Bob Foster was a great Light-Heavyweight Champion and a great puncher, but often come second best when taking on the Heavyweights. So how would he have done against the relatively small Heavyweight Chris Byrd?
Would Fosters power get to Byrd? Or would Byrd still be too big and tricky for the fearsome Foster?
If at the time of the fight Byrd was holding his Heavyweight Title would this finally mean that Foster would get hold of the belt he had always dreamed of?
wow kojoe, very good matchup. this is a better heavyweight matchup for foster as bryd doesnt have the power to seriousely threaten foster like other heavyeweights do since foster is vuenrable in the heavyweight division. gimme sometime to think this one over, im undecided.
Its a good matchup for sure I like Foster in this and the reasons are specific. Fosters left jab and left hook, combined with his height. I see Foster scoring with his left hook off the jab on Byrd who likes to keep his hands out far from his face , pawing on occasion. This could be a mistake against Foster.
Foster would KO Byrd........the size factor is what typically did Bob in....Byrd wouldn't have that huge of an advantage over him....nor does Byrd hit hard enough to hurt him...
Foster's jab and left hook slow Byrd down enough to land his right hand....Foster KO between 6-8 rounds -
..there is this myth that foster lost only to heavyweights...but doug jones was a light heavy when he knocked foster out. granted foster was green at the time.....just want to get the record straight.
..vs. chris byrd? i think the byrd of a few years ago would have outpointed foster.
Byrd wins a clear unanimous decision over Foster. Byrd has enough power to KO a light heavyweight. He shook up Andrew Golota and Maurice Harris in the few years, two real heavyweights, and he had enough pop to keep David Tua from wanting to wade in without abandon.
It would be real easy for me to fall back into nostalgia and pull for Foster but in my gut I think Byrd would outpoint him. I would put money on Byrd by UD in this matchup.
evndrbsn wrote:Prime Byrd vs. prime Foster at heavyweight?
Byrd wins a clear unanimous decision over Foster. Byrd has enough power to KO a light heavyweight. He shook up Andrew Golota and Maurice Harris in the few years, two real heavyweights, and he had enough pop to keep David Tua from wanting to wade in without abandon.
Byrd diffently hurt Tua with a body shot -Tua was in pain from that shot. But at the same time in this fight Tua hurt Byrd very badly in the 12 round and either Tua was too tired to finish off Byrd or didn't know Byrd was hurt as badly as he was.
A prime Foster was quick / slick enough to land his right hand on Byrd........Byrd goes out.
The fact is Byrd is terribly overrated at HW. He has not really beaten one good HW who was either in his prime (he beat a one-armed OLD Holyfield by Dec)....or who wasn't completely out of shape (a big fat, lazy one dimensional Tua).
Who else has Byrd beat that was worth a crap (really?). None of his other victories match up to someone of Foster's value.
Byrd is a very good defensive fighter.......but not great.....
Decagon wrote:I'm picking Byrd by stoppage. Foster simply wasn't a heavyweight. His punches were killer at 175, but they were nothing at heavyweight. His chin was inpenetrable at 175, but nothing at heavyweight. I really think that Byrd's punch is underrated. I covered Byrd's draw with Andrew Golota for Inside Fighting, and I remember giving one round to Byrd simply because I thought his punches were more meaningful. Byrd hurt McCline, Holyfield and Tua, as well. No, his kayo record isn't the greatest, but look at who he's been fighting. He was fighting for the USBA Heavyweight Championship three years after he debuted - at 168 - and he won by kayo. Byrd's the type of fighter who can punch just enough to keep people honest, but who doesn't look to stop fighters. Willie Pep had that kind of punch.
Good points you made, Dec. If a fighter doesn't even have a punch to keep his opponent honest, he has no chance because the other guy will just walk right over him. Case in point, Byrd's punches had nothing on them against Ike Ibeabuchi, who proceeded to nearly blast him out of the ring. Byrd starting sitting on his punches more afterwards and zam(!) he won a title.
I'm also going with Byrd, but it would probably go the distance. How many times has Byrd even knocked anyone down in in the last 5 years?
Foster wasn't quite as bad against heavyweights as many people think. Outside of Frazier, he atleast didn't get stopped early. He did last until the 8th round against Ali, the 7th against Terrell, and went the distance against Folley.
Byrd is relatively hard to hit and he has good enough of a chin that he probably wouln't be knocked out by Foster. Byrd would most likely be able to win 8 rounds to 4 or something like that. Even if Byrd had an off night, you know that he would get the decision if it's remotely close.
His chin was inpenetrable at 175, but nothing at heavyweight.
actually foster had a vunerable chin at 175, he simply didnt face huge dangerous punchers, but i have seen him hurt at 175 in some of his title fights including the dick tiger fight
Decagon wrote:I'm picking Byrd by stoppage. Foster simply wasn't a heavyweight. His punches were killer at 175, but they were nothing at heavyweight. His chin was inpenetrable at 175, but nothing at heavyweight. I really think that Byrd's punch is underrated. I covered Byrd's draw with Andrew Golota for Inside Fighting, and I remember giving one round to Byrd simply because I thought his punches were more meaningful. Byrd hurt McCline, Holyfield and Tua, as well. No, his kayo record isn't the greatest, but look at who he's been fighting. He was fighting for the USBA Heavyweight Championship three years after he debuted - at 168 - and he won by kayo. Byrd's the type of fighter who can punch just enough to keep people honest, but who doesn't look to stop fighters. Willie Pep had that kind of punch.
Great post Decagon but I have to with respect disagree with the comment about Fosters chin in that he was 'shaken' a few times at 175lbs. But to be fair (in the fights I've seen) came back to win.
