Former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs arrived in London today, and he says he is looking to fight, “Whoever the British people want me to fight.” Briggs may be well into the veteran stage of his long career and he may be way past the force he once was, but the New Yorker remains both a good talker and a fan attraction.
It’s no secret Briggs wants a big fight with Britain’s David Haye – and he today told Sky Sports how he has “been looking for him [Haye] everywhere” – but the man who once beat the great George Foreman and gave the also great Lennox Lewis a helluva fight says he is open to fights with any of the big-name British heavyweights, including Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
Briggs is here to make plenty of noise, make no mistake about it!
“I’m looking for him [Haye] right now, I’ve been everywhere. I’ve been everywhere looking for him,” Briggs told Sky Sports. “I’m looking for you, I’m looking for Fury, I’m looking for Joshua, I’m looking for everybody. I’m a butcher champ, I don’t care what I eat, I don’t care what I cut, I just want to get cutting. Whoever the British people want me to fight. Fury, Joshua, Haye, those are the big names, I’m here for the big boys. I bought a one-way ticket. I’m not leaving. I might just stay here for a couple of years and just knock people out.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqbM4NLmkxE
But is 44-year-old Briggs, 59-6-1(52) still capable of knocking out anyone that isn’t a journeyman or a club fighter? Briggs might have won his last eight fights, all but one of them by KO, but during this time he hasn’t gone anywhere near a ranked contender. Does Briggs still have a real hunger to fight, or is he merely seeking a big payday? No doubt, Briggs can still sell a fight, and against a Joshua or a Haye, he could pocket a $million or close to it and then fly home. But at what cost to his health? No-one who saw the fight against Vitali Klitschko will forget the quite sickening beating a brave/foolhardy/stubborn (take your pick) Briggs took back in 2010. A lengthy stay in hospital was needed, but here we are now, hearing Briggs call out big and dangerous punchers such as Joshua and Haye.
Briggs is a popular character and he is a whole lot of fun. But let’s all hope he doesn’t get hurt in a fight while he’s over in the UK. Briggs has paid the sport his dues and he has also entertained us for a number of years. It would be nice if the former champ’s story ended on a happy note, not another one-sided beating.
As of writing, Briggs remains a possibility for Haye’s still to be announced May 21st opponent at The O2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbUXMcJro_c