Shannon Briggs

Shannon Briggs is a retired American boxer who has been in the professional boxing scene for over two decades. Throughout his career, Briggs has proven to be a formidable puncher and has left a lasting legacy in the heavyweight division. With a record of 60 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw, and 1 no-contest, Briggs has made a name for himself in the boxing world.

Born on December 4, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York City, Briggs started his professional boxing journey in 1992. He was trained by Teddy Atlas and had an unbeaten streak of 25 fights before suffering his first loss against Darroll Wilson in a third-round knockout in 1996. Although the loss hurt his status as one of the upcoming heavyweight boxers, Briggs remained persistent, and his efforts eventually paid off.

In November 1997, Briggs fought against the lineal champion George Foreman in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in what proved to be a controversial fight. Briggs won via majority decision with one judge scoring it a draw and the other two scoring it in Briggs' favour. The win provided Briggs with the lineal heavyweight title, and he went on to defend it against several opponents before losing it to Lennox Lewis in March 1998.

During his career, Briggs won two world titles at heavyweight – the lineal title in 1997-98 and the WBO title in 2006-07. In 2005, Briggs put on an impressive performance by beating Ray Mercer via a dominant seventh round KO. A few months later, he won the WBC heavyweight title from Luciano Zolyone, beating him via a first-round KO. He remains the only fighter to win a world title with a first-round knockout.

From 1998 to 2006, following his defeat by Lennox Lewis, Briggs spent seven years fighting lower-ranked opponents. He scored 17 wins, all by knockout, 2 losses, and 1 majority draw against Frans Botha in 1998. His notable wins were against Ray Mercer, Brian Scott, Luciano Zolyone, Dicky Ryan, and Chris Koval.

In 2006 Briggs won the WBO heavyweight title when he knocked out Sergei Liakhovich in the final round of their fight. Briggs won the fight, having lost on all three judges' scorecards up until the final round, with a score of 106-103, 106-103, and 105-104 respectively. Briggs would go on to have one more title defense against Sultan Ibragimov in 2007 but would lose via unanimous decision.

In 2010, Briggs returned to the boxing scene and fought Rafael Pedro, Dominique Alexander, and Rob Calloway, defeating them all via a first-round knockout. He then went on to challenge Vitali Klitschko for the WBC heavyweight title. The fight, called "Thunderstorm", took place on October 16, 2010, in Hamburg, Germany. Briggs lost the fight via a clear unanimous decision, during which he took a severe beating. After the fight, he was treated in the hospital and was found to have suffered a left orbital fracture, a broken nose, and a cut lip.

Briggs suffered his last professional fight in May 2016 against Emilio Zarate, whom he defeated via a first-round knockout. Although he has not fought professionally since then, he remains an influential figure in the boxing community.

Throughout his career, Briggs has been known for his formidable punching power with an 88.3% knockout-to-win percentage and 37 knockout wins in the first round. In 2015, Lennox Lewis stated that Briggs had the fastest hands and best punching power of any opponent he ever faced, cementing Briggs' legacy as one of the greats in the heavyweight division.

In conclusion, Shannon Briggs is an iconic figure in the boxing world. With two world heavyweight titles, numerous notable wins, and an impressive record, Briggs' legacy remains a significant part of the sport's history.

Shannon Briggs Fight Record