By Mark Hepplestall: Former World Boxing Organization WBO) heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs (51-5-1, 45 KO’s) came in on the scales at 262 lbs, which was 22 pounds more then he has been saying he will come in at, considering he is challenging for the WBC Heavyweight title against champion Vitali Klitschko (40-2, 38 KO’s) I thought he would at least show up in shape for the fight. Unfortunately his flabby exterior and very small legs when compared to his upper body make him look like The Great Pyramid upside down. It’s clear to all to see that he is not built for the 12 rounds but maybe only a 4 round dash.

What should be in Shannon’s mind is that Vitali is used to fighting guys who stream roll him for the first half of the fight get nowhere and realize that they can only survive to preserve their already dying name. Names like Chris Arreola, Sam Peter, Corrie Sanders etc

The question is does Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs bring anything new to the table that the other fighters above haven’t? The answer is no, Briggs and Corrie sanders have the same height and similar power and rely on that to win; it didn’t help Corrie in his 8th round TKO loss to Vitali. Shannon doesn’t have the stamina of Chris Arreola and Arreola weighs only 6 lbs less than Briggs, they also have the same height, reach and tactical ability which is low by the way.

To be honest Shannon brings more to the table then Sam Peter does but as demonstrated in his last few fights he can only beat C opposition and when he steps up he is totally outclassed and demolished.

Shannon Briggs has been saying in articles and radio stations that he is going to KO Vitali Klitschko, based on what we have seen in the weigh in, he only has a chance in the first 4 rounds and has to hope that Vitali starts very slow. It is obvious that Shannon has trained for sheer power in training; it looks like he has neglected the road work and the sparring as shown by his flabby belly, Shannon cannot last the full 12 and should try and take Vitali out fast. Vitali can win at anytime but is most likely to win after the 6th round when Briggs is feeling the pace. The biggest worry for Briggs is his asthma, if he starts fast and doesn’t get the desired result it’s going to be very hard for him to breathe after 4 rounds.

Overall my prediction is Vitali by TKO in the 7th round.