Chris Byrd vs. Wladimir Klitschko
| Date | 14 October 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Kolnarena, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBO Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Klitschko defeated Byrd via Unanimous Decision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chris Byrd vs. Wladimir Klitschko, billed as Die Rache des Bruders (German for "Revenge Of The Brother"),[1] was a professional boxing match contested on 14 October 2000 for the WBO Heavyweight Championship.[2]
Background[edit]
After his shock victory over the undefeated Vitali Klitschko, following Vitali suffering a torn rotator cuff, Chris Byrd agreed to face his number one contender, and Vitali's younger brother Wladimir.[3] Wladimir Klitschko had won ten fights in a row following his first pro loss at the hands of journeyman Ross Puritty in December 1998.
The fight[edit]
Klitschko knocked Byrd down in round nine and again in round eleven on route to a clear unanimous decision victory with scores of 120-106, 119-107 & 118-108, giving him his first world title belt.
Aftermath[edit]
Wladimir would go on to make six defences of his title before he suffered a knockout loss to Corrie Sanders in March 2003. Byrd would win his next four bouts, including against Maurice Harris and David Tua in an IBF heavyweight title "eliminator" mini-tournament which put him in line for a shot at the IBF belt then held by Lennox Lewis. Lewis would vacate the title and Byrd would face former champion Evander Holyfield for the vacant belt.
Undercard[edit]
Confirmed bouts:[4]
Broadcasting[edit]
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 Germany |
Sat.1[5] |
 United Kingdom |
Sky Box Office[6] |
References[edit]
- ^ ""Die Rache des Bruders": "Kleiner Klitschko" mit "Gänsehaut"". rp-online.de. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ "Chris Byrd vs. Wladimir Klitschko (1st meeting)- BoxRec". boxrec.com.
- ^ "April 1, 2000: Klitschko vs Byrd". thefightcity.com.
- ^ "BoxRec - event".
- ^ ""Die Rache des Bruders": Wladimir Klitschko fordert WBO-Weltmeister Chris Byrd heraus - am 14. Oktober 2000 live in SAT.1 | Pressemitteilung SAT.1". presseportal.de. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ "2000-10-14".