Exactly how good is Shannon Briggs?

[Guest]

I'm pledging ignorance here and asking for guys... K-DOGG, Peanut Butter, anyone who wants to join in without flames and the like... to educate me here.

I've only seen Briggs twice, when he actually succeeded in making Big Len interesting, and this month when he succeeded in making the man behind the fight of the year... not interesting.

He seems actually pretty decent to me. Sure, he's got extreme limitations, but can he unify? He could take out Maskaev, surely? No?

As I said, I pledge total ignorance, educate me...

[BrooklynBomber]

I am downloading some sick ****
It involves a female, a ******* and a dog.
And I dont know yet who is gonna do who.

[BrooklynBomber]

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that it also involves a bathtub full of worms.

[Guest]

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that it also involves a bathtub full of worms.

That good, huh? What if he had his inhaler on hyperdrive, could he be good then?

[PBDS]

I'm pledging ignorance here and asking for guys... K-DOGG, Peanut Butter, anyone who wants to join in without flames and the like... to educate me here.

I've only seen Briggs twice, when he actually succeeded in making Big Len interesting, and this month when he succeeded in making the man behind the fight of the year... not interesting.

He seems actually pretty decent to me. Sure, he's got extreme limitations, but can he unify? He could take out Maskaev, surely? No?

As I said, I pledge total ignorance, educate me...

.....He is a very talented guy in that he has great speed and very good athleticism. He's also a very smart guy. The drawbacks are the Asthma/Stamina problems and he does seem a little mentaly weak when the going gets tough. He has huge punching power IMO and is capable of taking anyone out at any time. He is also capable of losing to most guys on a given night if things just don't go his way. He's an enigma and until he is consistent in the big fights I won't be convinced that he can do anything really big in the division. Hell, he looked disinterested and out of it for most of the Sergei fight and was seconds from losing.

[BrooklynBomber]

I think he gets easily frustrated and folds under pressure.
Also he is not very mobile.

[paul750]

Well he seemed to ruffle a few feathers by winning, didn't he? He's a big rangy guy, with power and fast hands. He's one of those guys you could say is dangerous every second they are in the ring. He is limited, his stamina seems quite bad and he also seems to have added too much bulk on his frame. I believe he has a shot at any of the champions.

[Guest]

.....He is a very talented guy in that he has great speed and very good athleticism. He's also a very smart guy. The drawbacks are the Asthma/Stamina problems and he does seem a little mentaly weak when the going gets tough. He has huge punching power IMO and is capable of taking anyone out at any time. He is also capable of losing to most guys on a given night if things just don't go his way. He's an enigma and until he is consistent in the big fights I won't be convinced that he can do anything really big in the division. Hell, he looked disinterested and out of it for most of the Sergei fight and was seconds from losing.

My 16,000th post just for you, Butter.

See, I've only seen him really against Big Len and he showed heart there, so maybe it's given me the wrong impression?


Also, I'm glad he did KO Lyncanthropy. Although I like Surging, he didn't deserve to win with that performance... Hell, Hopkins threw more punches in the Taylor fights than he did in that one.

[K-DOGG]

The thing about Shannon that has always chapped my ass is that he's not as good as he should be. He's got all the physical tools you could want as a heavyweight; but with a fatal flaw.....his mind. Shannon, as I've written before, appears to be of above average intelligence, which can be good; but the problem is, he has too much self-doubt...he thinks too much and enters "panic mode", or so it seems.

The only time he has looked promising against good opposistion, that I've seen, was when he lost to Lewis. And, that was primarily due to the confidence he'd gained with his "victory" over living legend, George Foreman. Confidence, you see, is the key. Even against Liakhovich, who seemed petrified either by the event or by Briggs from before the opening bell, Briggs was timid. He was scared of running out of gas.....my estimation, of course. You could almost read his thoughts: "What if I go all out and he survives?! Then I'm ****ed!" You could watch his breathing intensify the longer the fight went, the more the audienc booed him......I guarantee he was feeling it, thinking about it, and choking.


Can he unify? Oddly enough, yes...it is possible; but unlikely. He punches hard enough to kayo both Maskaev and possibly Klitschko. More than likely thought, when and if those fights take place, he'll hold back for fear of gassing out and the more aggressive fighter will win. Maskaev, I can see him stopping. Klitschko, I can see him dropping; but losing down the stretch as Wlad has learned important survival skills and would more than likely be able to take Briggs into the later rounds, where he could and probably would stop him. Valuev would stop Briggs too. His head's as big as a Buick; and given what I perceive as a psychological issue, Briggs would be so intimidated by Valuev's size that he would suffer an "asthma attack" and be stopped by the 5th or so.

That's my synopsis, for what it's worth.

[enadeus]

Well I made a thread about Shannon Briggs coming back big time a few months ago, of course everyone laughed at me.

Now that I've seen more and more, it seems that anyone who can get him in deep and land some good punches, can take him out. Shannon is just so big because he cut down on all the fat, so I don't know, he is a strong dude. I think that is the only thing holding him together + no one has really tested his chin since his comeback.