By Michael Marley
Shannon Briggs is an acquaintance, mainly by phone, of garrulous British heavyweight hopeful David “Hayemaker” Haye.
Now retired, the two-time former world heavyweight champions doesn’t want to offend his own fans in England or Klitschko Brothers hotbed Germany so he’s not coming out and picking the soft-chinned but hard-hitting Haye to upset Wladimir on July 2 in their titanic battle in Hamburg.
But Briggs does like the cut of Haye’s jib and his bold, trashtalking demeanor.
“David and I spoke on this fight,” Briggs said Monday by phone from his South Florida office. “David saw how I fought Vitali despite having only one good arm. He said he feels the guys the brothers have been knocking out are bums.
“David said my effort against Vitali inspired him. I told him he cannot stay at the end of Wladimir’s long jab. He’s got to cut the distance, get around that jab and go for the KO. He knows all that.
“I won’t pick the winner but I do see a vicious war coming up. David knows that winning this fight can be a life changer for him. He is really pumped up. I could tell that when we chatted two weeks ago.”
Briggs was introduced to Haye by business associate Kevin Brody. Briggs is involved in marketing for a company called Aqunity Interactive and is pushing an asthma medication called Zivair.
Briggs overcame chronic asthma and bronchitis to win the heavyweight crown twice.
As for Haye, he can sock like Briggs used to but freely admits he doesn’t have the granite like chin the Brooklyn born and raised ex-champ possessed.
