
Originally Posted by
The Shadow
It may come down to two notorious dopping athletes that have used steroids to promote their athletic abilities.
Briggs has fought a who's who list of bums and landed a title shot against a mediocre, at best, opponent.
So, in comes Klitschko and Briggs:
Briggs has fought fairly non-descript tomato cans as of late, and his previous opposition is lackluster at best.
A draw with Botha, a very controversial win against Foreman, a beat-down against Lennox and a UD loss against
my home-town boy, Jameel McCline.
Since 2003 he has gone on to fight nothing but a stable of hand-picked bums that posed no threat to him.
Klitschko, on the other hand, has stepped it up over recent years fighting much more game opposition. His bout against
Peter proved that his defensive are improving and he can get up off the canvas when hit by a big puncher; as was the case when
he fought and got KO'd by Sanders and Brewster (Although it's obvious to even the most vehement Klitschko detractor) that he
punched himself out in a fight with a guy with no quit in him.
Let's set the dopping issue aside momentarily and really break this down to it's basics:
Klitschko, like him or hate him, is the most athletically gifted HW in the division as of right now. Under the tutelage of Manny, he has
become increasingly resilient and adapting many of the methods that Lewis used late in his career to make him such an unstoppable
force.
Enter the chin factor:
Both fighters are rather chiny in many respects, but I can't see Klitschko letting a fight with Briggs go more than 5 rounds. Of course,
Briggs does pack a hefty punch (I remember he woke Lewis up in their bout with a good smack) which could give him the fighters chance
of scoring an upset. But I think this is simply wishful thinking for all of the Shannon fans out there.
There was a time when Briggs looked like a diamond in the rough, but his lackluster attitude and apathy toward the sport made him squander
the best of his years.
Klitschko, on the other hand, has fallen from high places on a number of occasions and fought his way back to the top. That says a lot to me.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about Briggs. Stopping an over-rated alphabet title-holder who gave a lackluster performance and looked
out of shape really doesn't do much to impress. Shredding his body at his age and having large swollen hands is indicative of HGH use. The only
problem with my 'theory' is that the half-life of HGH, when used for body-building, is quite short. It has to be measured by very expensive tests which
check the release of somatotropin from the pituitary gland. Dosages are regularly administered daily or bi-daily, and the half-life is nothing compared
to an anabolic antagonist. I know this from training with professional body-builders.
Shannon appears to be on the source, which would not bode well in a physically taxing fight with a very well-rounded, albeit flawed opponent of the likes
of Klitschko.
What we have to admire about this sport is that it is unlike most others. One punch at any point of the fight can change the outcome. It just seems to me that
Murphy's Law would dictate that the probability of Briggs pulling the upset is highly unlikely.
Nevertheless, Wladimir has a real contender on his hands with the likes of a very game and effective Calvin Brock, who is a certain step-up from the likes of
an old fighter like Shannon trying to pharmaceutically manufacture a rebirth from the days of apathy that plagued his early career.
But as I said before, in the sport of sports, anything is possible.
I leave this thread with one disclaimer:
My thoughts and 'theories' on both fighters dopping past are merely educated guesses. You can take all of that with a grain of salt.
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