by Geoffrey Ciani – WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (40-2, 38 KOs) will defend his title against Shannon Briggs (51-5-1, 45 KOs) on October 16 in Germany. Most observers are not giving Briggs much of a chance in this one. In fact, many are expecting a vintage performance from Dr. Iron Fist whereby he slowly wears Briggs down both mentally and physically throughout the fight en route to a wide points victory or late round stoppage. It is widely believed that Briggs has no more than a puncher’s chance and that Klitschko has what it takes to weather the storm in the event Briggs lands anything big early.
Despite views from the majority, Shannon Briggs represents a significant threat to Vitali Klitschko, and perhaps even his most dangerous foe available. Ever since he returned from an almost four year layoff to win back the WBC title from Sam Peter in October 2008, Vitali has shown a slow but steady decline in subsequent fights. Klitschko exhibited several chinks in his armor in victories against Juan Carlos Gomez, Chris Arreola, and most recently the unheralded Albert Sosnowski. Klitschko ultimately stopped these three in the later rounds. He also won a lopsided unanimous decision against a rather uninspired Kevin Johnson during this period.
The elder Klitschko is still showing normal signs of wear and tear, however. He is, after all, 39 years old. The former kick boxer was forced into premature retirement when he was injured during three separate training camps, each in preparation for a fight against Hasim Rahman in 2004. Since his return, he has seemed more cautious and less aggressive. He has a tendency to get caught flush more often, he no longer commits to his punches as he once did, and his reaction time has slowed noticeably. He still has a decent work rate and his stamina appears strong, but overall, Vitali just does not seem as comfortable as he once did inside the squared circle.
Watching Vitali’s visible decline, it has become evident that he is more vulnerable than ever. Regardless, with the lackluster contenders in today’s heavyweight landscape, he has still managed to get by and usually does so in dominant fashion. In order to beat Vitali, it would take a perfect storm scenario for most fighters—a situation where Vitali is at his absolute worst and a motivated would-be spoiler is primed to pounce on the opportunity. With Shannon Briggs, however, it does not require the same sort of ‘perfect storm’ scenario due to Briggs’ experience and superb punching power.
In addition to Klitschko’s fade, it is safe to assume his punching resistance is also not what it once was. Fighters tend to lose their ability to withstand punches as they age. A recent example of this would be when David Tua was floored for the first time in his professional career in his recent draw against Monte Barrett. It is also worth noting that the only two losses suffered by Vitali happened in fights where his body failed him physically as the result of a torn rotator cuff and a grotesque laceration on his eye in respective bouts against Chris Byrd and Lennox Lewis. Knowing that Klitschko was also forced into a four year hiatus due to physical problems, Briggs represents the worst type of opponent possible for him—someone with the ability to hurt him with something big early.
The upside for Klitschko is that Shannon has poor stamina and has shown a pattern of becoming extremely sluggish after the early going. So if Vitali can persevere and withstand any early trouble, there is a good chance he will coast. However, Briggs is probably going to get to him at some point or another as Vitali has shown more trouble avoiding incoming fire during recent fights. Therefore, Shannon Briggs represents an extremely tough challenge for Klitschko. In fact, he may well pose the hugest risk out there for someone showing the tell tale signs of a fighter on the slide.
Before Vitali battled Briggs, younger brother Wladimir Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) is set to defend his IBF/WBO titles in a rematch against Sam Peter (34-3, 27 KOs). The upcoming fights for both Klitschko brothers are more interesting than usual. Sam Peter and Wladimir Klitschko represent two fighters who have moved in opposite directions since they last met in a fight Wladimir won despite hitting the canvas three times. The fight between Briggs and the older brother is even more intriguing, however, because of Vitali’s descent and Briggs’ sheer fire power. Expect some fireworks in this one early, and do not be surprised if you see Klitschko on the canvas. After all, Briggs is a tremendous power puncher with great accuracy and impeccable timing. If Briggs does not take him out or seriously hurt him early, though, it should be a vintage night for Dr. Iron Fist.
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