Klitschko vs. Byrd
In the alphabet soup that is the world of boxing, there may be no three letters more vilified than IBF.
The International Boxing Federation, which not that long ago was at the top of the promotional ladder with the WBA and WBC (hard to believe we?re pining for the days when the ?undisputed? world champion carried the belts of three different groups), has fallen to the canvas like many a tomato can before it. The fact that Chris Byrd is their heavyweight champion doesn?t help; that point may be rendered moot when he defends his title on Apr. 22 in Mannheim, Germany against Wladimir Klitschko.
The IBF has been in disrepute since 1999, when president Bob Lee, who founded the maverick organization in 1983, was convicted on racketeering charges (read: fixing the rankings) and resigned. Some of the IBF?s recent decisions leave boxing fans to wonder why they even bother have rankings ? or titles, for that matter. The latest involves Zab Judah, who up until Apr. 8 was considered one of the eight legitimate champions in the IBF. They have 17, by the way.
Judah lost his IBF welterweight championship to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a matchup that nearly wasn?t a title bout at all. Carlos Baldomir, a 16-1 long shot, beat Judah (then the ?undisputed? champion) by decision in January, but, in what may have been a political decision to support the WBC, did not pay the sanctioning fees to the WBA or IBF. While the WBA title was vacated as per the usual protocol, Judah was allowed to keep IBF belt. They have a name for that kind of ruling in professional wrestling ? the ?Dusty finish? ? which should tell you all you need to know about the IBF?s credibility. Now the IBF is mandating that Mayweather fight a return bout against Judah, based on trainer Roger Mayweather?s unwise decision to enter the ring after Judah connected with a low blow.
There are plenty more backroom shenanigans behind Saturday?s fight. Byrd, the southpaw out of Flint, Mich., is ranked No. 1 in the world in what has become a truly awful heavyweight division. Byrd won the vacant IBF title in 2002 in unanimous decision over Evander Holyfield. The title had been held by ?undisputed? champion Lennox Lewis, but he refused to fight Holyfield; instead, he turned over the belt to promoter Don King in return for $1 million. King happened to be promoting both Byrd and Holyfield.
Byrd?s career up to that point was hit-and-miss. His first major bout was in 2000 against Vitali Klitschko for the WBO title. The towering Ukrainian was winning the fight handily when he suffered a torn rotator cuff and had to retire after nine rounds. Six months later, it was Wladimir Klitschko exacting some revenge for his brother, knocking Byrd down in the ninth and 11th rounds on the way to a unanimous decision.
Life after winning the IBF belt hasn?t been so great, either. Byrd says he is unhappy with King?s selection of opponents, both in quality and quantity. He?s had just four title defenses since beating Holyfield, but in retrospect, if King had given Byrd better opposition, he would probably be on his back by now. In 2004, Byrd fought Andrew Golota to a draw and was knocked down by Jameel McCline in the second round before escaping Madison Square Garden with a split decision.
Can Wladimir Klitschko stop this reign of error like he did six years ago? It?s been a strange path for the man who once was considered a better prospect than his older brother. The 1996 Olympic super-heavyweight gold medalist has wins over Byrd, Ray Mercer and Francois Botha to his credit, but he also suffered upset losses at the hands of Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster, a cousin of Byrd?s. The Sanders defeat was particularly devastating; it prevented the world from seeing a real-life version of the Lewis-Klitschko fight that was part of the 2001 film version of Ocean's Eleven.
At 6-foot-6, Klitschko is six inches taller than Byrd. He?s also 30 years old compared to 35 for Byrd, and his 81-inch reach is seven inches longer. The Ukrainian has a career record as a pro of 45-3 with 40 wins by knockout. Byrd, a southpaw, is 39-2-1 with just 20 KOs, favoring an unorthodox style that combines speed with a smooth right jab. The fight takes place at the SAP-Arena in Mannheim, with HBO on hand to provide the television coverage.
Klitschko is the favorite at ?325. The winner will also be declared the new International Boxing Organization heavyweight champion ? another belt vacated by Lewis.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
In the alphabet soup that is the world of boxing, there may be no three letters more vilified than IBF.
