Chris Byrds Underated Career & Hypotheticals vs Ruiz/Jones/Toney

[BoxBuzz]

How would Chris have done against Jones/Ruiz/Toney? I think he might have been the best of that short period of time.


Notches on his belt reads pretty impressively, even if you don't like the Golata outcome. And though some will want to, you can't write off the fact that he twisted Vitali into knots and made him hurt himself. Probably would have done the same if not worse to Chamberlain.

Wins of note from his highly underrated career. This guy was a 165 pound fighter, and somehow managed a successful HW career.

Purity
Thunder
Billups
Cooper
Vitali K
Harris
Tua
Holyfield
Oquendo
Golata
McCline
Williamson


If the Toney, Jones or Ruiz fights could have been made in that time frame.....how do you think he would have done?

I like his chances against Ruiz...I don't think he'd get hugged into a loss. The other two I'm not sure of. But I imagine they would be interesting fights.

Even though he won the award for "Least appealing HW to watch" during his time.

[Crease]

I do agree that Byrd is under-rated these days, massively so in my view.

Chris was just very unfortunate that he fought under the mountainous shadow of Lewis (primarily) & Holyfield. And, of course, the return of Tyson.

As a Chris fan, i would've paid good money to see that unification fight with Ruiz & become a unified Heavyweight Champ.

[gilgamesh]

Jones and Toney would've beaten him. Byrd vs Ruiz is even money I figure, Byrd's more talented, but Ruiz is capable of making fights ugly and making them difficult to score so who knows.

I do remember Toney talking sh*t to Chris Byrd who was out in the audience following his Jirov victory and Lampley struggling to get him back on subject

[DaveyMac]

I think Chris is in all of those fights I don't think Roy or Toney are any lock. He was a great fighter, and the best defensive HW of his generation. Very smart guy.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

He would have easily beaten Toney. Ruiz is a dude that could compete with most and make it ugly, I'd pick Byrd there. Jones is the toughest call, Byrd was bigger, Roy hit harder, but Jones never liked southpaws and Byrd could come close to matching him athletically while being superior technically. I'd take Roy slightly, but with no confidence. The only guarantee for me is Byrd over Toney. 12-0

[gilgamesh]

He would have easily beaten Toney. Ruiz is a dude that could compete with most and make it ugly, I'd pick Byrd there. Jones is the toughest call, Byrd was bigger, Roy hit harder, but Jones never liked southpaws and Byrd could come close to matching him athletically while being superior technically. I'd take Roy slightly, but with no confidence. The only guarantee for me is Byrd over Toney. 12-0

I don't know why you'd be that confident in his ability to defeat Toney. We're talking about a guy who was outboxed by Fres Oquendo and got a questionable decision over him (of course that goes for Toney as well)

[SaadOffTheDeck]

He would have easily beaten Toney. Ruiz is a dude that could compete with most and make it ugly, I'd pick Byrd there. Jones is the toughest call, Byrd was bigger, Roy hit harder, but Jones never liked southpaws and Byrd could come close to matching him athletically while being superior technically. I'd take Roy slightly, but with no confidence. The only guarantee for me is Byrd over Toney. 12-0

I don't know why you'd be that confident in his ability to defeat Toney. We're talking about a guy who was outboxed by Fres Oquendo and got a questionable decision over him (of course that goes for Toney as well)

Minus the a vs b, vs c, vs a vs c stuff. Rahman outboxed Toney, visualizing the fight I see Roy/Toney a bit. Can't think of a single slick/speedy fighter that James looked good against. Much less at heavy. I'd bet the bank.

Edit: That stationary Byrd would be more of a tussle. The dude that clowned Tua or Old Evander? Can't find a scenario.

