25.04.06 – By Geoffrey Ciani: As most observers had suspected, Wladimir Klitschko once again defeated Chris Byrd in dominant fashion. The first time was back in October of 2000 when Klitschko captured the WBO title from Byrd; this time, Wladimir earned himself the more prestigious IBF championship. Many people are viewing this as the end of the road for Chris Byrd. After all, so long as Wladimir Klitschko is around, Byrd stands virtually no chance of becoming the undisputed champion of the world. Or does he?
Well, to be sure, as I had stated in previous articles, Wladimir Klitschko represents a stylistic nightmare for the elusive Chris Byrd. Simply put, Wlad has Byrd’s number, and he proved it once again on Saturday. No matter what Byrd tried and no matter what he did, he simply didn’t have any answers. The ordinarily elusive Byrd was hit with surprising ease by Klitschko. More frightening was the fact that not only did Wlad rarely miss when he committed to his punches, but he rarely didn’t land flush. Indeed, the loud thud of Wladimir’s power could be heard each and every time he struck Byrd’s face.
So is this the end of the line for Chris Byrd?
Frankly, I’m not so sure that it is. Although Byrd’s days are certainly coming near an end, I reckon he can hang around another couple of years and possibly even capture another title in the process. After all, this is professional boxing where anything and everything can happen. And as the old saying goes: Styles make fights!
As things stand now, the heavyweight title is splintered. Wladimir now holds the IBF version of the title, Hasim Rahman the WBC version, and Nicolay Valuev is the WBA’s reigning champion. Also worth mentioning is the WBO title-holder, Serguei Lyakhovich, who looked most impressive in his exciting bout against Lamon Brewster earlier this month. Of the four, I’m of the opinion that Klitschko and Lyakhovich are a cut above the other two, but until some form of unification takes place, no one fighter really has much of a claim over any other.
What does this mean for Chris Byrd? Well, we know it means that he cannot and will not beat Klitschko. Byrd’s style simply doesn’t allow for this. Everything that makes Byrd a great fighter instantly becomes nullified once Byrd steps into a ring opposite of Wladimir. However, this has absolutely no baring on how Byrd would fare against the other three. I actually like his chances against them, in particular, against Rahman and Valuev; Lyakhovich might be another story, as he truly looked like the real deal in his recent win against Brewster. (In case anyone has forgotten, Brewster is the man who stopped Klitschko to capture the WBO title before losing it this month).
Chris Byrd definitely has the talent to continue to make some noise in the heavyweight division. If he can position himself for a fight with either Rahman or Valuev, I believe he has a chance to once again call himself ‘heavyweight champion’. But so long as Wladimir Klitschko holds a belt, the chances of Byrd becoming the main man is an impossibility. The only exception for Byrd would be if someone was able to knock Wladimir out of the picture. Perhaps his cousin Lamon will get another crack at Klitschko. Or maybe, just maybe, Corrie Sanders will be itching for one more fight before definitively calling it a career. Because Sanders poses a stylistic nightmare to Wlad much in the same way Wlad poses one to Byrd.
In any case, it’s too early to count Byrd entirely out yet, despite the devastating loss he suffered against Klitschko.
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