By Dave Lahr: After Shannon Briggs destroyed Siarhei Liakhovich to capture the World Boxing Organization heavyweight title, Briggs wanted to take on IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and unify the heavyweight titles. But Wladimir instead opted to fight the much weaker punching Ray Austin and took him out in two rounds in March 2007. Why didn’t Klitschko fight Briggs when he had the chance staring him in the fight?

Was it because Briggs was too dangerous for him? I remember Briggs saying he wanted to send Wladimir into retirement. I think Briggs may have scared Klitschko away by making that comment, because he didn’t take Briggs up on his offer. It seems like a no-brainer to me. Who would you fight – Briggs or Austin? I know if I wanted to get the American boxing fans interested in seeing the fight and if I was interested in building a fan base in the U.S., I would have chosen Briggs. But what did Wladimir do? He chose Austin.

Is it any wonder then why HBO no longer shows Klitschko’s fights on their network? Wladimir didn’t take the fights like this that would have helped make him a big star in America. Briggs obviously was a high risk opponent and with Wladimir’s weak chin, I guess he didn’t want to take any chances that he might get knocked cold by Briggs.

You can’t say that Wladimir chose a more exciting fighter in Austin, because he clearly wasn’t as popular or as big a puncher as Briggs was and is. I see that move by Wladimir as a classic case of ducking a dangerous threat. Briggs looked dangerous and Wladimir chose the safe route in fighting Austin.

It’s these little things like this that really has kept Wladimir from becoming the star that some people thought he would be when he turned pro in 1996 after winning an Olympic Gold Medal in the super heavyweight division in the 96 Olympics.