V ery even first round. Both are tentative, Klitchko relies on the jab while Byrd prefers to counter. The second is a Klitchko round. It is very quiet until about the 50-second mark when Byrd is stunned by a powerful jab and trapped in a corner where he remains until the end of the round. Klitchko gets in a couple of rights as well.

The third round, Byrd is trapped in a corner early and Klitchko enjoys mild success. The fighters exchange hard shots after about two minutes. Klitchko tags Byrd with several hard shots and stuns him with ten seconds to go. The fourth round starts quietly but Klitchko soon starts to land crisply and gets through with several hard shots before the end of the round. Byrd shows no signs of getting past Klitchko's size.

The fifth round starts with Klitchko spearing Byrd with a right and trapping him on the ropes. Byrd is competitive after that and wins most of it. An even round. The sixth round is a good round. Byrd's defence is still sharp and he lands some nice blows, but Klitchko's sharp shooting makes for yet another round for the Ukrainian giant. The seventh is very competitive and I will call it even. Both men land many good shots.

The eighth is close at first, but Byrd's right eye is swelling badly and he is getting tired. Another round for Klitchko. Byrd's left is nearly swollen shut. He is stunned with about 1:20 left and badly hurt and knocked down at 0:27. He ducks away for the rest of the round. He is exhausted. Klitchko is looking a little tired now in the tenth. He lands enough good shots to clearly take the round, but he doesn't and possibly cannot mount a serious attack.

The 11th is a big Klitchko round. Byrd is knocked down by a powerful combination at about 1:35. At about 0:30, Byrd's corner stands ready to throw in the towel.

The twelfth is a quieter round. Klitchko wins it close, but he wins it clear. He is a little tired, but Byrd's eyes are badly swollen and he is exhausted and battered. A very good fight.

DUTCH SAM'S final scorecard: 120-109. Three even rounds, all the rest for Klitchko, two of them are 10-8 rounds.

Judges cards: 120-106, 1118-108, 119-107