Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2004 | 9:22 a.m.
Saturday's heavyweight card in New York:
Chris Byrd vs. Jameel McCline for Byrd's IBF title.
John Ruiz vs. Andrew Golota for Ruiz's WBA title.
Evander Holyfield vs. Larry Donald.
Hasim Rahman vs. Kali Meehan.
All four bouts scheduled for 12 rounds.
Relaxed and comfortable on his home turf, heavyweight champion Chris Byrd presided over a loose atmosphere before a workout Monday in the gym at his northwest Las Vegas estate.
Byrd's confidence and easy smile belied the serious business that awaits him Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
In the most intriguing fight on a marathon card promoted by Don King, Byrd (37-2-1, 20 knockouts) defends his IBF heavyweight belt against one of his closest friends, challenger Jameel McCline (31-3-3, 19 KOs).
At 6-foot-1 1/2, 210 pounds, Byrd enters the ring at a significant size disadvantage against McCline, who goes 6-6, 260. The champ has grown accustomed to that position, though. Among his prominent opponents in recent fights have been the towering Klitschko brothers, Wladimir and Vitali, as well as hulking Andrew Golota.
"Everybody I fight is bigger than me, so this one isn't going to be much different," Byrd said Monday. "I don't know what he's going to bring at me, but whatever it is, I'm going to be ready for it.
"He might come right at me and want to slug it out, and I love that style. Or he might stand back and want to box, and I love that too."
If he did have a choice, Byrd revealed, he would prefer to revert to the style of boxing that has forged his reputation as the heavyweight no one wants to fight: the slip-sliding Byrd, the elusive lefty, the artful dodger who makes his opponent miss badly then punishes him with a deft counterpunch.
"To be at my best, I know I have to get back to being the old Chris Byrd, the one who keeps the guy in front of me off-balance, then shoots his whole game down," said Byrd, a 2-1 favorite. "If I can do that, I'm going to be tough to beat."
It would be a departure from the strategy Byrd used in his past two fights, both of which devolved into brawls. In April, Byrd fought Golota to a 12-round draw, and in September 2003 he escaped with a narrow split-decision victory against Fres Oquendo.
"If you were asking me about this fight a year ago, I would have said that I'm going to punch him out," Byrd said. "But that Chris Byrd was a little too cocky. That's not my style. I know I have to get back to my old style, where I make you miss and I'm able to showcase all my skills."
By his own admission, a desire to play the crowd-pleaser and plain old boredom both had a role in Byrd's decision to temporarily abandon his traditional defense-oriented approach to the fight game.
"My last two fights were slugfests, and the crowd loved it," said Byrd, a 34-year-old originally from Flint, Mich. "And I had fun, too. I was never hurt.
"I just can't take those kinds of risks anymore. I'm too small a guy to stay in there and bang with those guys."
Although McCline and Byrd are good friends, they have been purposely avoiding each other in the weeks leading to Saturday's fight.
Under normal circumstances, Byrd said, they hang out at fight shows and go to dinner afterward. McCline, a native New Yorker, stays at Byrd's house when he visits Las Vegas. Their families spend time together and exchange gifts.
"I love him as a friend," Byrd said. "But in the ring, it's all business. I'm not going to let up on him, and I know he's not going to let up on me."
In another title fight Saturday, Golota (38-4-1, 31 KOs) challenges John Ruiz (40-5-1, 28 KOs) for his WBA heavyweight belt. In a 12-rounder, former undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (38-7-2, 25 KOs) tries to resuscitate his ailing career against Larry Donald (41-3-2, 24 KOs).
Also on the undercard, former world champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman (39-5-1, 32 KOs) takes on Kali Meehan (29-2, 23 KOs) in a heavyweight elimination bout.
Rahman, a Baltimore native who lives and trains in Las Vegas, was also working out at Camp Byrd on Monday. Rahman electrified the boxing world when he knocked out Lennox Lewis in South Africa in April 2001 to win the heavyweight championship, but his career has been adrift since he lost a rematch seven months later at Mandalay Bay.
Rahman said he feels rejuvenated since he hired famed trainer Thell Torrence to help him prepare for Meehan. Torrence, an Eddie Futch disciple, has worked with an all-star roster of fighters including Ken Norton and Riddick Bowe.
"I've learned a whole lot from Thell in the time we've been together," Rahman said. "I feel that I'm stronger, smarter and better conditioned than I ever have been."
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