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Shannon Briggs says stuff
By Benny Henderson Jr www.DoghouseBoxing.com
November 11th on HBO at the Mecca of boxing Madison Square Garden in New York City, American heavyweight contender Shannon ‘The Cannon’ Briggs, 47-4-1 (41), will be set to fire off at will against the towering IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, 46-3 (41), in a scheduled twelve round clash for the Ukrainian’s IBF strap in a bout humorously described by Briggs as “the battle between the big white guy and the big black guy, Godzilla throwing down with King Kong!”
But although the down to earth challenger was amusing and quite affable at times during the interview, his outlook on this fight is of a man who is completely determined to wreak serious havoc on his opponent and earn the heavyweight hardware.
It is an opportunity that the thirty-four year old former world title challenger doesn’t want to squander.
“I have been looking forward to this chance,” Briggs told Doghouse Boxing in an exclusive interview. “This is the opportunity that I have been waiting on for a long time. When I fought Foreman I was just a kid and didn’t fully understand the magnitude of being on the top, now I fully understand what being champion means, and beating Klitschko doesn’t only change my life but it changes my kids lives and their kids lives as well, so I am going to seize this moment.”
The Brooklyn born fighter has gone on a tear sine losing out to Jameel McCline by unanimous decision in April of ’02. Since then Briggs has banged out eleven consecutive victories, knocking out every fighter who has crossed his path. His KO résumé includes victories over John Sargent (TKO 1), Abraham Okine (TKO 3), Ray Mercer (KO 7) and one of
the most vicious knockouts in recent memory other than Allan Green versus Jaidon Codrington when Briggs put a solid hurting on Dicky Ryan that ended with a sadistic right hand that had the ‘Raging Bull’ looking lifeless and limp on the canvas for several minutes.
Even with the success Briggs still received a tongue lashing from many members of the media for the quality of his opposition.
“We have been taking every fight that we could take to stay busy,” explained Briggs’ manager Scott Hirsch. “And we weren’t just going to wait around. His opponents have been tough fighters and since Shannon and I hooked up a year ago, his overall opponents’ records have been 173-21, and now with this big one here Shannon will be at his best.”
Briggs has taken the praise along with the criticism from the media like a trooper.
“It is what it is,” said the unflappable Briggs. “At one time it was great, I was with Teddy Atlas and the media had good things to say, as soon as we parted ways some of the punk a** writers were scared of Atlas so Briggs became the devil of boxing, he had no heart no chin, no stamina, it was like I had a bull’s eye on my head. Especially after the Wilson loss, everybody dished on me, but that taught me a few things, sometimes you just get kicked on, but one thing Shannon never pulled out of fights. I fought McCline for the money, I had no sparring and I ran out of gas, and I became a target for the press, but man…everything that happened to me in the past has gotten me where I am today, and like I said I am going to seize this moment, but I don't hate Teddy or the press, I got nothing but love for everyone, there's too much hate in this world.”
In search of heavyweight gold Team Briggs has added on the former super featherweight contender Jeff Mayweather to their team.
“I still have to give Miltan Lacroix credit for what he done for me, but Jeff is the man,” said Briggs of the newest member of Team Cannon. “He has taken a heavyweight fighter and turned him into a welterweight, Jeff was a great add to the team.”
Mayweather revealed that the feelings are mutual.
“The chemistry has been great, Shannon has an outgoing personality, and although we are a team we respect each other as men, so it isn’t just a fighter-trainer relationship,” said Mayweather. “It is a great situation, Shannon is one of the most talented big men I know, he has fast hands and can move well, he has learned to relax and has a good defense.”
Briggs will be facing one of the premier heavyweights in the game in Wladimir Klitschko, a fighter only a fool would take lightly. And with the two heavy-handed heavyweights racking up eighty-two knockouts between them it would appear that somebody is going to see say goodnight.“
I can’t see this one going the distance,” said Mayweather. “Shannon is faster and can take a better punch than Klitschko. Wladimir doesn’t like to get roughed up, and he doesn’t want this to be an all out war, but Shannon is in shape and Shannon works harder than I have seen any other heavyweight work. I see a big difference in Shannon.”
Hirsch concurs with Mayweather’s sentiment.
“You will see Shannon at his career best on November 11th, he has been working towards this night for the last four and half years,” said Hirsch. “Coming off heavyweight bores like Brock vs. Ibragimov, Rahman vs. Toney and Ruiz vs. everyone, this fight can reignite the heavyweight division. You'll see fireworks; it will be exciting while it lasts.”
The fighter himself feels the same way about this match-up.
“I am ready for this fight, we both are heavy punchers, I have a lot of KO’s and Wladimir has a lot of KO’s, so this is going to be a great fight, Godzilla versus King Kong, a big white guy and a big black guy,” laughed Briggs. “I am not only bringing the belt back to America but just as Tyson, Bowe, Eddie Muhammad and Judah, I am bringing it back to Brownsville, back to the fans. I love my fans man. And come November 11th Wladimir Klitschko and Emanuel Steward are going to be blaming Benny for hooking me and Jeff up together, because we are going to go in there to kick a** and piss a bunch of people off. This my dream and I will not give up on it, and I haven’t given up on it, even after the Wilson fight, I never lost the dream. I knew that someday I'd be heavyweight champion of the world and I'm still living the American Dream, and I am not just fighting for myself, this is for all the people I grew up with in Brooklyn and all the hard working people across America, we are going to kick a** and bring it back home!”
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Originally Posted by Lyle
LMFAO! what a fucking joke ! If you can't beat a guy named Dick Ryan who you gonna beat? LMFAO 
But by the time you get the thought of what may happen the fight may very well already be over 
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