WHILE the world may have been held transfixed 30 years ago when Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier battled for the world heavyweight title, tonight in Reno, Nevada, one of the four versions of the crown that can claim any credibility will be on the line, and it is not even top of the bill.

Chris Byrd has held the IBF version of the title since beating Evander Holyfield in 2002, but he has made only three defences and has been out of the ring for ten months. But, despite being the only man other than Lennox Lewis to have beaten Vitali Klitschko, the WBC champion (Byrd defeated him on an injury retirement for the WBO title in 2000), the American lacks the ability to excite.

So much so that when his mandatory defence against DaVarryl Wiliamson went out for purse bids, there was only one, of just $500,000 (about £283,000).

With little interest, the contest has ended up on the undercard of James Toney’s bout against Dominick Guinn. Toney did win the WBA version of the title from John Ruiz, but he failed the post-bout drug test and was stripped of his crown.

“I have always been willing to fight anybody, from No 15 up, and that is still the case. I just want to fight,” Byrd, 35, said. “It is frustrating I have been off for so long because I have wanted to fight. I was willing to go to Germany if that would have been the deal.”

Byrd hopes that a win will set up a rematch with Klitschko. As the Ukrainian will be paid $7.8 million for his forthcoming defence against Hasim Rahman, it is not difficult to see why.

Michael Sprott is another heavyweight who has had to do things the hard way, but he gets his shot at the European title when he faces Paolo Vidoz in Oldenburg, Germany, tonight. Sprott, from Reading, Berkshire, slipped out of the picture after losing his British and Commonwealth title to Matt Skelton, of Bedford, last year, but he earned his chance back by travelling to Germany in April to upset Cengiz Koc, an unbeaten prospect.

“The thing I don’t really like about this sport is that once you suffer a loss, people completely write you off. If you lose your unbeaten record, there’s no coming back,” Sprott said. “I’m like a cat with nine lives — I always come back.”

Vidoz, the champion, is best remembered in Britain for his defeat against Audley Harrison in the semi-finals at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.