Boxing: Burdens and Challenges: Part Two

By Patrick Kehoe: One of the tender threads that keeps Chris Byrd's heavyweight viability intact is that he remained IBF heavyweight champion, after being granted a twelve round draw against Andrew Golota, April 17, 2004, in Madison Square Garden. The other thread supporting Byrd, 37-2-1 (20), as a leading heavyweight of the moment, is his technical knockout vanquishing of Vitally Klitschko, in of all places, Klitschko's former sanctuary of Berlin, Germany. The smaller man, Byrd, was being summarily out hit when Klitschko blew out his rotator cuff and retired, in shocked shame, after the tenth round. That was four years ago. And one might assert it was the summit of Byrd's achievement in the division, if not his best showing as a counter punching boxer at heavyweight.