Home

Boxing

“I’m Gonna Frustrate You Like Hell” – Chris Byrd on Fighting ‘Shorter Guys Like Mike Tyson’

Published 10/04/2020, 10:00 AM EDT

Follow Us

Two-time world heavyweight champion Chris Byrd has been in several battles, inside and outside the ring. Talking about his in-ring battles, Byrd has faced some of the best boxers of all time on his path to greatness.

From defeating Evander Holyfield to Vitali Klitschko, Byrd has cemented himself as one of the best in the sport. Amongst all these battles, Byrd was never worried about his opponents. However, he was worried about one fight that made him think twice before stepping inside the ring.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

While ‘Rapid Fire’ Byrd won the fight, he still considers it to be his toughest test and the biggest win of his boxing career. As per Byrd, Maurice Harris is the man who forced him to bring his best game when they fought each other in 2001.

Chris Byrd names his biggest pro win

In a recent interaction with Ring TV, Byrd has opened up about several things from his pro boxing career. It is no surprise that Byrd has seen several significant moments in his journey. However, victory against Maurice Harris is still his favorite one.

Talking about it, ‘Rapid Fire’ said, “(Tua and Holyfield) were great fights, but the fight I was more worried about was (Maurice Harris). He can fight his style. Yeah. He’s fast. But he’s the most underrated guy that nobody knows about.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Boxing stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

In 2001, when Byrd and Harris locked horns, the latter was in his prime. Thus, several people billed Maurice as the favorite against Byrd.

However, Chris Byrd went the distance with Harris and won the fight via unanimous decision.

Byrd further added, “They were worried about me because he came into the gym, he cleaned everybody up and I was like, dang. And everybody knew at that time he was hot.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“He won like five, six fights in a row. He took it seriously. And I’m like, hmm. And that was my biggest victory. I was like, oh, I beat Mo Harris.”

Meanwhile, Byrd said that he was never worried about the shorter guys. Although he hasn’t face the brutality of Mike Tyson, Byrd claims that it wouldn’t have been a problem for him.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“I wasn’t worried about David Tua, shorter guys like Mike Tyson, you gotta catch me. I’m gonna be moving. I got great legs. I got a great defense. And I’m gonna frustrate you like hell, so you better catch me,” said Byrd.

Many might disagree with it, but that still doesn’t change the fact that Byrd has a good resume.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Raj Sarkar

3,299Articles

One take at a time

A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. He combined his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports and has a combined 2000 plus bylines in MMA and boxing over the last two years.
Show More>