AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 42
Tonight, former heavyweight world champion boxer Chris Byrd joins Bola Ray as his featured guest on The Scoop. Byrd calls out Tyson Fury! Watch the show Monday to Friday as Canadian heavyweight champ Bola Ray lends his vast experience in the sport and provides his comments and analysis on boxing, on YouTube and TalkinFight.com/live. #boxinghistory
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#boxer #boxing #boxingtalkshow
Transcribed:
Hello talking fight fans around the world welcome once again to another episode of the scoop with champ bola ray and tonight we have a special episode lined up.
In fact, as we feature as a special guest chris bird former world champion uh, i’m gon na leave it in your good hands.
Champ.
You can introduce him and uh i’ll disappear into the green room and uh.
Maybe have a quiet beer all right, i’ll leave it with you all right! Well, uh! Today, i’m talking about a fighter who has a win over one of my favorite heavyweights.
Actually, my favorite heavyweight of all time, um vitaly klitschko now um.
That is no small feat.
In that, only two people have wins over this guy and the other one’s larx lewis um.
He was part of the class of 92 uh barcelona summer games olympics taking home a silver medal in the middleweight division.
Only to then come back and turn pro, but move up in the ranks in the heavyweight division.
This guy was also not just once but twice the heavyweight champion of the world, quite the resume, to say the least.
Now today, more importantly, my name is paula.
Raymond hold wally every day, and this is the scoop uh today, i’m going to be talking about none other than as far as i’m concerned, the untouchable chris bird.
His story is a long one, but, more importantly, it’s not over.
He started as one as the youngest of eight kids born to joe bird senior.
Well, you know what wait honestly um.
I can’t do the story justice, so why don’t i just let chris tell the story and there he is, how you doing sir i’m doing great? How you guys fantastic fantastic, it’s been a while it’s been a while um did all your siblings box, yeah, there’s five boys, i’m the youngest of of eight is three girls: five boys, all the boys boxed and my sister tracy she box also, but they all know How we all know how to box now, of course, that what was what was it like growing up in a training camp every day, oh training, literally every day being the youngest no no being spoiled just you had to train, you know, and that was one requirement.
My parents always had for us you’re gon na, do something so and it was most likely training.
So we train all the time that that’s that’s.
That’S amazing, um! I can’t fathom i’m the one i’m the oldest of four.
Yet i’m the only one not only even though i came from an athletic family, i’m the only one that actually took a boxing and um yeah sort of lonely.
I can’t imagine your world, but with that being said, um now you.
What were you thinking? What transpired in your world, between march of 94 and june of 94, that made you make that decision to come up and play with the big boys huh wow, so i i finished amateur with the olympic silver medal didn’t get signed, so he didn’t get signed not By anybody i mean not even in my own state, the promoter coming off of anything, i didn’t get nothing for my medal.
So uh we had a promoter from las vegas called my father and said: hey i see chris is not fighting, so we could put some shows on for him and they had a whole game plan mapped out for me, so i was so excited.
I was oh wow at middleweight or super middle.
At the time i was gon na fight at 154 actually but i’ve.
I weighed 169 for my first pro fight the the promoters from las vegas put the show on.
Nobody came to the show nobody got paid.
Oh, nobody came to the show in my hometown and nobody got paid wow.
I was in shock.
I just had a.
I was having a brand new baby and i just got married shop, shot second fight a guy from the goals gyms.
He said he was working me out me and my brother out, he said hey.
I could put on the show for you, so my father helped put another show my second fight.
Nobody came to the show nobody got paid in my hometown.
So after those two failed attempts, i was so depressed.
I was, i was cutting grass with my brother, joe.
He had a side business that he had cutting grass and i would help him so as i was cutting grass.
I just i had a thought i had my headphones in.
If nobody want me at this weight – and this is after i mean i’m olympic silver medalist and i’m cutting grass with my brother thinking, what happened? What happened to me, i’m the forgotten, i’m the forgotten guy.
I want a silver medal, but wasn’t expected to win a silver medal and now i’m forgotten about.
I was, i was a skinny kid i know, but i still have potential and i want a silver medal.
