Chris Byrd vs. David Tua

Chris Byrd 215 lbs beat David Tua 233 lbs by UD in round 12 of 12

• Date: 2001-08-18
• Location: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Referee: Jay Nady
• Judge: Chuck Giampa 116-112
• Judge: Art Lurie 116-112
• Judge: Paul Smith 115-113

• USBA Heavyweight Title (1st defense by Byrd)
• IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator
• Ring Announcer: Jimmy Lennon Jr.
• Aired On: Showtime Championship Boxing

Notes

• IBF elimination bout for the right to fight for the vacant IBF Heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield.
• At 233 lbs, Tua was at his lightest since 1998, and 12 pounds lighter than when he fought Lennox Lewis.

Post-Fight Quotes

• "This was one of my best overall fights," Chris Byrd said. "It had to be. Tua was the No. 1 contender. He's a great fighter, but I was on top of my game and the better man tonight. I hate losing rounds. But in the last two rounds, I knew he had to knock me out. But I knew I had enough rounds in the bag to win the fight. I did what I always do and that's just box. The fight went exactly how I expected. When he hit me with a big shot, I'd try to come back with five or six more punches."
• "I thought I did enough to win the fight, but that's the way it goes sometimes," David Tua said. "Chris has some good power, but it wasn't enough to stop me from coming forward and pressing the issue in the fight."

Source

• "Better conditioning still doesn't help Tua" by Associated Press (August 18, 2001)