Shannon Briggs was involved in many a fire fight during his 24-year campaign.
The heavyweight from Brownsville, Brooklyn boasts the most first round knockouts in the division’s history, and was only stopped himself by two men – Darroll Wilson and Lennox Lewis.
Briggs was famously George Foreman‘s last opponent, winning a controversial decision against the record-breaking big man to send him into his second and final retirement.
However, after 12 brutal rounds with Vitali Klitschko, Briggs was impressed enough to label the great Ukrainian better than Lewis and more powerful than ‘Big’ George.
“It was one of the toughest fights of my life, it was a brutal fight. I’ve fought George Foreman, I’ve fought Lennox Lewis, and Vitali’s the best. He hits harder than Foreman, he’s got incredibly fast hands.”
Klitschko dominated Briggs over twelve on October 16, 2010, in Hamburg, Germany, to retain his WBC heavyweight title. The champion controlled the fight from start to finish with his stiff jab, sharp right hands, and relentless pressure, while Briggs absorbed tremendous punishment and refused to go down.
Despite the challenger’s courage, he offered little offense and suffered severe swelling by the final bell. The bout ended in a unanimous decision for Klitschko, further cementing his reign as one of the era’s most formidable heavyweight champions.
Klitschko made four more defences of the WBC belt before retiring in 2012. His brother, Wladimir, would keep up the family’s reign for a further three years before being dethroned by Tyson Fury.