The International Boxing Federation, which not that long ago was at the top of the promotional ladder with the WBA and WBC (hard to believe we?re pining for the days when the ?undisputed? world champion carried the belts of three different groups), has fallen to the canvas like many a tomato can before it. The fact that Chris Byrd is their heavyweight champion doesn?t help; that point may be rendered moot when he defends his title on Apr. 22 in Mannheim, Germany against Wladimir Klitschko.
The IBF has been in disrepute since 1999, when president Bob Lee, who founded the maverick organization in 1983, was convicted on racketeering charges (read: fixing the rankings) and resigned. Some of the IBF?s recent decisions leave boxing fans to wonder why they even bother have rankings ? or titles, for that matter. The latest involves Zab Judah, who up until Apr. 8 was considered one of the eight legitimate champions in the IBF. They have 17, by the way.
Judah lost his IBF welterweight championship to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a matchup that nearly wasn?t a title bout at all. Carlos Baldomir, a 16-1 long shot, beat Judah (then the ?undisputed? champion) by decision in January, but, in what may have been a political decision to support the WBC, did not pay the sanctioning fees to the WBA or IBF. While the WBA title was vacated as per the usual protocol, Judah was allowed to keep IBF belt. They have a name for that kind of ruling in professional wrestling ? the ?Dusty finish? ? which should tell you all you need to know about the IBF?s credibility. Now the IBF is mandating that Mayweather fight a return bout against Judah, based on trainer Roger Mayweather?s unwise decision to enter the ring after Judah connected with a low blow.
There are plenty more backroom shenanigans behind Saturday?s fight. Byrd, the southpaw out of Flint, Mich., is ranked No. 1 in the world in what has become a truly awful heavyweight division. Byrd won the vacant IBF title in 2002 in unanimous decision over Evander Holyfield. The title had been held by ?undisputed? champion Lennox Lewis, but he refused to fight Holyfield; instead, he turned over the belt to promoter Don King in return for $1 million. King happened to be promoting both Byrd and Holyfield.
Byrd?s career up to that point was hit-and-miss. His first major bout was in 2000 against Vitali Klitschko for the WBO title. The towering Ukrainian was winning the fight handily when he suffered a torn rotator cuff and had to retire after nine rounds. Six months later, it was Wladimir Klitschko exacting some revenge for his brother, knocking Byrd down in the ninth and 11th rounds on the way to a unanimous decision.
Life after winning the IBF belt hasn?t been so great, either. Byrd says he is unhappy with King?s selection of opponents, both in quality and quantity. He?s had just four title defenses since beating Holyfield, but in retrospect, if King had given Byrd better opposition, he would probably be on his back by now. In 2004, Byrd fought Andrew Golota to a draw and was knocked down by Jameel McCline in the second round before escaping Madison Square Garden with a split decision.
Can Wladimir Klitschko stop this reign of error like he did six years ago? It?s been a strange path for the man who once was considered a better prospect than his older brother. The 1996 Olympic super-heavyweight gold medalist has wins over Byrd, Ray Mercer and Francois Botha to his credit, but he also suffered upset losses at the hands of Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster, a cousin of Byrd?s. The Sanders defeat was particularly devastating; it prevented the world from seeing a real-life version of the Lewis-Klitschko fight that was part of the 2001 film version of Ocean's Eleven.
At 6-foot-6, Klitschko is six inches taller than Byrd. He?s also 30 years old compared to 35 for Byrd, and his 81-inch reach is seven inches longer. The Ukrainian has a career record as a pro of 45-3 with 40 wins by knockout. Byrd, a southpaw, is 39-2-1 with just 20 KOs, favoring an unorthodox style that combines speed with a smooth right jab. The fight takes place at the SAP-Arena in Mannheim, with HBO on hand to provide the television coverage.
Klitschko is the favorite at ?325. The winner will also be declared the new International Boxing Organization heavyweight champion ? another belt vacated by Lewis.
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