So i i said, i said, forget it i’mma go to heavyweight.
I i wasn’t thinking i i just thought i’d go to heavyweight to shock everybody and my thought was: go up there and fight with a few fights and then come back down.
Maybe somebody recognize how good you are and then i go back down to my original weight class, but i stayed there.
I was like forget it i’m here i had a lot of problems at heavyweight, but that was my thought pattern behind going to heavyweight.
I i had no other choice.
Nobody wanted me man, so i just i and i trashed my body.
I had no money, no money, borrowing money.
I live in flint michigan.
We have a lot of 99 hamburger restaurants a little.
You know bootleg fast food, restaurant and it’s cheap, and i would just stack my body with just trash.
I mean try i put on 50 pounds.
How do you put on 50 pounds while you’re training? Why you’re trying to keep the weight on it was? It was a struggle just to get there.
My first one was i weighed 193.
So i i never fought over 172 pounds in my life and – and i was heavy when i fought in so it was.
It was just a journey man.
It was a scary ride at first, because it’s heavyweight and the division changed.
It wasn’t the small mike tyson era.
Now we’re going in exactly it was the actually the linux lewis, um a ready, go era, and then the klitschko era came even bigger taller, guys, big guys.
I’M like this is crazy and i’m the little guy amongst all the big guys, the little guy weighing under 210 at most times 210 in a big era, and i get no credit, i get criticized really really i’m one of the greatest fighters.
That’S why i’m coming back now at middleweight at middleweight, to get my get my glory to to show the world a 50 year old in his 50s, because i’m going to win world titles in my 50s? Can do it and show you how great i really am when i did that heavyweight other fighters with me like man, you crazy, but the regular public.
I didn’t get no publicity for it, so the regular public like oh well, i i should be in the hall of fame for all the guys that didn’t avoid me avoided me yeah, i get no credit, so i got ta come back and show that okay, i’m That kind of fighter, i’m i’m on the level of floyd mayweather that that’s come on skill set wise, it’s the same thing, but just hit the wrong frequency in my time.
But now it’s my time it’s my time.
I’M 50 years old, perfect situation.
First time for in my first career, everybody thought i was too small to fight this big heavyweight there.
What they gon na say now, i’m too old, hmm first, i’m too small.
Now i’m too old, i’m gon na prove everybody wrong again and this time it’s gon na be even it’s gon na be much better, because now i’m at middleweight and i’m calling everybody out, i fought everybody in heavyweight everybody.
You think i’m scared of you guys that middleweight really i respect them.
I respect all the guys, but their skill set and their mentality has nothing on me.
They don’t know how it feels to have a 244 pound.
I take a bayabuchi in front of you, a david two in front of you, a vladimir klitschko, a middleweight can’t even think about that.
They can’t even imagine it in their mind somebody that big in front of them really i’m one of the greatest fighter fighters ever and i’m going to prove it.
I could have proven it by coming back think about it.
I thought it heavyweight in a big era.
I’M coming all the way back down the middleweight yeah, i’m coming down 50 pounds come on.
Who did this in history? Come on man give me my and i’m getting i’m winning world titles and i’ll and i’ll fight every champion.
I’M not gon na avoid, like everybody doing now, they get behind a promoter and hide behind them.
Okay, this side won’t fight this side, no call guys out call the best.
The best got ta fight the best, if you say you’re the best in the world fight the other best in your weight class.
First, don’t go up, don’t go up hey! I can go up and pick all kind of guys to fight.
No, you fight them.
You clean up the best in your weight class.
Then you go up.
Yeah come on people just come on.
You’Re faking that you’re faking this i’ll come back to show real boxing.
Let’S get it come on.
I challenge anybody but i’ll fight taxi fury, but i i wouldn’t fight deontay wild.
Yes, that punch of power is something crazy, but tyson fury.
I think i can get in front of him and we’ll we’ll go at it with styles.
He don’t hit.
I mean he’s a heavyweight he’s, a big guy.
All these guys can punch, but i think i could take.
I could make you miss enough to hang in there and i’ll point him.
I think i could be heavyweight champion again and i don’t really think so, but he’s good, i’m not discredited for it at all.
