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GL: What's good Chris? How have the Holiday's been treating you and when can we expect to see back in the ring? "The Holiday's have been great. Anytime you're celebrating Jesus birthday it's a wonderful thing. I've been keeping myself ready to fight and I'm hoping to get back into the ring during the early part of 2007."
GL: Is the Superfighter tournament still your primary focus?
Chris Byrd: "Yeah, that's where my focus is and I haven't given up on it. I think it's going to be legit once they get it all together, but if not, I'm going to be staying at heavyweight for sure."
GL: Really?
CB: "Yeah, I was thinking about a few things, retirement, moving down to cruiser, but I only want to move down to cruiserweight if it's to fight for a title. I'm going to make one more run for the title and I'm going to bring it this time and not get complacent to thinking that I'm the man and I've already achieved what I wanted to at heavyweight, which was winning the title. I think I got very complacent after I won the title, but I'm going to make this one to win the title again, I've got the hunger in me again so these other heavyweights better look out. People think who think I'm done, washed up, or shouldn't fight no more should just fight me, because I'd love to prove them wrong personally."
GL: Does it bother you that fights like you and Vassiliy Jirov have been turned down by HBO following your loss to Klitschko, who is considered the best heavyweight, when lesser fighters have returned to the network after worse losses?
CB: "Oh yeah, but it's like that. They think I'm done, but I always thanked them for having me on their air. But I was champion for three and half years and I tried to fight all of the top guys out there. To not only be shunned by the network, but if you look at the rankings they had me at #1 and now I'm not even in their top ten...
GL: (cutting in) You must be talking about your ranking in Ring Magazine because I know for a fact you've never left **********'s top ten.
CB: "Yeah, Ring Magazine. And what kind of sense does that make? I was the #1 guy and now I'm not in the top ten and that's crazy, but that just makes me work harder and tells me that I still have to prove everybody wrong. That's what makes me want to stay at heavyweight, to come back and win the title again."
GL: To expedite another title run, I would imagine that you might have to align yourself with a major promtoer. Is that something you see happening?
CB: "It all depends. If I need a promoter to get back into the title hunt, I'm not opposed to working with anybody because this time it's going to be a lot of fun. This time I wouldn't be champion so I wouldn't have to worry about every little thing being right."
GL: When you say anybody, does that mean anybody...except Don King?
CB: "I'm not going to exclude him and I have no beef with him. One thing that I learned from Don is, this is business. Everything was business with him. Listening to him talk and watching him work, this is just business. I can honestly say that I love Don King. He was trying to get what he wanted and I was trying to get what I wanted, which was what was in the contract. I don't hate him at all and I wish him the best. If we have to work together again in some way, so be it. I wouldn't be opposed to it."
GL: How much time will you give the Superfighter people before you shift your focus for your first fight in 07 into another direction?
CB: "It's got to be fairly soon. At least by the end of January. I want to fight by March at the latest. I could fight in January and I want to stay active. I know I have it in me to not only be a major threat to the division, but become champion again. I'm not saying that because of the guys that are out there, to me it doesn't matter who is out there. I know if I stay on top of my game with the same attitude that got me the title the first time, I know I'll be right in the mix, and quickly. It doesn't matter who I have to fight to get there, I'm ready to knock them off."
GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?
CB: "I'm will become the heavyweight champion of the world again so expect big things in 2007."
GL: What's good Chris? How have the Holiday's been treating you and when can we expect to see back in the ring? "The Holiday's have been great. Anytime you're celebrating Jesus birthday it's a wonderful thing. I've been keeping myself ready to fight and I'm hoping to get back into the ring during the early part of 2007."
GL: Is the Superfighter tournament still your primary focus?
Chris Byrd: "Yeah, that's where my focus is and I haven't given up on it. I think it's going to be legit once they get it all together, but if not, I'm going to be staying at heavyweight for sure."
GL: Really?
CB: "Yeah, I was thinking about a few things, retirement, moving down to cruiser, but I only want to move down to cruiserweight if it's to fight for a title. I'm going to make one more run for the title and I'm going to bring it this time and not get complacent to thinking that I'm the man and I've already achieved what I wanted to at heavyweight, which was winning the title. I think I got very complacent after I won the title, but I'm going to make this one to win the title again, I've got the hunger in me again so these other heavyweights better look out. People think who think I'm done, washed up, or shouldn't fight no more should just fight me, because I'd love to prove them wrong personally."
GL: Does it bother you that fights like you and Vassiliy Jirov have been turned down by HBO following your loss to Klitschko, who is considered the best heavyweight, when lesser fighters have returned to the network after worse losses?
CB: "Oh yeah, but it's like that. They think I'm done, but I always thanked them for having me on their air. But I was champion for three and half years and I tried to fight all of the top guys out there. To not only be shunned by the network, but if you look at the rankings they had me at #1 and now I'm not even in their top ten...
GL: (cutting in) You must be talking about your ranking in Ring Magazine because I know for a fact you've never left **********'s top ten.
CB: "Yeah, Ring Magazine. And what kind of sense does that make? I was the #1 guy and now I'm not in the top ten and that's crazy, but that just makes me work harder and tells me that I still have to prove everybody wrong. That's what makes me want to stay at heavyweight, to come back and win the title again."
GL: To expedite another title run, I would imagine that you might have to align yourself with a major promtoer. Is that something you see happening?
CB: "It all depends. If I need a promoter to get back into the title hunt, I'm not opposed to working with anybody because this time it's going to be a lot of fun. This time I wouldn't be champion so I wouldn't have to worry about every little thing being right."
GL: When you say anybody, does that mean anybody...except Don King?
CB: "I'm not going to exclude him and I have no beef with him. One thing that I learned from Don is, this is business. Everything was business with him. Listening to him talk and watching him work, this is just business. I can honestly say that I love Don King. He was trying to get what he wanted and I was trying to get what I wanted, which was what was in the contract. I don't hate him at all and I wish him the best. If we have to work together again in some way, so be it. I wouldn't be opposed to it."
GL: How much time will you give the Superfighter people before you shift your focus for your first fight in 07 into another direction?
CB: "It's got to be fairly soon. At least by the end of January. I want to fight by March at the latest. I could fight in January and I want to stay active. I know I have it in me to not only be a major threat to the division, but become champion again. I'm not saying that because of the guys that are out there, to me it doesn't matter who is out there. I know if I stay on top of my game with the same attitude that got me the title the first time, I know I'll be right in the mix, and quickly. It doesn't matter who I have to fight to get there, I'm ready to knock them off."
GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?
CB: "I'm will become the heavyweight champion of the world again so expect big things in 2007."
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