By Eric Thomas: Shannon Briggs (51-6-1, 45 KO’s) took a real pounding to WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (41-2, 38 KO’s) in Briggs’ failed attempt to capture another world title in Hamburg, Germany. Briggs, 28, paid a huge price for his challenge by suffering a bad left biceps tear, a broken nose and a fractured orbital bone under his left eye. In a press release sent from Briggs’ team, he says “I never gave up, even when my breathing was out of order and my arm injury kept me from being 100%.” I had known about the arm injury, but Briggs’ breathing problems are a new one. It must have been really bad for Briggs, because not only was his arm torn at the bicep, but he was also having problems breathing. And, of course, Vitali was really laying into Briggs with powerful right hands and constantly on the attack during the 12 round fight.

Briggs says “I came to the hospital Saturday night, strictly as a precautionary measure, and after several tests the doctors concluded there were no severe head injuries. However, I am still undergoing test to determine what kind of surgery I will need on my left bicep because of an injury I suffered in the first round of the fight.”

That would explain a lot about why Briggs was ineffective on offense. He always gives an full effort to try and knock his opponents out, even in the fights he’s lost. But against Vitali, Briggs was strangely passive and not showing any interest in mixing it up with the big Ukrainian. But if Briggs hurt his left bicep in the 1st round, that would explain why he didn’t attack and failed to do the things that he needed to do to get the win. Given an injury as serious as the one that Briggs suffered, he showed a lot of courage to fight through the pain for 12 rounds and refuse to quit.