In an effort to separate themselves from the other fighters in the Heavyweight division, Wladimir Klitschko (45-3) and Chris Byrd (39-2-1) will fight this Saturday in Mannheim, Germany for Byrd’s IBF Heavyweight Title and the vacant IBO Heavyweight Title.
Byrd-Klitschko Fight Reminder
In an effort to separate themselves from the other fighters in the Heavyweight division, Wladimir Klitschko (45-3) and Chris Byrd (39-2-1) will fight this Saturday in Mannheim, Germany for Byrd’s IBF Heavyweight Title and the vacant IBO Heavyweight Title.
Many fans remember the two fighter’s first meeting back in October of 2000, when Klischko defeated Byrd courtesy of a Unanimous Decision victory. In that fight Byrd was knocked down twice by Klitschko, once in the 9th round and another in the 11th round.
Both fighters have taken different paths since that fight to get where they are today. Klitschko had enormous expectations after his fight with Byrd, with many boxing experts choosing him to be the next big face in boxing and to carry the heavyweight division through the new decade. However, a second round knockout lost to Corrie Sanders and a fifth round knockout from Lamon Brewster put an end to those expectations. Byrd, on the other hand, has found success since that defeat to Klitschko. He is undefeated since that October 2000 loss and in December of 2002 secured the IBF Heavyweight with a victory over Evander Holyfield.
Don’t forget to tune in this Saturday on HBO to see if Byrd can seek revenge his 2000 loss and validate his status as the best fighter in the unstable heavyweight division or if Klitschko can continue his path back to boxing’s elite status.
Touchgloves.com Note: The fight will be shown 5pm eastern/2pm pacific (not the normal 8pm we are all accustomed to) live from Mannheim, Germany.
