By Patrick McHugh: Former WBO heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs says he’ll be back inside the ring in December. He’s not saying who his opponent will be other than it not being former two division world champion David Haye.
Briggs was hoping to get a fight against the 35-year-old Haye. Briggs even agreed to fight on Haye’s undercard last May in thinking that it would possibly lead to him getting a fight against him. The fight never materialized and now Briggs is moving on in another direction.
“I just got great news from #KrisLawrence @theheavyweightfactory ceo. I’ll be fighting in December,” said Briggs on his Instagram. “The show must go on. I scared 💩 out of #DavidFeathers aka @mrdavidhaye so now I have to go another route. What’s his excuse? You ain’t ready? I pulled your hair? I cyber bullied you? 😂😂😂 Your toe hurting again? 😂😂😂 I’m dying to see the pie they dig up for your next pie fight.”
Since returning to the ring earlier this year in his comeback after being out of the ring for almost four years, Haye has beaten Mark De Mori and Arnold Gjergjaj. It was thought that Haye would make a step up in competition in facing Briggs. However, Haye the fight never came off for whatever reason despite Briggs fighting on Haye’s undercard against Ezequiel Zarate.
Briggs looked very good in that fight in dispatching Zarate in one round. Some boxing fans think Briggs may have looked too good, because they reason that he may have scared Haye off with the way he obliterated Zarate.
“You can’t back out David Feathers 🐔🐔🐔 The great people of Great Britain they won’t let you live this down,” said Briggs about Haye. “You gave your word. I fought on your card. The people came out. Fear is imaginary. It’s in your mind. Well in this case 💩 real but you can do it. Sign.”
it doesn’t look like Haye is going to sign for a fight against Briggs no matter what he says. World Boxing Association president Gilberto Mendoza said that he’d like to have Haye back as his WBA heavyweight champion, and he says he could get a shot at a title in 2017 if not this year. That would mean that Haye would be fighting the winner of the Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne vs. Fres Oquendo fight. Those are both beatable fighters that Haye would likely defeat if given the chance. If Haye can lodge himself in as the WBA heavyweight champion, it would help potentially get bigger fights against IBF champion Anthony Joshua and WBA belt holder Tyson Fury. I’m not sure if Fury would ever fight Haye, but if he has a world title, he might.
Briggs is ranked No.6 with the World Boxing Association right now. He’s going to need to get active again for him to get ranked high enough to get a title shot against one of the world champions. Briggs is likely going to be ignored by the champions until he becomes a mandatory challenger if that ever happens.