He’S he’s the best heavyweight in the world.
He is well again, but it’s it’s all style match up.
So that point right there.
That point right: there is what makes you uh a step above the average uh middleweight or even all the middleweights in that not one of them, like you said how many would step in front of evander holyfield, and do we talked about this? How i thought that i invented that move where you sort of swing him around only to see you doing it to event or holyfield, i’m like what the hell i did, tua you did to evander like hold my word that no middleweight no middleweight has that in Their head, i wish you all nothing shy of the best you know.
Well, you know i’m going to be watching this you’re going to show what the world got your age is just a number got to that’s what it’s about.
That’S! What’S about age, just a number! I mean this is boxing too.
This is i’m not discrediting any other sport, but this is getting banged up.
This is truly truly a young man, young young, guys for you getting hit on this old man.
Look at me great beard, i’m in the ring, i’m gon na be must-see tv, you’re gon na walk across everybody.
Have the tv on for some reason: you’re gon na walk across your living room and go wait.
Wait, wait, hold on look at this guy.
This has got to be a joke, but then, when you see the talent you’ll go wow, we live in a new era, no way in heck.
I’Ma see this old man fighting like this beating up these young boys, beating them up just beating them up, spanking them and sending them home, giving put a diaper on and putting a pacifier in their mouth.
You can’t beat me, i’m the i’m, the man i’m your daddy.
Would you daddy fighting so i’m gon na have a lot of fun.
A lot of joy in my comeback, it’s gon na be lit.
I mean lit up i’m having much fun now, just in training.
I have energy all day i feel, like you know, just i will be the best in boxing.
That’S my goal: the best pound for probably the best in boxing, not because you beat the best.
I will show every fight that the skill set is on point is great, like a young guy, so i’m here to prove myself and prove that i’m one of the greatest fighters in history in history, good for you.
What do you think it is? What are you doing different than everybody else who ages age is just is nothing shy of a number.
I i’m the living embodiment of the exact same uh philosophy, but yeah there’s a lot of guys our age.
Who can’t do this? What yet attributed to um? What do i attribute to yeah first, is a diet being very healthy, a diet, that’s for you – and you know what to put in your body, and you studied enough that you know what to put in your body that gives you energy that heals you, that does Everything you wanted to do for you, but you got to understand your body and what you need for it.
If i did, i went through 11 years of pain and chronic pain.
I mean severe and in that you study, i studied everything i never studied anything before, but now i’m i had to distract the my mind somewhere else, so the pain would be so excruciating all day.
So i just started studying reading everything, study of food studying the great doctor sebby, who you know, understand food and how it’s electric for the body how it charges you up not make you tired or sleepy after you eat, but you’re alive and awake.
So you haven’t me studying that and and just changing certain things in my life in my lifestyle pattern, and now i’m happy i’m very healthy and i’m about to be very wealthy and that’s how that’s how life should be.
I was sad broke and depressed.
I flipped it all around and i’mma stay like that and preaching until i died to everybody on this planet.
Everybody need to have their in their one.
Life need to enjoy it.
One life and life is going by fast fast.
I turned 50 years old 50 and when i turned 50, i thought about it.
Look at that it came.
The next 50 years will go by that fast i’ll, be 100 years old.
Now, life is basically kind of over kind of over kind of.
I say it: kinda life is precious to me now i wanted.
I wanted to uh commit suicide, i mean, and i was saying lightly you i used to just tear up and cry when i talk about it, but i was severely depressed in pain all day going crazy.
Wanting wanting to just thinking about ending my life and now all i want to do is hang on to life man, it’s everything to me, and it should be to everybody who have down days.
Everybody do but cheer up cheer up and let’s go get it.
If you broke, if you in a sad situation, let’s get out of it, it’s ways to do everything in your one.
Life is one life.
Time is going by like crazy, let’s get to the highest level, and that’s me in boxing.
I want to be the best in boxing the best.
I don’t just create anybody, but if you get in front of me, oh, my goodness legal, it’s going to be fireworks heavyweight a heavyweight i couldn’t go, have fun it fireworks with these big guys too big.
But now, oh, let’s get it put your skill set on the table.
