By Dave Lahr: Bernd Boente, the manager for World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (40-2, 38 KO’s), has put a good spin on Klitschko’s choice of 38-year-old Shannon Briggs (51-5, 45 KO’s) as Vitali’s next opponent on October 16th, saying in an article at Sportsillustrated.cnn.com, “This is going to be a dramatic fight between two of the biggest punching heavyweights.” I don’t how much drama we’ll get out of this fight, as Briggs is three years removed from the last time he fought a top heavyweight. Briggs was beaten by Sultan Ibragimov in 2007, losing his WBO heavyweight title. Ibragimov, a decent but not a great heavyweight, totally schooled Briggs, beating easily by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision. I see it as a dramatic mismatch against a fighter that should have at least beaten a top tier contender to get his title shot. I already saw Vitali beat up on Albert Sosnowski last time, and now he’s fighting another over-matched opponent.
Klitschko-Briggs
Vitali Klitschko to fight Shannon Briggs on October 16th in Hamburg
By Dave Lahr: In the latest boxing news, WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (40-2, 38 KO’s) has opted for what appears to be another easy mark in 38-year-old Shannon Briggs (51-5-1, 45 KO’s), who Klitschko will be fighting on October 16th in Hamburg, Germany. Having already taken on two easy marks in Kevin Johnson and Alberto Sosnowski in his last two fights, Klitschko dipped down once again in the rankings to select Briggs over arguably much more interesting and qualified heavy contenders Odlanier Solis, Tomas Adamek, Nikolay Valuev, Denis and Boytsov.
Shannon Briggs says he’s received a contract for bout with Vitali Klitschko – News
By Jason Kim: Former World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs (51-5-1, 45 KO’s), speaking to the BBC, said that he’s received a contract from WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (40-2, 38 KO’s) for a bout that is expected to be taking place on October 16th in Hamburg, Germany. Klitschko, 38, has yet to confirm that the fight is taking place.
However, Klitschko has reportedly been having problems trying to line up a fight against his number #1 choice opponent former WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev. If that fight isn’t going to be taking place, then it sounds reasonable that the 38-year-old Klitschko might opt to fight the 38-year-old Briggs in Germany. However, this is a fight that will likely only interest diehard fans of Klitschko and his German boxing fans, because Briggs hasn’t been very active in the past three years and doesn’t have a large fan base in the United States.
Shannon Briggs says he’ll be fighting Vitali Klitschko on October 16th
By Eric Thomas: Former World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion Shanon Briggs (51-5-1, 45 KO’s) is saying that he’ll be facing WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (40-2, 38 KO’s) on October 16th. In Briggs’ Twitter page, Briggs says “I’ll be fighting Vitali Klitschko October 16th. Bringing the title back to the USA. It’s on!” Briggs, 38 and Klitschko have been in talks for a fight for some time now. Klitschko was still hoping that there might be a chance for him to get a big money fight against former WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev. However, nothing has come of that potential fight. If what Briggs says is true, then Vitali will have a decent opponent for his next fight. Klitschko took out little known Alberto Sosnowski in the 10th round in his last title defense in May, in a fight that was one-sided from start to finish.
Vitali Klitschko could be fighting Shannon Briggs next – News
By Matt Stein: World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion Vitali Kitschko (40-2, 38 KO’s) could be facing former WBO heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs (51-5-1, 45 KO’s) in a battle of 38-year-old knockout artists. ESPN2 analyst Teddy Atlas dropped the bomb on this news on Friday Night Fights.