George delivers on word, floors Byrd

Shaun George didn't want to say "I told you so," but he was true to his word when he said he'd defeat Chris Byrd.

While he declared he would be victorious, what he didn't say was that he would demolish the former world heavyweight champion and perhaps force him into retirement.

That's precisely what the Brooklyn, N.Y., native did Friday at Cox Pavilion, overwhelming Byrd from the opening bell in Byrd's debut as a light heavyweight and then finishing him off with a savage beating in the ninth round, knocking down Byrd twice before Byrd told referee Jay Nady he'd had enough.

"Everyone underestimated me," said George, who improved to 17-2-2 with eight knockouts. "I showed everybody I can fight."

George floored Byrd with a four-punch combination with 20 seconds remaining in the first round. He kept the pressure on him, and except for the sixth, when George essentially took the round off, he dominated. Whether it was a right to the head or a left to the body, George swarmed Byrd.

"I should have put him away in the first round," George said. "I made him stationary. My movement gave him problems."

George wouldn't say it, but he had a far tougher time in his Phoenix training camp sparring with former world champions Antonio Tarver and Vassiliy Jirov than he did Friday.

"Those guys did a great job of getting me ready," George said. "I know I'm not a great finisher, but I thought I did a good job of finishing tonight."

Byrd appeared to be a shell of his former self. He reportedly had dropped as much as 35 pounds to make the 175-pound limit, and he looked listless throughout the fight. He had no footwork, no hand speed, no energy and no chance against an opponent who appeared hungry and out to prove himself in a bout televised nationally on ESPN.

He was a stationary target, and George's trainer, Tommy Brooks, kept yelling at his fighter to stay busy and keep throwing punches.

"I didn't have anything from the moment the first bell rang," Byrd said. "I couldn't believe how fast he was. He was too fast for me."

Byrd, who fell to 40-5-1, never anticipated this scenario when he made the decision to drop to light heavyweight. There was talk that after he got past George, he'd look for a big payday against Roy Jones Jr.

Instead, George will be seeking a big check. With his pregnant wife, Casey, among the announced crowd of 1,742, George did what he needed to do to make a positive impression.

Byrd might have made a huge mistake in trying to drop to 175 pounds, and he admitted as much after the fight before he went to Valley Hospital to get checked out.

"When I lost all this weight, I thought I'd run through this whole division," Byrd said. "I realized now that I can't."

He then apologized to his promoter, Art Pelullo. "I'm sorry, Artie, this isn't how I planned for it to go," Byrd said.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.