Former Heavyweight Champion Chris "Rapid Fire" Byrd (40-3-1, 20KO's) returned to the ring in style with a seventh round technical knockout over Paul Marinaccio (22-3-2, 9KO's). Byrd, who's last fight was a knockout loss to Wladimir Klitschko just under one year ago, came out slow and sluggish in the first round. As expected, the ring rust was there.
At times, Byrd held his hands very low ala Roy Jones Jr. Byrd used his speed and agility to box away at Marinaccio, who lacked power and showed no signs of defense. Before the seventh round got under way, Marinaccio told the referee that his right elbow had been injured and that he could not continue. The fight was stopped and Byrd earned an impressive victory.
Byrd dictated the majority of the fight, pressuring Marinaccio into the ropes and throwing five to six punch combinations at a time. Marinaccio's caught Byrd with a few clean shots throughout the fight, but never put Byrd into any danger. By the fourth round, Byrd knew that he had full control of the fight.
It is interesting to see what the future holds for Byrd. He has stated that he will not go down in weight and fight as a Cruiserweight. A fight with Clavin Brock or Hasim Rahman could intrigue boxing fans. James Toney, somehow, has been cleared to fight again. Whoever he fights next, I'm sure the fans will be on his side, cheering for the nicest man in boxing.
