BoxRec

http://www.frankmaloney.com/html/module ... le&sid=187


The_Don if you are going to post links here take off the http://.

livingstone cole wrote:I couldn't read it. I tried but got sick to death of the metaphors every bleedin' sentence.

Haha, man, I just tried to and couldn't get much past the "gentle whisper followed by a right cross"....it's boxing, not ballet.

Talk about trying just a little too hard....

Anyway, onto the topic.... I actually think Byrd going back down the Cruiserweight will do the Heavyweight devision no good whatsoever. Why? Cause I don't think he would beat the likes of Cunnigham, Bell, Mormeck, Jones. It would probably makes us thing "crickey, is this the worst period ever" more so than two all time great Middleweights coming up and more than mixing it with the best.

I think Byrd's lack of size has actually been a reason why he has done so well. He is an okay boxer fighting poor guys, down at Cruiserweight it will be okay vs okay and I cannot see Byrd prevailling.

Yes, I think Mormeck, Cunnigham and Bell could beat at least two of the current champions.

Plus Byrd is what 36 now? His style is not condusive to fighting into your late 30's.

Yeah Byrd won't have his previous speed advantage down at cruiser and he is hardly going to develop power even fighting lighter guys.

Hmm, dunno about all that. Byrd hit solidly at Heavyweight, not hard enough to hurt anyone, but enough to stop people wading through him. At cruiserweight, I think his punches would have much more effect, and the weight loss might give him a bit more speed.

But he's too old now to gain speed imo. We're talking about him losing around 10 pounds which I don't think will make that much difference to him. At cruiser the pace will be faster, the workrate will be higher and the standard of boxing will be much better than the current heavyweight standard. You could say an example was Toney struggling against Jirov more than a much fatter less effective version has done against the heavyweights he has faced.

Byrd has enough speed, power and skills to win at title at 200lb but he would never leave the heavyweights. There is not enough money at 200lb to go there. Probably a lot more work against fighters with more speed, stamina and technique than any heavy Byrd has faced, for a whole lot less money. That is a losing proposition, if I ever saw one.
There is no reason for Byrd to go to 200lb (though he could easily make the weight) and Byrd would never do it unless there were big money in it.

I just always thought his skills were overated and its the poor heavyweights that made him look good. Seems like a great bloke and a terrific sportsman, so hope he'll prove me wrong.

stujones wrote:I just always thought his skills were overated and its the poor heavyweights that made him look good. Seems like a great bloke and a terrific sportsman, so hope he'll prove me wrong.

that is quite true. anyone who thinks byrd would dazzle every cruiser alive will have a soberig experience if they saw him in with Arthur Williams. Byrd got a hometown decision, at heavyweight, v a recently dethroned cruiser. my observation from seeig that fight was - this kid cannot fight coming forward

stujones wrote:I just always thought his skills were overated and its the poor heavyweights that made him look good. Seems like a great bloke and a terrific sportsman, so hope he'll prove me wrong.

It's easy to apply hindsight to everyone's career, and nobody was really shouting it at the time, but I have to agree with you Stu.

Byrd's reputation has been largely based upon his outboxing Holyfield, a result that really isn't that impressive when you see what Evander has done since then. I know Byrd has the win over Tua before that, and that it's very easy to deconstruct a heavyweight champion's resume, no matter who they are, but Byrd really is quite unimpressive, if you're being harsh: Losses against Wlad Klitschko (twice, one of them a total hammering, the other a comprehensive points win for the Ukrainian), a win against Vitali (a fight I have, in fairness, never seen. But I've yet to read anything other than Byrd was losing heavily until Vitali suffered the shoulder injury) A loss against Ibeabuchi (A mythical heavyweight who never achieved anything of substance), and dubious reults against Oquendo, McCline and Williamson. It's really nothing special at all.

Byrd, in my eyes, would be better off sticking at heavyweight, because he has a name there. I don't think I could back him against the top cruiserweights. Which tells you all I need to know about his supposedly amazing skills. Although, in fairness, it was the likes of Mike Katz who were shouting that from the rooftops. I've never understood Katz's love affair with Byrd.

Yeah, it was the Tua performance that made me think he could make an impact post Lewis (and post Holyfield/Tyson being capable) but a looking back especially a close points win over Tua isn't great.... Tua has been outboxed so many times before and since (more often than not landing a telling blow eventually) that to actually lose a few rounds, and not due to being particularly stunned, isn't good.

He showed a great chin that night and I did see him as being better than Ruiz, but not alot better (it certainly would have been competitive).