Best I faced: Chris Byrd
Posted: 26 May 2022, 07:37
BEST JAB
Wladimir Klitschko: He knew how to keep the distance with the jab and he’s very powerful. It was a strong jab with snap on it. He throws it very well, he throws it accurate to land, not just to throw it out there.
BEST DEFENSE
Fres Oquendo: He’s a slick, awkward guy, has an unorthodox style. He’s just like me, he has a style that opponents aren’t used to.
BEST FOOTWORK
Maurice Harris: Maurice Harris has got to be up there along with Fres Oquendo. I was always the one moving, so it’s hard to say. Holyfield did have good footwork because he cut the ring off really good. I’ll pick Maurice Harris.
BEST HANDSPEED
Harris: He has quick hands to throw combinations and he tried to react, if I threw something. He tries to throw something right back to match the speed.
SMARTEST
Evander Holyfield: He tried to put you in traps. I’m not stupid in the ring, but he tried to trap me in the corner. It was a cat and mouse game. He would take steps both ways to try to trap me. I had to go in my bag of tricks. He used his head at certain times. It was smart stuff and it breaks a guy down in the course of the fight.
STRONGEST
Jameel McCline: That one is really open to debate because everybody was strong. Evander, early, was super strong. I couldn’t get off the ropes against Andrew Golota. Ross Puritty was a big strong guy. Wladimir was so physically strong. I couldn’t move Ike [Ibeabuchi] or David [Tua]. I couldn’t get Jameel McCline off me, he was very strong. I’ll go with Jameel. After I fought him I had nothing left, I could have retired, my performances from there were downhill. It took me three-to-four months to heal, my body was so banged up. Jameel at 270, I weighed 214 in my clothes.
BEST CHIN
David Tua: That’s David Tua and Ike Ibeabuchi. Tua was coming right at you. One thing I did was revert to the body, I wasn’t known as a big puncher, but I got his attention going to the body. But his chin, man, I hit him with a headshot and it didn’t do anything, he barely flinched. I hit Ike Ibeabuchi with everything and he kept walking to me. I’m going to have to go with David. In my opinion both had great chins, but the level of opposition David took it from, he took it from everybody and was never fazed.
BEST PUNCHER
DaVarryl Williamson: He didn’t hit me, but I know who had the best power. People are gonna say, ‘Why DaVarryl?’ He had a ‘Touch of Sleep’, he had Deontay Wilder-type power. If he had been 6-foot-7, he’d have been running things like Wilder. To the media, he’s very underrated, but to the boxers, everybody knows if you get in the ring with him and he touches you, you’re going to sleep. With me, if you hit me right, I’m a middleweight, you’re supposed to knock me out. I really, really tried to avoid everything from him.
BEST BOXING SKILLS
Harris: Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson were paying him not to spar because they knew he was that good. He could match me in skills and he could punch pretty good. You can ask almost any heavyweight of that era and he’ll tell you, ‘That’s one guy we’re not gonna fight.’ He had that much talent, but he couldn’t put it together in certain fights.
BEST OVERALL
Wladimir Klitschko: I go with Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Ike Ibeabuchi and David Tua. I’ve got to go with Wladimir Klitschko with my style, he’s the best. He fought me in a way where he didn’t care about the style. He stayed tall, used the jab. He beat me up and outboxed me for 12 rounds or stopped me.
https://www.ringtv.com/592725-best-i-faced-chris-byrd/
In a recent 2022 interview he was asked who the hardest puncher he faced was and initially he said Ibeabuchi but later said Tua, he didn't mention Williamson at all. Maurice Harris seems to get a lot of respect, he ranks him best in three categories, footwork, hand speed and boxing skills.
Wladimir Klitschko: He knew how to keep the distance with the jab and he’s very powerful. It was a strong jab with snap on it. He throws it very well, he throws it accurate to land, not just to throw it out there.
BEST DEFENSE
Fres Oquendo: He’s a slick, awkward guy, has an unorthodox style. He’s just like me, he has a style that opponents aren’t used to.
BEST FOOTWORK
Maurice Harris: Maurice Harris has got to be up there along with Fres Oquendo. I was always the one moving, so it’s hard to say. Holyfield did have good footwork because he cut the ring off really good. I’ll pick Maurice Harris.
BEST HANDSPEED
Harris: He has quick hands to throw combinations and he tried to react, if I threw something. He tries to throw something right back to match the speed.
SMARTEST
Evander Holyfield: He tried to put you in traps. I’m not stupid in the ring, but he tried to trap me in the corner. It was a cat and mouse game. He would take steps both ways to try to trap me. I had to go in my bag of tricks. He used his head at certain times. It was smart stuff and it breaks a guy down in the course of the fight.
STRONGEST
Jameel McCline: That one is really open to debate because everybody was strong. Evander, early, was super strong. I couldn’t get off the ropes against Andrew Golota. Ross Puritty was a big strong guy. Wladimir was so physically strong. I couldn’t move Ike [Ibeabuchi] or David [Tua]. I couldn’t get Jameel McCline off me, he was very strong. I’ll go with Jameel. After I fought him I had nothing left, I could have retired, my performances from there were downhill. It took me three-to-four months to heal, my body was so banged up. Jameel at 270, I weighed 214 in my clothes.
BEST CHIN
David Tua: That’s David Tua and Ike Ibeabuchi. Tua was coming right at you. One thing I did was revert to the body, I wasn’t known as a big puncher, but I got his attention going to the body. But his chin, man, I hit him with a headshot and it didn’t do anything, he barely flinched. I hit Ike Ibeabuchi with everything and he kept walking to me. I’m going to have to go with David. In my opinion both had great chins, but the level of opposition David took it from, he took it from everybody and was never fazed.
BEST PUNCHER
DaVarryl Williamson: He didn’t hit me, but I know who had the best power. People are gonna say, ‘Why DaVarryl?’ He had a ‘Touch of Sleep’, he had Deontay Wilder-type power. If he had been 6-foot-7, he’d have been running things like Wilder. To the media, he’s very underrated, but to the boxers, everybody knows if you get in the ring with him and he touches you, you’re going to sleep. With me, if you hit me right, I’m a middleweight, you’re supposed to knock me out. I really, really tried to avoid everything from him.
BEST BOXING SKILLS
Harris: Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson were paying him not to spar because they knew he was that good. He could match me in skills and he could punch pretty good. You can ask almost any heavyweight of that era and he’ll tell you, ‘That’s one guy we’re not gonna fight.’ He had that much talent, but he couldn’t put it together in certain fights.
BEST OVERALL
Wladimir Klitschko: I go with Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Ike Ibeabuchi and David Tua. I’ve got to go with Wladimir Klitschko with my style, he’s the best. He fought me in a way where he didn’t care about the style. He stayed tall, used the jab. He beat me up and outboxed me for 12 rounds or stopped me.
https://www.ringtv.com/592725-best-i-faced-chris-byrd/
In a recent 2022 interview he was asked who the hardest puncher he faced was and initially he said Ibeabuchi but later said Tua, he didn't mention Williamson at all. Maurice Harris seems to get a lot of respect, he ranks him best in three categories, footwork, hand speed and boxing skills.
That is probably why he "forgot" also about Ike who knocked him IMO in much more spectacular fashion. Not sure why Tua got no mention though, Byrd admitted that even though he was blocking most of the punches they were still doing damage and after the fight his arms were swollen from that.