[gilgamesh]

He would have easily beaten Toney. Ruiz is a dude that could compete with most and make it ugly, I'd pick Byrd there. Jones is the toughest call, Byrd was bigger, Roy hit harder, but Jones never liked southpaws and Byrd could come close to matching him athletically while being superior technically. I'd take Roy slightly, but with no confidence. The only guarantee for me is Byrd over Toney. 12-0

I don't know why you'd be that confident in his ability to defeat Toney. We're talking about a guy who was outboxed by Fres Oquendo and got a questionable decision over him (of course that goes for Toney as well)

Minus the a vs b, vs c, vs a vs c stuff. Rahman outboxed Toney, visualizing the fight I see Roy/Toney a bit. Can't think of a single slick/speedy fighter that James looked good against. Much less at heavy. I'd bet the bank.

Yeah Toney does struggle with fast guys. Would you consider Montell Griffin a slick/speedy fighter?

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I would, though I'd say Byrd was faster and slicker even when he was larger. Then again, I'm wrong every week. That's why I don't rate historically on whom I think would win. I'd just bet a boatload on Byrd.

[gilgamesh]

I would, though I'd say Byrd was faster and slicker even when he was larger. Then again, I'm wrong every week. That's why I don't rate historically on whom I think would win. I'd just bet a boatload on Byrd.

Well see I don't know about you, but I thought Toney was robbed in both Montell Griffin fights. The first one was pretty competitive, but I remembered thinking Toney won at least 7 rounds out of 12, the 2nd fight I thought Toney was robbed badly deserving a 117-111 decision in his favor at worst.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I would, though I'd say Byrd was faster and slicker even when he was larger. Then again, I'm wrong every week. That's why I don't rate historically on whom I think would win. I'd just bet a boatload on Byrd.

Well see I don't know about you, but I thought Toney was robbed in both Montell Griffin fights. The first one was pretty competitive, but I remembered thinking Toney won at least 7 rounds out of 12, the 2nd fight I thought Toney was robbed badly deserving a 117-111 decision in his favor at worst.

I recall being surprised that james lost the first one. Never rewatched them, again though, I think Byrd was faster than montell and Toney was compromised at Heavy even with the PED's.

[gilgamesh]

I would, though I'd say Byrd was faster and slicker even when he was larger. Then again, I'm wrong every week. That's why I don't rate historically on whom I think would win. I'd just bet a boatload on Byrd.

Well see I don't know about you, but I thought Toney was robbed in both Montell Griffin fights. The first one was pretty competitive, but I remembered thinking Toney won at least 7 rounds out of 12, the 2nd fight I thought Toney was robbed badly deserving a 117-111 decision in his favor at worst.

I recall being surprised that james lost the first one. Never rewatched them, again though, I think Byrd was faster than montell and Toney was compromised at Heavy even with the PED's.

Fair enough. After the first bout George Foreman went so far as to say "If Griffin won that fight Cows can lay eggs"...and the 2nd fight was even worse of a robbery. Toney got f*cked over worse in the 2nd Griffin fight worse than Dave Tiberi got f*cked over against him.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

That's absurd, I remember enough to know toney didn't win 11 rounds.

[Counter-puncher]

I've seen one of the toney-griffin fights, can't remember which, it was such a shitty fight I obviously didn't bother to retain much about it.

All I think I recall is that Toney looked like shit, griffin kept moving to toneys left and Toney couldn't adjust his feet quickly enough to corner him and griffin landing little cuffing left hooks from outside toneys left shoulder

[gilgamesh]

That's absurd, I remember enough to know toney didn't win 11 rounds.

I never thought Dave Tiberi beat Toney THAT clearly. I thought Tiberi won the fight, but I didn't think it was a near shutout over Toney, just a clear win that he deserved.

[gilgamesh]

I got all of these fights in my collection. I might go back and revisit 'em soon and see what I think of 'em. I never did watch Toney's fight with Reggie Johnson I always heard that's the worst he ever got hurt in a fight. I'll check that one out too.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

That's absurd, I remember enough to know toney didn't win 11 rounds.

I never thought Dave Tiberi beat Toney THAT clearly. I thought Tiberi won the fight, but I didn't think it was a near shutout over Toney, just a clear win that he deserved.

One of the worst decisions I've ever seen. The Johnson fight was good, could have went either way. Reggie dropped him, but I don't recall him being in that bad of shape. Might have been at the end of the round.