Thread: Chris Byrd schooled Vitali Klitschko on only 10 days' notice

seeing as byrd made vitali quit does that make him better than lewis as vitali was still very willing to fight on v lewis...There's only one way to find out FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lets get 101 million together, 100 to lewis and 1 to byrd and we will find out the truth here... forget tyson holyfield 3, byrd v lewis is what everyone wants to see ....


as for vitali quiting v byrd I can understand why, vitali was still on the way up at the time and if his shoulder was really bad he could have done some serious long lasting damage to it and damaged his future career.... a fight v byrd for a small title isnt really worth that..

This is what is wrong with boxing. We complain when boxers are too scared to lose their 0 and won't risk fighting one another, yet we chastise a fighter for doing the smart thing and prolonging their career.

A shoulder blow out is potentially career ending, def not worth risking the rest of your career on, but we as fans have made a loss a huger deal than it should be.

This is the one area UFC beats boxing in, all of their top fighters mix it up because they are not scared to - they won't be written off over a single loss or for tapping out of an arm bar instead of letting their arm be broken.

Can't say I really like MMA as a sport, but fuck me if the attitude of boxing fans doesn't stink sometimes compared to MMA fans.

This guy quit... This guy was exposed... This guy lost once so he's not a credible opponent for anyone...

No wonder promoters are reluctant to match their fighters against opposition of the same class.

Originally Posted by AdamGB

This is what is wrong with boxing. We complain when boxers are too scared to lose their 0 and won't risk fighting one another, yet we chastise a fighter for doing the smart thing and prolonging their career.

Usually I agree, but I don't think this scenario was so cut and dry. Would another 3 rounds really make that big a difference to the shoulder injury?

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

Originally Posted by AdamGB

This is what is wrong with boxing. We complain when boxers are too scared to lose their 0 and won't risk fighting one another, yet we chastise a fighter for doing the smart thing and prolonging their career.

Usually I agree, but I don't think this scenario was so cut and dry. Would another 3 rounds really make that big a difference to the shoulder injury?

It could have been a career ender and as mentioned it later haunted him with Del boy. Vitali gets the benefit of the doubt with me. He never did anything like that before or after. I dont consider what he did a quit. Its like saying Greb quit against Graves. We simply do not know how serious it was at the time. Maybe someone could find a copy of the x-rays and then we could put an APB out for an x-ray technician Losing and arm in a boxing match tends to make the task at hand a little difficult.

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

Originally Posted by AdamGB

This is what is wrong with boxing. We complain when boxers are too scared to lose their 0 and won't risk fighting one another, yet we chastise a fighter for doing the smart thing and prolonging their career.

Usually I agree, but I don't think this scenario was so cut and dry. Would another 3 rounds really make that big a difference to the shoulder injury?

Speaking directly from personal experience - yes.

Originally Posted by AdamGB

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

Originally Posted by AdamGB

This is what is wrong with boxing. We complain when boxers are too scared to lose their 0 and won't risk fighting one another, yet we chastise a fighter for doing the smart thing and prolonging their career.

Usually I agree, but I don't think this scenario was so cut and dry. Would another 3 rounds really make that big a difference to the shoulder injury?

Speaking directly from personal experience - yes.

True, but with a lot of money at stake you would see it through.

Originally Posted by Gandalf

Originally Posted by AdamGB

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

Originally Posted by AdamGB

This is what is wrong with boxing. We complain when boxers are too scared to lose their 0 and won't risk fighting one another, yet we chastise a fighter for doing the smart thing and prolonging their career.

Usually I agree, but I don't think this scenario was so cut and dry. Would another 3 rounds really make that big a difference to the shoulder injury?

Speaking directly from personal experience - yes.

True, but with a lot of money at stake you would see it through.

Take time to think that over miles.

Money from 1 fight vs money you can make in a career.


Look at what happened to Evander Holyfield when he screwed up his shoulders vs James Toney...he was never the same. Granted he was an older fighter, but still. Look at Robert Helenius, he suffered a MAJOR setback with his shoulder injury.

Originally Posted by AdamGB

Speaking directly from personal experience - yes.

Can't compare regular joes like us to a super athlete like Vitali though.

Originally Posted by IamInuit

I dont consider what he did a quit.

Well I think it's undisputable that he quit, I guess the argument is just whether or not it was justified.