Put it on it, put it, bring it to the ring, your skill set and see if it can match mine and if they can more power to you, your hall of famer.
But if not it’s my time and watch look at the great beard i’m about to shock the world.
That’S all i want to do for you, that’s all i want to do.
I’M so excited, and i’m thankful that you have me on today.
I love talking about my comeback, my pleasure and be the biggest in boxing i’m just going.
Oh i’m so excited! That’S amazing! You are, you are nothing shy of an inspiration to, and you’re gon na, be an even bigger inspiration to people post 40, showing what can be done.
Life doesn’t isn’t over.
No nor remotely close, yes, you’re right brother you’re right.
Look at mr bird.
Look! Look! What he’s doing? That’S that’s what that’s what’s gon na t-shirts will be made of this.
So no, i yeah it’s fully on the chris bird train.
Let’S get it, let’s get it one life, let’s get to the highest level.
I mean that’s for everybody.
I love people.
I love people seeing their journey in life and them working towards getting to the highest level of whatever they whatever they have in their mind.
But if you happen in your mind, i i heard i listened to a guy named bob proctor and and what he said.
It it resonates with me so much and i look at it all the time and i see it in my mind.
He said if you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand, you can hold, you can literally hold it.
So it’s yours, i see everything in my mind.
That’S why i can come back in and be so confident in what i’m about to achieve.
I’M very confident i know i’m winning world titles.
I know i am good.
I know the feeling of winning the world title at heavyweight and i want two of them.
It’S an amazing feeling, and this time it’s gon na be even more special in my 50s in my 50s people tell me to cut off my gray beard, i’m like why i want to show the world that a 50 year old, a man in his 50s, can Compete with 20 year olds for children.
How well i finna show you how i’m gon na show you then i’ll tell you how you really do it.
I got ta show you first, though i hear you when you stepped in the in the ring with evander or tua or biabuchi.
How scared were you, were you scared? Does that? Does that emotion even come into the picture um? Well, you you go to training camp.
It’S funny because when the fight for me, when they first get announced, i get i get a nervous streak go through my body like and then it leaves and then i don’t think about you know i think about how big these guys are.
I’M like man, you you try to bl, you know, block it out and go to all the negatives of what they do for me.
He’S too slow.
He don’t think he look he’s sloppy with his feet see i i had to figure out everything in in heavyweight everything every i knew when the guys got tired, because you have to figure this out.
I mean i studied so much of these guys, so it was.
It was uh like michael uh.
What’S the writer name from new york uh, i forgot.
I forgot his name, i’m sorry, but he he wrote an article on me on walking the tight rope.
It’S like walking his height rope.
Hey i’m doing all these tricks until i get caught.
If i get caught, you got me, but if i don’t get caught most likely you’re not going to beat me you’re not going to touch me if i’m on point you’re not going to beat me so good for you, that’s how every fight was it’s like! Oh and then afterwards literally, i would go in the bathroom and i would thank god i got through another.
I can’t believe i beat this big guy every fight because boxing you know box how boxing it’s about weight, everybody’s, cutting weight, everybody’s cutting weight to try to get an advantage nobody’s putting on weight to fight bigger guys who are doing that, nobody yeah! So it’s it’s a different, a whole different mentality, going up fight and competing and winning world titles.
When you know in your mind, i’m not a heavyweight everywhere i go, i know i’m not a heavyweight, but everywhere i went i was getting avoided.
I was getting avoided.
Inspiring in fights, i would, i didn’t know who i was gon na fight.
Until last minute i mean you could ask ask don king how hard it was to match me against guys, yeah and me and don king feuded.
It like crazy, but it was a major feud, can’t make no money.
Nobody wants to fight me, you know – and i wasn’t very it wasn’t like the promoters really promoted me.
They didn’t promote me like.
I was the small guy, like the david versus goliath.
They just promoted me regular.
He can’t punch he’s too small, he shouldn’t be in in the division, and so people looked at me like well, he really shouldn’t be in the division, he’s not exciting and yet you’re beating everybody up, but i’m beating guys it’s it’s crazy.
I couldn’t win for losing i mean promoters need to promote, promote your guy, exactly promote me as as the little guy fighting all the big guys.
