By Keith Idec
Chris Byrd is amazed by what he has seen by watching 45-year-old Shannon Briggs work every day.
Byrd, also a former heavyweight champion, is 46 and couldn’t fathom preparing at their age as fiercely as Briggs has done at The Heavyweight Factory in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 6-feet-4, 250-pound Briggs has impressed Byrd so much since Byrd became his co-trainer 2½ years ago, there isn’t a heavyweight in boxing Byrd doesn’t believe Briggs could beat.
Yes, including Anthony Joshua. Byrd said during a press conference Tuesday to promote Briggs’ WBA heavyweight title fight against Fres Oquendo on June 3 that Briggs would knock out the unbeaten British knockout artist if they fought.
“Seeing him put in work every day, seeing him get hyped about the fight, this is what it’s about,” Byrd said. “I’m gonna tell you, and I’m being very honest – he’s the best heavyweight in the world right now. I see these young guys, Anthony Joshua. I seen Klitschko. We’re watching the fight, and I’m like, ‘He’ll knock him out.’ He’ll knock out Anthony Joshua. A young cat. He ain’t even 30 years old. This man 45 years old, still putting in that kind of work. Like I said, I know heavyweights. And man, explosive. It’s scary. Let’s go, champ.”
The 27-year-old Joshua is 19-0 (19 KOs), fresh off a dramatic comeback knockout of former champion Wladimir Klitschko (64-5, 53 KOs) and the 6-feet-6, 250-pound IBF/IBO/WBA heavyweight champion is 18 years younger than Briggs. But Briggs, who hasn’t been stopped since Lennox Lewis beat him by fifth-round TKO in March 1998, remains a big puncher and is 9-0 (8 KOs) against modest opposition since launching a comeback three years ago.
“Being around him in boxing, it’s crazy knowing the amount of talent he has,” said Byrd, who trains Briggs along with Stacey McKinley. “It’s crazy when we talk and we talk boxing. And he’s 45 years old and he still wanna learn, which is crazy because a lot of older guys already think they know everything. Shannon wanna pick and learn everything. He wanna win the fight so bad, he’s like, ‘Man, I wanna do what I can do best here in this camp, so I can be best in the ring.’
“And I believe it. And I’m telling you, as a heavyweight, as a smaller heavyweight who moved up to heavyweight, fighting these big guys, it’s scary when this guy get in front of me because of the amount of ability he have. The power, the speed, the explosiveness, the athleticism – at 45 it’s crazy.”
Byrd, a 1992 Olympian from Flint, Michigan, went 41-5-1 (22 KOs) and won the IBF and WBO heavyweight titles during a 16-year pro career that ended in 2009.
Briggs (60-6-1, 53 KOs, 1 NC), of Hollywood, Florida, the WBA’s No. 4 heavyweight contender, and the fifth-ranked Oquendo (37-8, 24 KOs), a Chicago native, will fight for the vacant WBA world heavyweight title June 3 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.