A Klitschko Showdown: Shannon Briggs’ Last Chance

Briggs vs Wlad would be interesting i think, Shannon would just have to bum rush him and hope for the best, but if he can land something big you never know, also they are simmilar size i think. Briggs needs to prove he's a credible contender before Wlad/Vitali give him a shot. The last thing that boxing fans want to see is an overweight, unmotivated schlep in front of the champion. Sosnowski was overmatched but at least in came into the fight in impeccable shape... ________ Suzuki K125

Briggs has a good jab when he uses it, and works the body pretty well. He has two good hands, and can combination punch. His biggest downfall, other than his terrible stamina, is his very open defence. He's very uptight with no head movement. He'll certainly not outbox the Klitschkos, even if he has another lung added. His best bet is to just go out and try to blast them out.

James Toney or there ducking.

Briggs was not that special... hes kinda like every other 'shoulda coulda woulda' 90's HW

Briggs is actually a very skillful fighter. He has very sound fundamentals owing to his extensive amateur background.

The only way Briggs wins is to come out strong for the first 3 rounds cause that is all he has, 3 rounds of fighting

I've always wanted to see a Klitschko KO the loud-mouthed Briggs. If Briggs could get ONE win over a live (top 100) HW opponent first, I'd be all for the fight. But he's just been fighting shot cruiserweights who have been getting KOed a lot by other cruiserweights. I hope he beats someone better than Maddalone to get a shot at a title. He should fight Dimitrenko as his last fight before fighting for a title.

BH: I would like to know your thoughts on the Klitschko/Briggs fight? Emanuel Steward: Well I have always told Wladimir one of the most difficult fighters in the world that you could fight would be Chris Byrd, I have always had more respect for Chris and I wasn’t too much worried about Sam Peter. But I always said I had a lot of fear of Chris, because Chris is a cagey gifted fighter and he has been like that all of his life. And then I told him the next person and I never thought that we would be fighting him and that was Shannon Briggs, and Wladimir asked why and I told him because Shannon Briggs has the fastest hands than anybody with power and is physically a big man, and his biggest problem was him staying focused on training but if he ever gets intense he is the most difficult guy you could ever fight. For three or four rounds he is extremely dangerous, and I never thought that we would go from one who was the trickiest fighter and then to the most dangerous. Usually Wladimir can control guys because he is just physically too big, but that won’t be the case with Shannon, so for about three or four rounds it could be another one of those Lennox Lewis repeats. BH: A lot of people would bet that Briggs is going to come out after Wladimir going for the goal and just be swinging on him. ES: And when you have a big guy with fast hands and especially when he doesn’t slap, Shannon is a big man with full power punches, so I don’t care who it is if he comes early then you have a problem. BH: Can you speak a little on your keys to victory or a fight plan? ES: I can’t really say but I know one thing Wladimir is going to have to be very alert, and be ready to with stand a real rough storm. Samuel Peter is slow, he is going to throw just that one or two clubbing punches and that is about it, so I never had that much fear about him, but Shannon can put punches together, combinations with both hands and maintain good balance while he is punching, it is going to be a nightmare and we are going to try to with stand that storm, and hope that half way through the fight we start taking control. ................

Oh he hasn't beaten anybody to prove he deserves it. But he has a lot going for him: he's a big name, he can sell a fight, he has a personality, he has size and power. And he might even have a slight chance of winning. It's interesting for what it is. A Klitschko fight would most likely be his last ever bout, so he might give it his all. And if he gets his ass kicked, that will please a few people too. The Klitschkos could fight Marcus Rhode in Germany and sell tickets - that's how well they're doing over there. Briggs could be a pretty big fight.

Yawnnn this is the last guy I want to see fight. Everytime he loses he blames asthama or some other stuff when he just doesn't have the cardio to go 12. I understand Shannon Briggs wants another big payday (Klitschkos bring the biggest in division) but I'm not going to watch it and don't tell me try and make me believe he has a chance. Or even that he really cares that much about winning.

