By Troy Ondrizek @ ringside

Many have wondered why the fight between WBO heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs and mandatory challenger Sultan Ibragimov wasn’t picked up by a big network.  There is no doubt that a bout between the ball of fury known as Ibragimov and the big hitting Briggs would be more entertaining than the crap we were given by HBO back in March when Wladimir Klitschko watched Ray Austin lay down after only a round and a half.  However, for those who ponied up the money to get the PPV, the entire card wasn’t bad and they were witness to an exciting champion.

On the televised undercard, Robert Stieglitz (30-1 19KOs) moved up to light heavyweight after suffering the first defeat of his career in his last bout when attempting to take a part of the super middleweight title.  In front of him was a durable but not very game Marlon Hayes (23-7 11KOs.)  Hayes was a good man for Stieglitz to shine against. 

It took a couple of rounds for the man from Germany to find his distance, but once he did, the punches literally couldn’t miss Hayes’ chin.  For his part Marlon pointed to his chin and let Stieglitz know where to punch him, it was helpful to say the least. 

On the non-televised portion of the card middleweight prospect Giovanni Lorenzo (24-0 15KOs) kept his undefeated record intact against the overmatched Bruce Rumbloz (21-13-2 15KOs.)  Lorenzo did a nice job of throwing wide shots and punching Rumbloz in the back of the head.  Granted there were some legitimate shots landed, Bruce had to go down somehow.  A nice body-attack finished the job for Lorenzo.  Recently Giovanni has been calling out Kelly Pavlik.  Um Lorenzo, stop; really you’re a good prospect but your not anywhere near the elite level.

In what ended up being the fight of the evening, Shamone Alvarez (18-0 11Kos) and Jose Luis Cruz (32-3-2 26KOs) went to welterweight war.  It was evident from the beginning that Alvarez was the superior fighter.  His power was greater and technique beyond anything Cruz could fathom.  Cruz though overcame his lunging punches, wild misses, and point deductions with grit and determination.  Alvarez was stretched mentally with a foe that refused to quit and could take a very good punch.  It was a wide UD win for Shamone and he capitalized on this opportunity to make a case for bigger fights.

The long-awaited bout between Briggs and Ibragimov finally came and just like his entire career, Briggs left wanting and his effort was empty.  In what in the beginning looked to be a sequel to Briggs/Liakhovich, Ibragimov decided that wasn’t acceptable.  I would like to add drama to this script, but I can’t since the entire fight lacked it as well.  Briggs clearly won the first round, and I struggled to give him one more.  The fight progressed as Briggs looked at Ibragimov and talked, and Ibragimov responded by punching him in the face. 

Shannon would then look at Ibragimov some more and smile as Ibragimov would continue punching him in the face.  One media member sitting next to me watching a live fight for the first time commented during the fight “Briggs looks like a gentle giant;” it was true, but too bad for Briggs, boxing isn’t a gentle profession.  As the final round lapsed, fans were chanting “Shannon Sucks, Shannon Sucks” in which the champion failed to respond to.  After the fight commenced the Ibragimov fans roared and a fight between an obnoxious Briggs supporter in press row and a former Briggs supporter near by had more action then fight before us. 

In the post-fight interview Briggs talked on how he wasn’t able to train because of Asthma and Pneumonia.  I have no doubt that these claims are legitimate, but maybe just maybe it has something to do with him being so heavy and not doing roadwork for such a long time.  The extra weight and lack of activity can exasperate breathing problems.  With a personality like Briggs you expect some excuses but what followed was appalling. 

Briggs said “There is no way I lost that fight.  I thought that you had to beat the champion to beat the champion.  I mean I thought I pressed the fight and forced the action the entire night.  It’s like they gave me no credit for landing my jab.  And the judge who gave him (Ibragimov) 11 rounds is just ridiculous, I feel like they took my championship from me.”  In one of his earlier rants Briggs spoke of how he thought Ibragimov was a light hitter and that he had no problem with his power.  Well Shannon let me try to set you straight my man, first the entire press row felt the judge who gave you 5 rounds was incompetent and apparently Ibragimov hits harder than you think because he knocked the common sense out of you. 

It is safe to say that this fight was a microcosm of Briggs’ entire career.  As for Briggs’ career, it is for all relevance, over.  His last two efforts against Liakhovich and Ibragimov were uninspired at best.  Briggs doesn’t draw the crowds now and he will be forever known as one of the great underachievers alongside the likes of Pinklon Thomas, but at least Thomas successfully defended his crown once.  I will admit that I saw Briggs in my first ever live show and I've been a fan for some time.  Not saying I didn’t recognize his flaws and shortcomings, I just knew that there was a chance the talent could overcome his mentality.  Unfortunately for Briggs more than me, I was wrong. 

As for the new champion Sultan Ibragimov, the future is his to capitalize on.  A fight between him and WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev would be a very interesting and enticing bout.  Ibragimov showed that he can hang in with the big hitters and his fight with Ray Austin was a fitness fluke and vows not to duplicate that effort.  Sultan might hail from Rostov-na-Donu Russia, but I don’t care where the titlist is from, as long as they respect the sport and give their all to the fans, and I doubt there will be “issues” with Ibragimov’s reign.