IBF heavyweight champion Chris Byrd, shown in his unanimous-decision victory over David Tua in August 2001 at Cox Pavilion, will fight Wladimir Klitschko on April 22 in Germany. Photo by John Gurzinski.

By his own admission, Chris Byrd "was the most bitter guy on the block."

The Las Vegas-based IBF heavyweight champion was locked in a seemingly endless struggle over his paycheck with promoter Don King. He saw courtrooms and lawyers far more often than he did boxing rings and referees.

Byrd was so worn down by the incessant battles with King that he was about to give up. He participated in one of the worst heavyweight title fights in state history, retaining his championship against DaVarryl Williamson in Reno.

But Byrd has reached a settlement with King and said his passion for the sport is returning as he heads into an April 22 title defense against Wladimir Klitschko in Germany.

"There is no one who loves boxing more than I do," Byrd said. "But all this stuff, it took the joy out of it for me. I didn't want to watch boxing, I didn't want to talk boxing, I didn't want to think about it. And that's not me."

Byrd is a different man now that he's free of King, he said. He's excited about defending his title against Klitschko, a man who beat him soundly in 2000, and once again gets enjoyment from simply stepping into the ring and sparring.

That new outlook, he said, will make him a better fighter than the one who was virtually shut out by Klitschko on Oct. 14, 2000, in the pre-King days.

"I'm a lot older and wiser now," Byrd said with a laugh. "When I fought Wladimir before, I wasn't so confident. But I fight with more of a chip on my shoulder now. I love to fight those big guys. Wladimir's not the fighter he was, and I'm going to test his heart. It's going to be 'test, test test.' I'm going to get him into a shootout. If I get him into a shootout and can survive that, I'm going to have a lot of bullets left in the gun and he's going to be in trouble."

Byrd, 39-2-1 with 20 knockouts, said he harbors no ill will toward Klitschko, whom he once accused of putting a substance on his gloves in their first fight that caused Byrd's face to swell and his eyes to burn.

He said he was wrong to be angry at Klitschko and that the match is simply competition.

"I had to get over that," Byrd said. "For me to hate someone and dislike them so much, that's the wrong attitude. I'm not like that and I don't want to ever have that feeling with anyone again. Even with Don, it's over. I don't hate Don. We had some professional disagreements, but I don't dislike him or hate him. I've moved on."

• LETTER TO ROACH -- Las Vegan Wayne McCullough had an angry response to his ex-trainer, Freddie Roach, who said last week that the 35-year-old former super bantamweight champion risks getting hurt in the ring and should retire.

McCullough, 27-6 with 18 knockouts, got his medical suspension lifted Feb. 1 by the Nevada Athletic Commission, but he still does not have a boxing license.

McCullough was suspended after a TKO loss to Oscar Larios on July 15 at the MGM Grand. He said he has spent thousands of dollars and passed a battery of tests to prove he is fit to fight.

He released a copy of the letter he sent to Roach that criticized the trainer's stance.

"Should all boxers be prevented from fighting because there is an inherent danger to do soá Where does it stopá" McCullough wrote.

He also suggested Roach's motives weren't entirely pure and noted that he had worked with him for only three days in Las Vegas for his last fight.

"The many successes you've enjoyed as a trainer and your willingness to discuss any subject with the media has allowed you the ability to publicly express your opinion on some issues without the benefit of facts or knowledge," McCullough wrote.

• WHO CARESá -- Top Rank chief Bob Arum, who is promoting an April 8 welterweight fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Zab Judah, said he is at a loss to explain the media's interest in the sanctioning body titles.

Judah lost the undisputed title to Carlos Baldomir on Jan. 7, but because Baldomir didn't pay sanction fees to the WBA and IBF, he did not win their belts.

The IBF opted to retain Judah as its champion, a move Arum termed "unconscionable."

He said he didn't care about the belt and ordered all mention of the IBF championship removed from the advertising and promotional material.

Arum said more than $3 million worth of tickets have been sold for the bout, which will be at the Thomas & Mack Center. A source close to Mayweather confirmed those figures.

• ONE AT A TIME -- Sugar Shane Mosley said Fernando Vargas is making a mistake if he's trying to use their super welterweight fight Feb. 25 at Mandalay Bay as a steppingstone to a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya.

De La Hoya, who promotes Mosley, knocked out Vargas in 2002.

"When he enters the ring and finds out he is not much stronger than I am -- he may be bigger, but he won't be stronger -- that might mess with his mind a little bit," Mosley said. "I think the speed, as well as the movement, he won't be able to do the things he did with the fellows that he just fought in his last two fights.

"He is making a big mental mistake by trying to look past me to get to Oscar. And I'm not sure he's even on Oscar's radar."

De La Hoya, who will fight Ricardo Mayorga for a super welterweight title May 6 at the MGM Grand, confirmed that.

"I respect Fernando Vargas, but that fight will never, ever happen," De La Hoya said. "Fernando Vargas has his hands full with Shane Mosley, and my advice would be do not even look past this fight because (a fight with me) is just not going to happen."

• TIDBITS -- It appears the rubber match between lightweight champion Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo will be June 3. But Castillo probably will fight at least once before then, at a new arena in Glendale, Ariz. ... HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said the network is attempting to sign super lightweight champion Ricky Hatton to a multi-fight deal. Hatton will next fight May 20. ... Mayweather's fight with Judah will be the end of his HBO deal. Arum will be free to shop Mayweather fights to the highest bidder after April 8. ... Former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who is running for mayor of Kiev, Ukraine, said he has no plans to return to boxing even if he loses the election. ... Acelino Freitas will meet Zahir Raheem on April 29 on HBO. Raheem upset Erik Morales in his last outing.