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The supremacy of American heavyweights were shattered at the SAP Arena in Manheim, Germany, when Wladimir Klitschko (46-3, 41KOs) stopped Chris Byrd (39-3-1, 20KOs) in seven rounds to capture the IBF heavyweight title.
This was a rematch of bout which took place in October of 2000 and on that night, Klitschko busted up Byrd on route to capturing the WBO heavyweight title. During the course of the fight, Byrd was knocked down twice and took a beating. The rematch was far worse, as a more stationary Byrd was hit with the huge right hand of Wladimir Klitschko almost at will.
The strategy of Byrd was to make Klitschko fight at an aggressive pace in order to zap him of his stamina before the second half of the fight. Byrd was attempting to use the same strategy his cousin, former champion Lamon Brewster, successfully used against Klitschko in 2004.
The problem with Byrd's strategy is the fact that while constantly going to the body, he left his head wide open and despite the best efforts of his corner - he was not showcasing any form of head movement to get away from Klitschko's right hand.
The bout began with both fighters being very tactical. By the second round, Klitschko began to unload with hard jabs that were punctuated by right hand missiles. The right eye of Byrd began swelling rapidly by the third round. [details]
This was a rematch of bout which took place in October of 2000 and on that night, Klitschko busted up Byrd on route to capturing the WBO heavyweight title. During the course of the fight, Byrd was knocked down twice and took a beating. The rematch was far worse, as a more stationary Byrd was hit with the huge right hand of Wladimir Klitschko almost at will.
The strategy of Byrd was to make Klitschko fight at an aggressive pace in order to zap him of his stamina before the second half of the fight. Byrd was attempting to use the same strategy his cousin, former champion Lamon Brewster, successfully used against Klitschko in 2004.
The problem with Byrd's strategy is the fact that while constantly going to the body, he left his head wide open and despite the best efforts of his corner - he was not showcasing any form of head movement to get away from Klitschko's right hand.
The bout began with both fighters being very tactical. By the second round, Klitschko began to unload with hard jabs that were punctuated by right hand missiles. The right eye of Byrd began swelling rapidly by the third round. [details]