Shannon Briggs has come out and claimed he has accepted a fight with Wladimir Klitschko, who is set to launch a comeback. 49-year-old Briggs spoke with Sky Sports’ Toe 2 Toe podcast today and he sensationally claimed he had been offered the fight with Klitschko, which he says he took instantly.
“Fate has it as it is, just today I accepted to fight Wladimir Klitschko in his comeback fight,” Briggs said. “You’re the first person to know it, my wife don’t even know this, she’s outside, she don’t even know this. You guys are the first people to know this, I swear to God, on my mother’s grave. No one knows this, you’re the first. They just called me today, I wanna say an hour ago, two hours ago, and said, ‘Hey, you wanna fight Wladimir Klitschko?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ I haven’t even told anybody yet. I’ve been on the phone with my other businesses. They didn’t have to ask me twice. I said, ‘Let’s go, champ!”
So is this legit, or is Briggs merely talking? It has been reported quite often how Klitschko, who last fought in April of 2017 when he lost in a terrific action fight with Anthony Joshua, has kept himself in tremendous physical shape. At age 45, Wladimir, if he did come back and challenge for the world title, would be in with a shout of breaking George Foreman’s record as the oldest man to regain the heavyweight crown (Foreman doing it at age 45 years and 10 months when he KO’d Michael Moorer back in 1994).
Maybe Briggs – who of course fought Vitali Klitschko some years back |(taking a fearful hiding over the 12 tough to watch rounds) – will indeed be Wladimir’s first fight back. Maybe not. Still, why would Briggs make up such a story, much less “swear to God, on my mother’s grave” about it?
The old adage in boxing is, they all come back. Just maybe Wladimir Klitschko will be the next former champion to return to the ring. If the fight does happen it will of course be a comeback for Briggs, who last fought back in May of 2016.
Klitschko is currently 64-5(53). Briggs is currently 60-6-1(53)