i'd root for him to crack one of the klitschko's chins

By Geno McGahee In the mid 1990s, there were several heavyweights on the way up. David Tua, Jeremy Williams, Andrew Golota, Larry Donald, Chris Byrd, Ike Ibeabuchi, Lou Savarese, were amongst the crop perceived to be the future of the heavyweight division, but none of them generated the buzz that an undefeated New Yorker by the name of Shannon Briggs did. Briggs had the look of a champion and carried a big punch. He would be featured on HBO in 1996 against the lightly regarded Darroll Wilson. Briggs would be stopped in three rounds and the hype balloon was burst. When you examine the early career of Briggs, you see that he was a spoon-fed fighter early on and the Wilson fight may have been too much, too soon. On the surface, his 22-0, 19 KO?s, record was impressive and the highlight reel of Briggs sending his opponents crashing to the floor was impressive, but this was a collection of no-hopers with a combined record of 197 wins, 305 losses, and 21 draws. Wilson was a leap in competition and when he didn?t fall down early as the others have done, Briggs panicked and lost his first bout. After four wins, Briggs would land a shot at Big George Foreman. Foreman saw Briggs as rather easy prey and after what Wilson did to him, imagine what a puncher like Foreman could do. Foreman, however, was beyond his better years and finding the mark wasn?t nearly as easy as it once was. Movement bothered him and Briggs employed movement to survive and would go on to win a controversial majority decision. The big opportunity would arise in his next fight against WBC Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis in 1998. Briggs rattled Lewis in the opening round, nearly dropping him, but Lewis proved to be too much and would stop Briggs in five rounds. After this fight, Briggs would fade away, losing to Sedreck Fields and Jameel McCline. In 2005, Briggs would begin to put his career back together, stringing together seven straight knockout wins, including one over former Champion, Ray Mercer, which led to a WBO Title shot against Sergei Liakhovich. Trailing on the cards, Briggs would land in the final round, sending the champion out of the ring with a barrage of punches and winning the title via TKO. The demand began to grow for Briggs to take on Wladimir Klitschko, but it soon disappeared again when Sultan Ibragimov lifted the WBO crown by unanimous decision. Briggs looked slow and confused in the fight. The demand that began to brew fizzled and disappeared and, once again, Briggs was seen as a non-factor, but this is heavyweight boxing and in this state of mediocrity, there is always a chance for a guy like Briggs to make some noise and get a shot at one of the Klitschko brothers. In 2010, Briggs has put together three straight first round knockout victories, one of which was over the journeyman, Rob Calloway. Calloway is a rather durable fighter with some skills. He won a decision over Terry Smith and went ten rounds with Jameel McCline, and had never been taken out in the first round. Briggs had no problem sending him to the floor numerous times en route to the first round victory. Now he is right back in line for a crack at one of the Klitschko brothers. With the lack of marketable opponents for the champions, Briggs is an ideal opponent. He is an American challenger with a big punch and a lot of charisma, but at 38, does he stand a chance of winning a major title at this advanced age? His recent run of first round knockouts is impressive, but it could be misleading. Former WBO Champ, Ray Mercer was on the comeback trail and put together some highlight reel stoppages from 1999 to 2002. He actually knocked two opponents clear out of the ring. Mercer, a likable and powerful fighter, was being talked about again and landed a bout with WBO Heavyweight Champion, Wladimir Klitschko in mid 2002. A left hook in the first round was a reality check for Mercer as he reached his feet and wobbled back to his corner. Mercer was no longer on this level. For six rounds, Wlad kept peppering Mercer with jabs and began to open up with combinations, eventually stopped Merciless Ray in the sixth round. Those growing up with Mercer that ignored his advanced age going into that fight were rudely awakened. His time has come and gone. At the age of 38, Briggs has many things going against him as he attempts to return to the top of the heavyweight division. He has had multiple issues with asthma. When a bout doesn?t end early, you can see Briggs slow down to a crawl, preserving what he has and making sure that he doesn?t lose to exhaustion. In one of his latest fights, he tested positive for an illegal substance. That headline alone could be enough for the Klitschkos to ignore him. Briggs is also not getting any younger and should IBO/IBF/WBO Champion Wladimir take on a guy like David Haye or Alexander Povetkin, while Vitali takes on Odlanier Solis or Nikolay Valuev, it could be 2011 or 2012 before Briggs is even considered for a shot. There haven?t been many 40 year old heavyweights to win the title. It?s not all bad news for Briggs. If he should get a crack, he has that ?puncher?s chance? that can never be overlooked. He would be a live underdog against either Klitschko, and would especially be a dangerous opponent for Wladimir. It would depend on which Briggs showed up as well. Briggs can be a destroyer as evident by his many early knockout wins, but he can also box from the outside, which would not be a good recipe for victory against Wlad or Vitali. He would have to blitz them and hope for the best. Another option is WBA Champion, David Haye. Should Haye not come to terms with Wladimir over specifics for a unification bout, perhaps the optional defense against Briggs would be considered. Haye would be the favorite but Briggs, once again, would bring the big punch and would have a decent chance to take the title. Shannon Briggs, 51-5-1, 45 KO?s, if he continues being active and winning, will eventually land a title shot and win or lose, he will bring some excitement to the title picture with his charisma and big punch. The odds are stacked against him but with the Klitschko?s hold of the division, there aren?t many fighters that enter the ring not being an underdog to take the title. *From Ringsidereport.com* No it's not. Fighting bums is not impressive... ________ Hash honey oil