Shannon Briggs

Shannon Briggs
Briggs in 2016
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Cannon
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Reach	80 in (203 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1971-12-04) December 4, 1971 Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	68
Wins	60
Wins by KO	53
Losses	6
Draws	1
No contests	1
Website	shannonbriggs.com
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Pan American Games 1991 Havana Heavyweight

Shannon Briggs (born December 4, 1971) is an American professional boxer. A twenty-year veteran of the sport, he held the lineal heavyweight title from 1997 to 1998, and the WBO heavyweight title from 2006 to 2007.

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, Briggs was homeless for a period in his childhood.^[1] At age 17, Briggs began training at Jimmy O'Pharrow's Starrett City Boxing Club in Brooklyn, NY. He was diagnosed with asthma as a child. Shannon's mother died due to a heroin overdose on December 4, 1986, Shannon's birthday in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY.^[2]

Amateur career

Briggs became New York City Golden Gloves champion, New York State Champion, National P.A.L. Champion and finished second place as a Heavyweight at the Pan American Games in 1991, losing the final to Félix Savón. In 1992 he became the United States Amateur Champion.

Highlights

Pan American Games:

• 1991 Pan American Games
  • Heavyweight (-91 kg/200 lb) silver medalist

United States national amateur boxing championships:

• United States national amateur heavyweight champion (-91 kg/200 lb)

Professional career

Early career

Briggs began his career in 1992 and was undefeated in his first 25 fights, and was trained by Teddy Atlas. He suffered his first loss when he was knocked out in three rounds by undefeated Darroll Wilson in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1996. The fight was broadcast on HBO and was a showcase of young heavyweight fighters.^[3]

Lineal championship

Briggs vs. Foreman

Coming into the fight, Briggs sported a 29–1 record with 24 of his wins came by way of knockout and fighting a total of 86 rounds. However, despite his record, his one loss had been a third round knockout against Darroll "Doin' Damage" Wilson on HBO the previous year which halted his momentum and hurt his status as one of the premier up-and-coming heavyweights.^[4] However, realizing that a win over Foreman would get him back into contention, Briggs vowed to be ready for the fight stating that he was "confident that I can go in and fight for 12 rounds and win a decision."^[5]

After capturing the WBA and IBF titles from Michael Moorer late in 1994, George Foreman forfeited both titles but retained the lineal championship and successfully defended that crown (as well as the lowly regarded WBU heavyweight title) against then-undefeated prospects Crawford Grimsley and Lou Savarese. Following his win over Savarese, Foreman fought Briggs.

The fight

The fight was controversial as Briggs ultimately picked up the victory by way of majority decision. Through the course of the fight, Foreman landed more punches and had a higher percentage of his punches land than Briggs. Foreman landed 284 of his 488 punches for a 58% success rate while Briggs only landed 45% of his punches, going 223 for 488. Foreman made $5 million. Briggs got $400,000^[6]

Foreman spent much of the fight as the aggressor while Briggs spent a lot of the fight retreating. In the later rounds Foreman's power punches seemed to take a toll on the younger Briggs, as he began slowing down and all but abandoned his tactic of moving away from Foreman and was hit from some heavy shots as a result. In the 12th and final round, Foreman tried hard for a knockout victory and was able to break Briggs' nose but was unable to score a knockdown. As a result, the result went to the judge's scorecards.

One judge scored the fight a draw at 114–114 while the other two had the fight scored 116–112 and 117–113 in favor of Briggs, giving him both the majority decision win and the Lineal heavyweight title.^[7]

"March Badness"

After Lennox Lewis successfully defended his WBC title in a dominating first round knockout victory over Andrew Golota, he agreed to defend his title against the winner between Briggs-Foreman in the elimination bout organized by the WBC to determine who would become Lewis' next opponent. Though Foreman's promoters protested the result and Lewis instead turned his attention to a potential unification match with Evander Holyfield, Lewis ultimately agreed to defend his WBC championship against Briggs in a fight billed as "March Badness".^[8][9]

The fight

In the fifth round, Lewis knocked Briggs down for the third time with a powerful right hook at 1:09 into the round. Briggs laid flat on his back for five seconds but got back up at the count of eight and continued with the fight. After Briggs collapsed to the mat following a missed left hook, referee Frank Cappuccino stopped the fight and awarded Lewis the victory by technical knockout.^[10]

Career from 1998–2006

Since the loss to Lennox Lewis, Briggs spent seven years fighting against low ranked opponents. He went 17 wins, all by way of knockout, 2 losses, 1 by majority and 1 by unanimous decision and a majority draw versus Frans Botha in 1998. Notable wins were against Ray Mercer, Brian Scott, Luciano Zolyone, Dicky Ryan and Chris Koval.

