Shannon Briggs remains hospitalized after weekend beating
Former heavyweight champion Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs remains in a hospital in Hamburg, Germany, following his brutal defeat to WBC champ Vitali Klitschko Saturday night.
Briggs, who managed to go the distance without being knocked down, suffered bone fractures under both eyes, a broken nose, and a torn left bicep. He was hospitalized immediately following the fight and
initially placed in the intensive care unit.
Greg Cohen, who co-promotes Briggs, told ESPN.com that Briggs’s injuries were not life threatening, and that he was joking around after the fight. Cohen stopped by the hospital briefly and took a flight
back to the United States soon after.
"I wouldn't be here [in New York] if he wasn't OK," Cohen said to ESPN. "He was in intensive care after the fight for precautionary reasons. The injuries are not life-threatening. He's just banged up."
The older Klitschko brother devastated Briggs for 12 rounds, demonstrating his superiority in the heavyweight division. He was able to land over 300 punches, roughly as many as Briggs threw in the entire
fight. Briggs failed to land more than 10 punches in 11 of the 12 rounds of the fight.
"I am very surprised by how [punches] much he took," Klitschko said shortly after the bout. “He's got a huge heart. I could not believe he was still standing after taking so many punches."
Briggs offered his fair amount of praise, calling Klitschko “the best” out of all the champions he’s fought in his career. "I've fought George Foreman, I've fought Lennox Lewis, and Vitali's the best.
He hits harder than Foreman, he's got incredibly fast hands,” Briggs said.
With the win Klitschko is looking to engage WBA heavyweight champion David Haye, who has made no small effort to avoid Klitschko and younger brother Wladimir, the IBF/IBO/WBO/Ring title holder. Klitschko
said that he has offered Haye a 50-50 split for a fight, putting the onus on him.
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