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WBO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION CHRIS BYRD 04/12/2000 KO:
Do you feel your being the youngest of 8 children had an effect on your
becoming a boxer? KO: How old where you when you started to box? CB: I was in a gym at five, from the time I was five till the time I was ten, but I started competing at ten. KO: What fighters did you idolize when you were young? CB: Alot. We watched boxing every time it came on TV. You know, Sanchez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Aaron Pryor, watching Ali when I was little, my brothers, it varied from all these boxers, Wilfredo Gomez and a bunch of other guys like that. KO: How important is it that you've received so much recognition in your home state of Michigan? CB: It's been nice, from the Olympics though, that's where it really began with the recognition and stuff, I had a great amateur career but the Olympics topped off everything. It's been pretty great. KO: How important is the silver medal to you? CB: Oh very important because nobody gave me a chance at a medal at all, they knew I was a good boxer but on the world scene nobody gave me a chance at a medal and I had to prove them wrong. Same thing happened in my professional career, as a heavyweight, people think I'm a good heavyweight in most people's eyes but most people still see me as a blown up middleweight and I've got to prove everybody wrong. KO: What weight did you fight at in the Olympics? CB: 165 pounds KO: Who did you fight in the final? CB: A guy named Ariel Hernandez from Cuba. KO: How hard was it finding quality opponents early in your career? CB: Well, the first 9 or10 fights were easy, but after that very hard, very very difficult. KO: Do you think you're fight with Ike Ibeabuchi has made you a stronger fighter? CB: Most definately, I've mentally changed alot of things about my game, I'm much more tougher than I've ever been, I can take it I could care less about how hard these guys hit to me, everybody hits hard and it's made me a lot more aware of what's going on in the ring, I took it for granted because fights were so easy, now I'm just more serious and dedicated to the sport. KO: When you got the call to fill in for Ruddock, what were your initial thoughts about fighting Klitschko in Germany? CB: I didn't care. I try to live to my word, If I'm talking I've got to live up to it. When I say I'm fighting any of these guys anytime, anywhere, if it's fighting in Germany, it's fighting in Germany, you know it don't matter. KO: Some people believed you were behind in the fight, how did you see the fight unfolding? CB: Honestly I thought it was very close, I thought I was coming on in the last two or three rounds, I figured I was winning them and my whole thought was 'I'm in Germany, I probably won't get the decision, I gotta try and take him out in the last round', you know slowly wear him out and take him out in the last round. KO: What were your initial feeling when you found out the fight had to be stopped because of Klitschko's injury? CB: Oh man I was excited about being the WBO Champion because for me and my father and my family, we're shooting for that title because the other title's, they're in a log-jam there. We were happy about it but at the same time I'm thinking 'Why didn't he just continue? You've only got three rounds, I mean I'll fight hurt, and the majority of the boxers will fight hurt regardless, that's what kind of mentality you should have in the ring, if anything happens you fight hurt unless it's so unbearable, obvious unbearable pain that you have to stop. I mean like broken ribs, I've fought with a broken nose, I got my nose broken first round and I fought ten rounds with a broken nose, you know that's just part of the sport. KO: So you think he was just looking for a way out of the fight? CB: I believe so. Or he just doesn't have that kind of heart or mentality where you fight until they carry you out on a stretcher. KO: Do you think that has anything to do with his being from Europe because we've seen it before in Andrew Golota and some of the other European fighters? CB: I can't stereotype the whole of Europe. But in boxing, a lot of European guys just started fighting professionally, and after three rounds or whatever it could play into their minds that 'man this fight is lost'. Especially with Klitschko having all knockouts, going into a territory he's never been in and very tired, he's probably like 'man this guys coming on, he's used to it, and I may get knocked out or stopped in front of my home country'. KO: That's how KO Boxing saw, I thought that you were behind but Klitschko was definately slowing down a lot while you were coming on strong. CB: Oh yeah and I was a little winded myself, but in my mind I was like 'forget that, I'm going and I'm just gonna press it to him the last three rounds' and that's what I was thinking before they stopped the fight. I'm like ' I'm gonna get him. ' KO: Were you 100% for the fight? CB: No not at all, not near. I lost 8 1/2 pounds from the time I left here to the time I got in the ring in Germany. KO: What caused that? CB: I wasn't eating right, I had diarrhea. All these things came about me and when I got to the scale I was like 'Man I'm only 210 pounds! In the previous two fights I weighed 222 and 220 and I felt comfortable at THAT weight. And to get on the scale weighing 210, with him getting on the scale weighing how much he weighed I was like 'whoa', he's so much bigger than I am and I was like 'forget it, I'm here now, try to capitalize on the opportunity'. KO: How important was the win for you and your family? CB: Oh it was very important, I mean now I can get fights, I'm in a situation where everyone criticized me so bad, but on the flipside nobody wants to fight me. So why criticize me? But you'll never hear a boxer criticize me in the division. Not one. Because they know, it's crazy. it's a humungous win now I can at least get some fights, have a little bit better paydays, and try to challenge for the major titles now that I have a title too. KO: After the fight you had an interesting interview with Larry Merchant and you said something about Merchant calling you "less than a man" after the fight with Ibeabuchi, what exactly was that all about? CB: I have no idea, he just doesn't like my style, he doesn't think I should be in the division which is crazy. If it were 20 or 30 years ago I guess he'd be praising my style and I think he was pretty upset that I beat Klitschko. KO: So you think he's taking it personally? CB: Yeah I think it's very personal, because I haven't done nothing to the man and he keeps criticizing me and dogging me and I don't know what's up with him, but what I do is pray for the man. KO: What do you see in your near future? There's been suggestions about a fight with Wladimir Klitschko and even a fight with Roy Jones Jr. CB: Yeah that'd be great. I have no idea, whatever comes along. I've got the mandatories with Mike Tyson and you've got Wladimir, and then Botha after that, so with me, I could really care less, I just wanna box and get to the point where I can fight whoever's the champion of the time for the three major titles. KO: And how realistic do you think you're getting a big fight will be because of your tendency to make good fighters look bad? CB: I think they're good. Especially for major titles. I just keep calling them out, they've been ducking me for so long and I'm trying to get into the elite level of the division and as long as I keep calling them out, and people know who I am, and knowing that I'm willing to challenge those guys, they're going to have to come out and fight me sometime. Me challenging them is great because I'm so small, and people will start wondering why are they so scared of this little guy? It leaves me in a good position. KO: Do you think you'll receive the kind of recognition you feel you deserve any time soon? CB: No. I mean, by some, and by some I won't, it's still split where people either like me or hate me. I'll get the recognition I deserve only by fighting somebody bigger than me. They know I've got skills but people still feel that I shouldn't be in the division, but at least I am challenging the biggest guys in the division. I get a lot of E-mail from new believers now, they give me a lot of credit for fighting this big guy in Germany, I lost weight, stuff like that and now they're starting to see that I can fight, that I've got skills, and that I can take a decent punch. I mean if anyone gets hit by the kind of punch that Ibabuchi hit me with, they're going too. I can take it pretty good. KO: Ok, is there any final comments you'd like to say to the fans? CB: They've been great, the supports been great and I enjoy all their e-mails. |