WBO heavyweight champion

Briggs vs. Liakhovich

Shannon won the WBO heavyweight title when he knocked out Sergei Liakhovich in the last round of a November 4, 2006, matchup. After a lackluster 11 rounds which left the Arizona crowd restless, Briggs was losing on all three judges' scorecards (106-103 twice & 105-104). Briggs pressed the fight in the 12th round and knocked Liakhovich down. Briggs subsequently trapped him on the ropes and continued his assault, knocking Liakhovich out of the ring. Liakhovich landed on a ringside table, and the referee stopped the bout. If the referee had allowed the fight to continue after the second knockdown and Liakhovich had come back into the ring within 20 seconds, it would have resulted in a draw. The official time was 2:59.^[11]

Briggs vs. Ibragimov

In his first title defense Shannon Briggs was to face Sultan Ibragimov on March 10, 2007; however, Briggs pulled out of the fight because he was diagnosed with "aspirational pneumonia." The fight was rescheduled fifty days later in Atlantic City on June 2, 2007, with Briggs losing in a unanimous decision (111-117, 109-119, 113-115). At 273 pounds, Briggs was as heavy as he had been in his career. Briggs entered having won 12 consecutive fights prior to this. Briggs announced his retirement immediately following the bout.^[12]

Career from 2009–2010

Misc. fights

Briggs returned in 2009 and scored his twenty-ninth first round knockout against Marcus McGee. After the bout, Briggs tested positive for a banned substance, and was suspended. The result of the bout was changed to 'No Contest'. Briggs manager Ivalyo Gotzev, stated Briggs was on medication to control his asthma. "He's not a steroid user or a drug user. We're consulting with his physicians and seeing how to make the proper adjustments to make sure this doesn't happen again."^[13] Briggs fought three times in 2010 before fighting Vitali Klitschko. He knocked out Rafael Pedro, Dominique Alexander and Rob Calloway all inside the first round of their respective fights.

Briggs vs. Vitali Klitschko

On October 16, 2010 Briggs fought in a WBC title challenge against Vitali Klitschko in the O₂ World at Hamburg, the fight billed as 'Thunderstorm'. During the fight Briggs took a severe beating and after the fight, went down in his quarters. Briggs lost a clear unanimous decision (120-105 120-107 twice).^[14] Brought to a hospital, Briggs was initially treated in intensive care and found to have suffered a left orbital fracture, a broken nose, and a torn left bicep.^[15]

2014 comeback

After a gap of more than three years, Briggs fought six bouts in 2014 and a further two in 2015. He won all eight, seven by knockout, earning the NABA Heavyweight title in the process.^[16]

Career from 2016

In March 2016, Briggs confronted David Haye at Haye's press conference for the announcement of his fight against little-known Arnold Gjergjaj at the O2 Arena on May 21, 2016. Haye did not agree to fight Briggs immediately but instead offered him the chance to fight on his undercard, promising that he would fight him next if he was victorious. Briggs agreed to this arrangement.^[17]

Briggs vs. Zarate

On May 3, 2016, it was announced that Briggs would fight 6’7-inch former European Heavyweight Champion, Alexander Dimitrenko (38-2, 27 KOs). His opponent was changed a few days before the fight to Jakov Gospic (17-14, 12 KOs)^[18] and then to Emilio Ezequiel Zarate (20-16-3, 11 KOs).^[19] Briggs stopped Zarate in the first round of a scheduled 10 round bout with devastating body shots. The fight was stopped at 2:22 of the round. The win for Briggs had meant he could be fighting David Haye next..^[20]

Briggs vs. Browne

On November 2, 2016, the WBA ordered Briggs to fight Australian heavyweight Lucas Browne for the WBA regular title. The title became vacant after Browne defeated Ruslan Chagaev in March 2016 but was later stripped after he tested positive for drugs. The fight was ordered to take place before the end of 2016. The WBA and Browne came to a legal settlement which said he would fight for a world title next. Browne was due to fight Fres Oquendo, who hadn't fought since 2014, however that fight could not be made due to Oquendo recovering from an injury. The WBA ordered the winner of this bout to fight Oquendo in a mandatory defense within 120 days.^[21][22]

On November 22, VADA informed the WBC that Browne had failed a second drug test in the space of six months. After being tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol ahead of his March fight with Ruslan Chagaev, Browne this time tested positive for ostarine, a stamina-increasing substance.^[23]

K-1 Career

Briggs competed briefly for the K-1 kickboxing promotion in 2004. In his lone kickboxing match, he knocked out Tom Erikson, a mixed martial artist with a background in collegiate wrestling, just over a minute into round one at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Saitama in Saitama, Japan on March 27, 2004.