But you know i got ta come back now to get recognize that heavyweight right now get more recognition for fighting that heavyweight than i did with fighting that heavyweight.
How crazy is that? Because i i’m coming back posting videos and stuff and people starting to say? Oh man, you were great at heavyweight.
Where was that when i was fighting gosh, i would love to dm, but you know i appreciate it now, but it’s coming a lot more than it ever did in my career yeah.
I bet um.
It’S all good, though i love it.
You know, i love the fact.
The fans are i’m fighting literally to come back for redemption, of course, in my weight class, but this is for the fans.
Man fans deserve it man they make us as athletes.
So i i realize man when i come back, i’m gon na have giveaways of all kind of stuff for the fans.
You know always keep them informed on every single thing and the fans is number one to me.
So that’s amazing people that love boxing – hey, hey! I’M like you’re, my guy, i’m just a normal dude, this box, i’m i’m not above anybody.
I speak to everybody.
I never shown anybody.
I just love people and talking.
That’S amazing.
You you impressed me and i’m somewhat envious um because of the accolades that you’ve got but more most importantly, i’m envious of the fact that you got ta punch chris johnson in the face, and i lay up at night dreaming of the day that i could find Him he he’s a good friend of mine, but nobody deserves a beating more than chris johnson and you got to put your hands on it.
How did that feel? Oh, it felt great because chris chris beat me twice before that when we, when we were 15 years old, he broke my nose.
That was the first time we fought.
He whooped my butt, oh, but i didn’t know i’m like who was this kid? I just came back from the junior olympics i made to the finals, so i had a little chip above my shoulder man, we had a show fight in bay city, michigan and the canadian team came, and i messed with a kid got the same name chris, but Chris johnson, i didn’t know who he was.
He whoop.
I remembered it to me so bad he did it.
The referee did everything but stop the fight and the only reason why he didn’t stop it or give me a count.
Is we came back for the jury olympics? I made to the final, so everybody knew me.
It was in my state, so it was around my hometown.
He beat my butt up, but he beat me again later in amateur.
I thought i won that one and then i waited for the olympics.
It was the perfect matchup semi-finals of the olympics.
Oh, my goodness, i got the win.
Yes, i love chris.
I love chris johnson you’re, a great guy, but i whooped his butt in the olympics.
You were, you are the luckiest man on god’s green, chris johnson, i’m being one of them that want too bad can’t say that i got to whoop chris johnson, but yeah you’re, a lucky man you’re a lucky man.
Thank you.
I wishing you all the best um.
I’M going to be following you as everybody uh, all my the scoop.
Boxing fans are going to be following your career and i truly believe you you will make it.
You will be world champion middleweight world champion.
I will be.
I will be in all the school fans.
I love the name.
Okay, this is cool.
Hey you, fans out there follow me, follow the old man follow the gray beard uh.
I got a healthy bird lying out too, of of food, the stuff, the kind of food that got me healed, i’ma, have a whole line and you’ll see the gray beard with the fist up the old man.
You see the energy, let’s get it.
This is the school come on.
We talking it’s about the fans.
It’S about the fan, i’m gon na give them a hundred percent they’re gon na see knockouts you’re gon na see the greatest [ __ ].
Oh you ever gon na see, is from chris bird.
The old man slick master, you can’t hit me, you can’t thanks, sir now we’re gon na call it and that’s the scoop.
My friends hey mr bird for coming out on the show today.
Oh thank you for having me.
Let’S get it.
Oh man cheers show great show please if you enjoyed the show hit the like button and subscribe, make sure make sure you smash the notification bell.
Here’S your boy bar and that’s the scoop.
Oh, let’s get it.
Let’S just go y’all got it.
I got the scoop.
So gon na see one of the greatest players ever ever.
If you watch boxing, i don’t care.
If you just walk in the body tv, you gon na, see the grave beard and you will see the uh a show that you’ve never seen before magic show.
Oh i’m going to my bag of tricks, every fight and just boom trickster for kids.
I’M just look, i’m the trickster and the tricks are for kids.
I’M fighting all these little kids in the ring.
Put my tricks on
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