Briggs says Klitschko meet inspired him to start boxing again
Today heavyweight Shannon Briggs, who has 45 KOs in 51 professional bouts, showed that his upcoming October 16 bout against Vitali Klitschko is personal. At a press conference he gave an anecdote about the older Klitschko brother saying that the two met personally at a restaurant in Los Angeles. At the time, Briggs was apparently 335 pounds, and after meeting Klitschko felt inspired to return to the ring and compete for the heavyweight title.
"I was fat and he touched my stomach. And in that moment right there I decided to come back," Briggs said. "He should have left me alone."
Briggs has had a tremendously interesting boxing career, and is mostly known for his dynamite power. Despite being out of professional circles for the last few years, he is a two-time heavyweight champion with more professional experience than Klitschko. He has faced Lennox Lewis, and even beaten former titlist George Foreman and Gold medallist Ray Mercer.
In 2006, he defeated Sergei Liakhovich in a thrilling 12th round knockout. Losing on the scorecards after 11 rounds, he opened up in the 12th and floored his opponent. Not letting him recover after getting up, Briggs pummelled Liakhovich on the ropes until finally knocking him out of the ring. Liakhovich landed flat on a ringside table, and the fight was stopped.
"I campaigned for this, I marketed myself,'' Briggs explained recently with respect to the Klitschko fight. “That was my whole motto coming back: If not me, who was going to bring it back? [...] I appreciate the opportunity Vitali has given me and I am going to take full advantage of it. He didn't need to fight me, but since this wasn't a mandatory fight he gave me the opportunity.''
Klitschko, who holds the WBO heavyweight title, said: "The only man who can defeat Vitali Klitschko is Vitali Klitschko. It will be an amazing, exciting fight, full of drama. Shannon is one of the most serious pretenders to the title."
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