Tuesday, October 30, 2007 Quijano: Byrd’s wings get clipped By Jingo Quijano Last Round
IT’S time to revisit one of my favorite whipping boys—the “heavy wait” guys. And for good reason. Last Sunday, one of the heavies who actually knows how to fight, lost to a virtual unknown.
Thirty seven-year-old Chis Byrd (40-4, 21KOs) lost via TKO in round 11 to Alexander Povetkin, who came into the fight with a record of 14-0 (11KOs).
Chris Byrd was a defensive genius, and ergo, boring to watch for some. But to me he was a fascinating fighter. For starters, he was a southpaw. That in itself posed problems to the big lugs in the division who can’t fight a lick.
He was also small for a heavyweight. He started his career as a middleweight, but moved up in search of better competition. Still, his 6-foot-0, medium-sized frame paled in comparison to the giants in the division.
But he had fast hands, which was a nightmare for the slower, plodding heavies. Never mind if he couldn’t hit that hard. He could slap you several times in the head before you had the chance to be indignant about it.
His pesky, peek-a-boo defense frustrated his opponents. Former world champion Vitali Klitscko had to quit, citing a bum shoulder after swinging at nothing but thin air for nine rounds.
But getting old can be a drag. His vaunted speed began to fail him and he started getting hit far too often. This resulted in unimpressive performances against opponents he could have boxed silly in his prime. A controversial split decision win over Jameel McCline. A unanimous decision win over nondescript Davarryl Williamson.
Then he lost his rematch to the younger, bigger Wladimir Klitschko. He did manage to bounce back with a TKO win over unknown Paul Marinaccio. Then came the Povetkin debacle.
SURRENDER. Based on internet reports, Byrd was doing well in the first half of the fight, doing what he does best—sharp shooting his punches and making Povetkin miss.
But Byrd inexplicably opted to stand and trade as the fight wore on. Big mistake. This was what the younger and stronger Povetkin had been pining for, and his heavier punches wore down the older man. Byrd’s corner threw in the towel at the 1:52 mark of the eleventh round.
HANGING AROUND. As much as I like Chris Byrd, I have to confess that I’m glad this happened. It’s unfortunate that it had to be at the hands of a young upstart who only fought professionally two years ago, but sorry, Chris, you had to go too. For the good of boxing’s premiere class—the heavyweight division.
The plain inescapable truth is that Byrd, like a number of heavyweights today, has been hanging around too long. Jameel Mcline, Evander Holyfield, Oleg Maskaev.
They were among the top 10 heavyweights way back in 2001! The fact they are still preening around disguising themselves as title contenders makes me shake my head in disbelief.
Just a few weeks ago, I saw John Ruiz fighting on TV (gasp!). However, my initial shock soon turned into amusement. I couldn’t restrain myself from bellowing unrepentant howls of laughter when the broadcast team commented that we were seeing a “new” John Ruiz.
Tee hee! I never heard anything so hilarious in my life. Just like the dengue fever, this guy just won’t go away.
THE NEW BREED. Povetkin is only the latest installment of heavyweight fighters who originate from the former Soviet bloc, that presently dominate the division.
There’s giant Nikolay Valuev, 47-1 34 KOs (ranked No. 5 by the Ring Magazine) Ruslan Chagaev 23-0- 17KOs (ranked no. 4), Sultan Ibragimov, 22-0, 17 KOs, Vladimir Virchis, 23-1 (19) and Sergei Liakhovich 23-2 (14). Of course, Wladimir Klitschko, at 49-3 with 44 KOs still rules the roost at number 1.
Will they restore luster to the division? I wait in breathless anticipation.
In the meantime try this verse on a G-Em-C-D chord pattern: “Where have you gone Lennox Lewis.. the division turns its lonely eyes to you…woo woo wooo”
LAST ROUND. It’s on former Fiscal Cecile Berciles who always finds the time to enjoy this column despite her hectic sked. Cheers!