I'm not saying it was a full bitch-out, pussy move like Duran's No mas, but at the same time he didn't show the warrior's spirit, the "never say die" attitude that we've come to expect (right or wrong) from world champion boxers.

Whether or not he saved his career by quitting, I have no idea. But my question would be how did he know for certain he had a torn rotator cuff? It could have been just a strained or pulled muscle in the shoulder. In that moment, I doubt he could have known that it was potential career ender, even with his education in sports science.

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

Originally Posted by IamInuit

I dont consider what he did a quit.

Well I think it's undisputable that he quit, I guess the argument is just whether or not it was justified.

I'm not saying it was a full bitch-out, pussy move like Duran's No mas, but at the same time he didn't show the warrior's spirit, the "never say die" attitude that we've come to expect (right or wrong) from world champion boxers.

Whether or not he saved his career by quitting, I have no idea. But my question would be how did he know for certain he had a torn rotator cuff? It could have been just a strained or pulled muscle in the shoulder. In that moment, I doubt he could have known that it was potential career ender, even with his education in sports science.

He stopped due to injury to what might be classed as a tad imperative in a boxing match. The use of an arm. "Quit" suggests something dishonourable. Duran quit. Vitali was unable to continue because of a torn rotator cuff. Big difference to me but if its the same to you then no sense continuing here. In my mind he never quit.

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

Originally Posted by AdamGB

This is what is wrong with boxing. We complain when boxers are too scared to lose their 0 and won't risk fighting one another, yet we chastise a fighter for doing the smart thing and prolonging their career.

Usually I agree, but I don't think this scenario was so cut and dry. Would another 3 rounds really make that big a difference to the shoulder injury?

You guys are thinking past the obvious here.. way past it. Doing anything with a torn shoulder hurts so bad, you just cannot imagine. Even holding your arm up at a level to protect your face. He was not thinking about the future or anything but the pain he was in THAT moment. 3 rounds with a professional heavyweight would be devastating.

A broken fist (knuckles, what have you) at least you can defend yourself.

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

Originally Posted by AdamGB

Speaking directly from personal experience - yes.

Can't compare regular joes like us to a super athlete like Vitali though.

Yeah... Way more to lose.

Meanwhile in a any town U.S.A Starbucks Byrd is serving Lattes and coffee cake to customers and Vitali runs for President elsewhere The label of quitter is thrown around way too loosely. I think Vitali may have mentally unraveled a tad against a very sharp fighter and down a limb but the injury proved legit and as would be proven he was very capable to come back from adversity. It's easy to say a guy should "just suck it up and warrior on" but there is something to say about intelligence when both your offense and defense are both at a big disadvantage. I dunno, I don't get punched in the face for a living.

Originally Posted by IamInuit

He stopped due to injury to what might be classed as a tad imperative in a boxing match. The use of an arm. "Quit" suggests something dishonourable. Duran quit. Vitali was unable to continue because of a torn rotator cuff. Big difference to me but if its the same to you then no sense continuing here. In my mind he never quit.

But he did have use of his left arm. Obviously it was nowhere near fully operational, but he was throwing punches with it in the round before he quit. It's not like it was hanging limp at his side.

I won't argue semantics, but when you choose to stop something, that's a quit to me. Wasn't like it was a corner or doctor stoppage. He was the one to say "no mas, senor".

As far as this ending career stuff... I dunno man. I've heard of guys going into fights with torn rotator cuffs and fighting the duration. Floyd reportedly tore his rotator cuff a few days before Castillo 1, and UFC fighter Korean Zombie fought and won a fight with a torn rotator cuff last year.

Whatever though, I'm a big Klitschko fan and I think Vitali more than redeemed himself afterwards. But I'd say he regretted that decision.

Originally Posted by JonnyFolds

You guys are thinking past the obvious here.. way past it. Doing anything with a torn shoulder hurts so bad, you just cannot imagine. Even holding your arm up at a level to protect your face. He was not thinking about the future or anything but the pain he was in THAT moment. 3 rounds with a professional heavyweight would be devastating.

Well if that's how you feel, I think you should change your signature and show Floyd respect. He fought 12 rounds with a torn rotator cuff against a relentless pressure fighter with huge power.

He must be the toughest guy in the history of boxing.