By Dave Lahr: WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (40-2, 38 KO’s) really stepped in it when he made some comments about Shannon Briggs and his asthma condition. The comment got Briggs’ kettle to a boiling and now he really wants to knock Vitali out like no tomorrow. If you thought Vitali had it bad before, he’s really got a backside kicking coming to him for opening his trap about Briggs’ breathing problems. Briggs sent out a press release today, saying “I am now personally dedicating my knockout punch to the sufferers of asthma worldwide that Vitali has offended. I plan on being a three-time world champion who respects people and their challenges.”
I can hear where Briggs is coming from and I hope he knocks Klitschko out when he meets up with him next month on October 16th, at the O2 World Arena, Altona, in Hamburg, Germany. Asthma condition aside, Klitschko is facing someone with power that he hasn’t in long, long time.
The last time Klitschko faced someone that can punch like Briggs was when he almost had his face torn clean off by Lennox Lewis seven years ago in 2003. Klitschko lost that fight by a 6th round stoppage and looked like Frankenstein by the time the referee stepped in to save him from being officially knocked out. Briggs not has the power, but he has the size and the hand speed to go along with it. Whatever he hits, he’s going to tear and possibly break.
I’d be surprised if Klitschko makes it to the 6th round, because he’s older now and has much slower reflexes compared to seven years ago when Lewis did him. Klitschko is going to come out throwing his lazy jabs and left hooks and is immediately going to get met with overhand rights and heat seeking left hooks.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Briggs takes him out immediately in the 1st round after staging him with a big shot. But most likely, Briggs will start to rip Klitschko’s face apart piece by piece and have him bleeding badly as the fight progresses towards the fifth and 6th rounds. By then, I see Briggs either stopping Vitali with a howitzer cannon shot or having him bleeding so badly that the referee will have to step in to save Vitali from bleeding too much. It’s going to look bad. It would be better for Vitali if he gets stopped with a single shot rather than having Briggs cut him to pieces with lancing shots to the head.
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