Shannon Briggs Might Get Title Shot against Vitali Klitschko
When Shannon Briggs started on the comeback trail in late 2009, few people thought that it would amount to much. The former world title contender was one day short of his 38th birthday when he knocked out Marcus McGee in the first round. The fact that the was suspended for 90 days and had the results changed to a no contest after Briggs tested positive for a banned substance (which he said was to control his asthma) seemed to confirm the belief that Briggs’ comeback was not to be taken seriously.
However, things have changed significantly in the last six months. Briggs (51-5-1, 45 KOs) fought three times within the span of six weeks after returning from his suspension, winning all of them by first round knockout. While none of the wins have been against anything other than journeyman fighters, it’s been enough to earn the respect that Briggs has been looking for during his comeback.
On the surface, it’s tough to imagine that beating fighters like Rafael Pedro, Dominique Alexander and Rob Calloway would earn much of anything other than yawns. However, Briggs has found himself suddenly elevated back into the world title picture. In fact, recent reports have suggested that Briggs could be getting a world title shot sooner than almost anyone would have anticipated.
WBC heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko has been in negotiations with former heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev for some time. However, it appears that talks between the two camps have broken down over what Klitschko’s people feel are unreasonable contract demands being made by Valuev and his promoter Don King. Instead, Klitschko is considering a fight against Briggs this fall.
While it would have seemed impossible that Briggs would be getting a title shot just six months ago, it now appears that a fight against Klitschko is not only going to happen but is welcomed by many people within the sport. HBO Sports executives have recently said that they were not interested in broadcasting heavyweight fights because of a lack of interest in the division by American fans. However, media reports suggest that HBO Sports has given the go-ahead to a bout between Klitschko and Briggs in New York and is on-board with airing it.
The fact that Briggs is getting a title shot after three victories against opponents of dubious skills speaks volumes about the current state of the heavyweight division. Klitschko is fighting Briggs rather than taking on the number one contender for his WBC crown: Odlanier Solis, the 2004 Olympic gold medallist. There’s little doubt that the fast, skilled Solis would be a more dangerous opponent for Klitschko than Briggs. However, Briggs is clearly the fighter who would attract more interest from American fight fans and Klitschko is keen to establish his name in his adopted country.
Both fighters are 38 and they both have significant power. However, Klitschko has beaten some of the elite boxers in the heavyweight division over the past decade while Briggs has spent most of the decade beating journeyman fighters and losing when he stepped up in class. His one quality win in his career came in November 2006 when he defeated Siarhei Liakhovich for the WBO heavyweight title; however, he was easily beaten by Sultan Ibragimov in his first title defence seven months later.
Briggs likely won’t be able to beat Klitschko if they meet – Klitschko is simply too talented and fast for Briggs, who will stand in front of fighters and give them an easy target. Both fighters have great power, which should make the fight entertaining if not particularly competitive. But perhaps for Briggs, just getting to the summit one more time will be reward enough for his comeback efforts.
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