By Michael Selecky
VIEW Sports Writer

After a storied amateur career in which he notched almost 275 amateur victories and won the Silver Medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Flint native Chris Byrd went on to become one of boxing’s best.
The highlights of Byrd’s journey include defeating Vitale Klitschko on April 1, 2000, for the World Boxing Organization’s Heavyweight Championship. Byrd held this title until Oct. 14, 2000, when he fell to Klitchko’s brother, Wladamir, in Germany by unanimous decision.
Byrd bounced back from that defeat by reeling off four straight victories to earn a shot against Evander Holyfield for the International Boxing Association’s Heavyweight Championship Dec. 14, 2002, a title left vacant by the retirement of Lennox Lewis.
That night, Atlantic City witnessed the beginning of an era, as Byrd won by unanimous decision. He went on to defend that title until April 22, 2006, when he was again dethroned by Wladamir Klitchko, this time by a seventh-round technical knock out (TKO) and an almost 28-pound weight disadvantage.
Known for coming in below 220 pounds while his opponents, such as Jamile McCline in their Nov. 13, 2004 matchup, have weighed as much as 270, Byrd’s luck has been out to lunch since losing his title belt, which was quite evident if you see how he spent 2007.
Last year, Byrd fought twice as a heavyweight, including a win over some nobody named Paul Marinaccio in the Bahamas April 18 when he couldn’t answer the bell for the seventh round. He also lost to Alexander Povetkin by an 11th round TKO in Germany on Oct. 27 in what amounted to the Russian’s 14th professional fight.
Byrd has been a true warrior for boxing, but when you’re losing to fighters who couldn’t have dreamed of competing in the same building as you just one year prior, it reminds me of Tommy Hearns losing to Iran Barkley towards the end of his run. Hearns was and always will be a Detroit great, but every fight after that you could see his skills slowly but surely slip away like the drip of a faucet.
So how can Byrd return to glory without becoming punch-drunk like former heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali? My thought is that he should start by staying out of Germany but, according to him, the comeback trail began May 16 in Las Vegas against Shaun George in a light heavyweight bout.
In Byrd’s initial foray into the 175 lb. division, he managed to recover from a first-round knock down only to get floored twice more in the ninth before referee Jay Nady stopped the fight. The loss was his third in his last four fights and brought his professional record to 40-5-1.
At 37, Byrd could really learn a lot by comparing his path to that of another former Olympian and world heavyweight champion, Leon Spinks, who wasn’t quite sure when to retire.
After beating Ali on Feb. 15, 1978, in only his eighth professional fight to take the heavyweight crown, Spinks was almost immediately stripped of his World Boxing Council title for refusing to fight top contender Ken Norton. This marked the first time in history a boxer had been awarded the heavyweight title without winning it in the ring.
In 1994 Spinks was knocked out by John Carlo, the first time a former heavyweight champion had lost to a boxer making his pro debut. This humiliation was increased by the fact that Spinks lost by knockout and was unable to land a single punch. He retired after losing by decision to Fred Houpe in 1995 at age 42.
The bottom line is punches create the kind of drunk there’s no coming back from. Before you become somebody else’s first notable victory, Mr. Byrd, maybe, just maybe, you should consider throwing in the towel.

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