Chris Byrd

Chris Byrd
Born
Christopher Cornelius Byrd

(1970-08-15) August 15, 1970 (age 54)
Other namesRapid Fire
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Reach74 in (188 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights47
Wins41
Wins by KO22
Losses5
Draws1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona Middleweight

Christopher Cornelius Byrd (born August 15, 1970) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2009. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having first won the WBO title in 2000 after an upset corner stoppage over then-undefeated Vitali Klitschko. In his first title defense later that year, he lost to Vitali's brother Wladimir Klitschko. In 2002, Byrd defeated Evander Holyfield to win the IBF heavyweight title for his second reign as world champion. He made four successful defenses until losing his title again to Wladimir Klitschko in a 2006 rematch. He was ranked by BoxRec in the world's top 10 heavyweight from 1998 to 2004, reaching his highest ranking of No.3 in 2000.[1]

As an amateur, Byrd represented the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the middleweight division. He is also a three-time national amateur champion, winning the light middleweight title in 1989, and the middleweight title in 1991 and 1992.

  1. ^ "BoxRec's Annual Ratings: Heavyweight Annuals". BoxRec. Retrieved 16 December 2023.