Chris Byrd, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion

Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Vladamir Klitchko, Larry Holmes, George Foreman, and  Tyson Fury. Legendary names in sporting history. They come from different eras, races, creeds, religions, and nationalities. What they have in common is one thing- they were all boxings Heavyweight Champion of the World. The baddest man on the planet, and the most celebrated title in a sport that dominated the upper echelons of the world of athletics for most of the last century.
 
That is a pretty unique group of men. And one of their members is a Flintstone. His name is Chris Byrd and he is a two time World Heavyweight Champion. He won his first WBO championship in 2002 over the undefeated Vitali Klitschko. Then in 2002 he beat Evander Holyfield for the IBF Heavyweight title for his second reign as world champ. He defended that title four times and was ranked in the top ten in the world from 1996 to 2003.
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As an amateur fighter Byrd represented the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games where he won the silver medal as a middleweight division. Beyond this he is also a three-time American National Champion , winning the light middleweight title in 1989, and the middleweight title in 1991 and 1992.In short, Chris is one of the greatest fighters America has ever produced with both multiple world titles, national championships, and an Olympic medal to boot.

Undersized compared to most of his competition, Byrd’s body took a beating in the heavyweight division. After his career ended he faced a myriad of physical and mental challenges that exploded in Los Angeles one fateful day. His focus and drive as well as his innovative spirit lit the way to redemption and recovery. Today he works to help others grappling with outsized challenges. After all he did the same repeatedly and emerged as the greatest in the world. A true Flintstone story of toughness, resilience, and the attitude and heart of a champion. Former World Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd graces the Aquarium with his personal brand of power in this hard hitting episode of “Fish and The Flint Chronicles.”

This episode originally aired on 9/21/2022.

You can also visit this episode at Fish's website: http://www.flintchronicles.com/

Chapters

• 47:55 Extra Innings