awarded world championships in 17 different wei ...
*
List of southpaw stance boxers
This is a list of southpaw stance boxers. Southpaw is a boxing term that designates the stance where the boxer has his right hand and right foot forward, leading with right jabs, and following with a left cross right hook. Southpaw is the normal ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrd, Chris
1970 births
Living people
African-American boxers
Southpaw boxers
Boxers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
International Boxing Federation champions
Olympic boxers of the United States
Sportspeople from Flint, Michigan
Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers
World Boxing Organization champions
American male boxers
World heavyweight boxing champions
Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in boxing
Light-middleweight boxers
Middleweight boxers
Boxers from Michigan
Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games