By Paul Strauss: It was obvious from the opening bell, that Chris Byrd had nothing left. He failed to demonstrate adequate movement, either with his legs or head. He lacked strength and control of his faculties. Beginning with the first round, he reacted strangely to the action and was even hurt by punches that were partially blocked! In fact, he went down from one in a very awkward and delayed way, one that was a forecast of more to come..
Shaun George is now probably viewed as a top contender, and soon will be getting his big shot against one of the title holders. But, whether he can beat any of the big names will be left to a future discussion. Handy-capping his chances based on this fight with Byrd would not be smart.
What is puzzling about Byrd and his team is how they could possibly have thought that he was ready for this fight? It had to be painfully obvious to them in training camp that he didn’t have anything left. Sure there’s an old saying about fighters abruptly getting old in the ring during a fight, but that’s more of a hackneyed expression than it is truth, and it certainly wasn’t true in Byrd’s situation. In his case, there was no more “rapid fire”.
In other words, there was ample evidence in Byrd’s poor showings in recent heavyweight fights, and that had not somehow changed. His team had to know he no longer had any footwork, and that his reflexes were greatly diminished. It’s hard to believe they witnessed him was landing punches during sparring sessions, and if he was landing any, it certainly had to be obvious to them there wasn’t any power behind them.
No, his totally lackluster performance shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone, and it was a mistake to let him fight and risk serious harm. Maybe his team totally ignored what they witnessed in camp, and believed there would be some miraculous improvement on fight night?
Or, in fairness to his team, and especially his father, Chris Byrd might possibly have ignored their cautionary advice, and demanded he be allowed to go ahead with the fight. It would not be the first time a fighter deluded his own perceptions of himself and went against the counsel of his trainers and management.
Hopefully, Chris is now convinced it’s time to give it up and pursue other challenges, as he is wont to have. Maybe he could bring along some youngster to be a future prospect. What-ever he chooses to do, it’s a good bet he will be successful, as he is a talented individual and a quality person. I am sure all boxing fans join in wishing him good health and continued success.