Boxing Experts: Briggs Could Pull Upset!

By Andre Courtemanche

Judging by his comments during the Ike Quartey/Vernon Forrest fight last Saturday, HBO color man Larry Merchant doesn’t think much of Shannon Briggs’ chances against Wladimir Klitschko in their proposed showdown for the IBF Heavyweight Championship (scheduled for November 11 in New York City).

Some of the top trainers in boxing say they disagree. A quick sampling of ten of the sport’s best reveals that most give Briggs a surprisingly good chance at springing the upset.

Roger Bloodworth (David Tua, Robbie Peden, etc.)

Which Briggs and which Klitschko? I’m not being facetious or political. I’m saying that since Klitschko got knocked out, he hasn’t shown a willingness to fight. He’s shown a propensity for boxing, which is smart on Emanuel’s part. He did a good job against Samuel Peter. If he’s able to keep Briggs on the outside, he’ll outbox him. But if he can’t, then Briggs has a good chance of knocking him out. I don’t think his chin is very good at all, although he said he was “drugged,” (in his KO loss to Brewster). I think he didn’t realize how much leather he was taking that night. He overdosed on it (laughs).

Eddie Mustapha Muhammad (Johnny Tapia, Iran Barkley, James Toney)

Basically, Shannon is big and strong. Shannon would have to get his defense together, and he has a great trainer to get his defense together. What he has to do is put pressure on Klitschko, A LOT of pressure. Shannon can punch. He has to put his hands up, chin down and bang Klitschko to the body and on his arms and make him fight. Move his head side to side and keep that pressure on him. Dig to the body and arms and muscles. He can beat Klitschko. We all know he doesn’t have the biggest heart in the word. If you quit once, you’ll quit again. This is the fight game. There are no time outs. The key factor is Brownsville. Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, myself, and Shannon are all from Brownsville. And we all know how it feels to have something and then not have it anymore and want to get it back. We have an old saying from our neighborhood: somebody asks where you from, you say “Brownsville. Never ran, never will.’

Stacy McKinley (Mike Tyson, Ricardo Mayorga)

The way I see it, this is the first time in a long time you have two big men with so much similarity. They’re both big with good jabs and devastating right hands. As far as skills and tech, they’re equally matched. I think this particular fight will come down to the corners. The corners will win or lose the fight and I have to go with Emanuel Steward (Klitschko’s trainer) in that department. If Shannon wants it bad enough, he stands a good chance but like I said, it’ll probably come down to who has the better corner and I think Emanuel is one of the best.

Floyd Mayweather Sr. (Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr.)

To be honest, I think Briggs got a very good chance, depending on what Briggs comes in. If Briggs comes in to fight the man; Klitschko is a scared fighter anyway. I don’t think either Klitschko brother takes a great punch. Briggs has a very good chance. The whole thing depends on which Shannon Briggs comes in. If he comes with heart and determination to win, those Klitschko guys will fold. I think he has a chance. I won’t say he’ll win, but there’s a good chance.

Mathew Drayton (Jameel McCline)

If Shannon comes in, in shape and don’t go trying to put on weight to be strong, I think he’ll do alright. He can punch. It’s going to be a good fight. The only thing Shannon has to do is go in, in shape. If he does, he can come out a winner. If he trains half-ass and is slow, Klitschko may take him out. Other than that, Shannon Briggs has a good chance of wining this fight, but he has to be in shape and have his weight right and take the right precautions.

Miguel Diaz (Miguel Cotto, many others)

It will be very interesting because Klitschko is one of the top heavyweights and the other kid is a little bit off boxing for a while, but he’s on a good streak. I saw him (Briggs) in Puerto Rico and he almost killed the guy. I saw him at the Warriors show recently and he looked like he’s in great spirits. It’s exactly what he needs; he’s an emotional fighter. I worked for him one time and it was the only time I went to the dressing room and the fighter was listening to classical music. Chopin! Right now he’s on a good streak and I think it will be interesting. He’s got a lot of ability and I understand he’s with good people now too. I think this is his last chance, so that’s why he’ll make the fight. Klitschko is a good fighter, but he’s nothing you can’t beat. You saw him fight against Samuel Peter, who knocked him down. He’s got his faults. He’s got a lot of ability too but he’s got his faults. It will be very interesting. I can’t predict who will win. It’s 50/50.

Yoel Judah (Zab Judah)

Shannon Briggs is a good fighter and he has come back with some good wins. You have to give the edge to Klitschko but these are heavyweights, man. One punch can end it. I think Briggs has a real chance to win. If he comes in with his hard right hand and a “do or die” attitude, he has the power, hand speed and experience to upset Klitschko. If he doesn’t come in with that kind of an attitude, Klitschko will take him out.

Jimmy Glenn (worked with Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, etc.) If Briggs gets in good shape, he can win the fight. Briggs is a good fighter. I predict Briggs by knockout.

Marshall Kauffman (Kermit Cintron, Julian Letterlough, Travis Kauffman)

I like Klitschko. I think if Briggs has any chance, it’ll be early, in the first three rounds. After that, I could see Klitschko dominating. I think everybody that is a Klitschko fan will be on the edge of their seats for the first three rounds because Brigs is a heck of a puncher and very aggressive but his stamina has always been an issue. But for the first three to four rounds, you’ll be on the edge of your seats if you’re a Klitschko fan.

Pat Burns (Jermain Taylor)

It’s real simple. I’ve known Shannon for a long time and I’ve seen him at 330 lbs and at 240 lbs and if he’s 250-ish, he’s a very competitive tough, tough guy that is quite capable of winning. If he comes in heavy, he’ll be good for four rounds and that’s it. It’s all up to Shannon. He has an enormous amount of talent. It’s all about weight. If he’s not carrying a piano on his back, he’s competitive. If he is too heavy, he won’t be in a very good situation he wills struggle, that my feeling. I’ve always wanted to work with Shannon because you can just see he has all the gifts, but maybe the reason I never have is that I’m not one of the “yes” men he’s always surrounded himself with.