Outside the ring

Briggs is also an actor. He made his television acting debut on New York Undercover in 1995 and has since appeared in feature films Bad Boys II, with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Transporter 2, and The Wackness.

Briggs also made an appearance on the Fugees' breakthrough album, The Score. He appears in the music video for rapper Thirstin Howl III's song "Surrounded By Criminals" (from his 2011 album Natural Born Skiller).

Shannon Briggs was summoned to US Federal Court District South Carolina on June 7, 2012, according to court documents Kali Bowyer, Briggs' ex-publicist, was awarded over $420,000.00 plus interest for her services.^[24]

Professional boxing record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
68	Win	60–6–1 (1)	Emilio Zarate	KO	1 (10) 2:20	May 21, 2016	The O2 Arena, London, England
67	Win	59–6–1 (1)	Michael Marrone	KO	2 (10), 2:52	Sep 5, 2015	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
66	Win	58–6–1 (1)	Zoltan Petranyi	KO	1 (10), 1:52	Mar 27, 2015	Sortis Hotel Spa & Casino, Panama City, Panama
65	Win	57–6–1 (1)	Richard Carmack	KO	1 (10), 2:59	Nov 1, 2014	Isle of Capri Casino, Lula, Mississippi, U.S.
64	Win	56–6–1 (1)	Cory Phelps	TKO	1 (10), 1:18	Aug 23, 2014	Ring of Dreams Boxing Gym, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.	Retained WBA–NABA heavyweight title; Won WBC Latino interim heavyweight title
63	Win	55–6–1 (1)	Raphael Zumbano Love	UD	12	Jun 28, 2014	Remington Park, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.	Won vacant WBA–NABA heavyweight title
62	Win	54–6–1 (1)	Matthew Greer	TKO	1 (10), 0:27	May 17, 2014	Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort, New Cumberland, West Virginia, U.S.
61	Win	53–6–1 (1)	Francisco Mireles	KO	1 (10), 0:27	Apr 19, 2014	Black Bear Casino Resort, Carlton, Minnesota, U.S.
60	Win	52–6–1 (1)	Maurenzo Smith	KO	1 (10), 2:59	Apr 11, 2014	DoubleTree, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
59	Loss	51–6–1 (1)	Vitali Klitschko	UD	12	Oct 16, 2010	O2 World, Hamburg, Germany	For WBC heavyweight title
58	Win	51–5–1 (1)	Rob Calloway	TKO	1 (10), 1:38	May 28, 2010	Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
57	Win	50–5–1 (1)	Dominique Alexander	TKO	1 (10), 0:20	May 21, 2010	Capitale, New York City, New York, U.S.
56	Win	49–5–1 (1)	Rafael Pedro	KO	1 (10), 0:28	Apr 13, 2010	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.	Won vacant WBC Latino heavyweight title
55	NC	48–5–1 (1)	Marcus McGee	KO	1 (8), 2:01	Dec 3, 2009	Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom, New York City, New York, U.S.	Originally a KO win for Briggs, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test
54	Loss	48–5–1	Sultan Ibragimov	UD	12	Jun 2, 2007	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	Lost WBO heavyweight title
53	Win	48–4–1	Siarhei Liakhovich	TKO	12 (12), 2:59	Nov 4, 2006	Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.	Won WBO heavyweight title
52	Win	47–4–1	Chris Koval	RTD	3 (12), 3:00	May 24, 2006	Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, U.S.	Retained WBA–NABA and WBO–NABO heavyweight titles; Won vacant USBA heavyweight title
51	Win	46–4–1	Dicky Ryan	KO	4 (12), 2:37	Mar 18, 2006	Convention Center, Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S.	Won vacant WBA–NABA and WBO–NABO heavyweight titles
50	Win	45–4–1	Luciano Zolyone	KO	1 (12), 0:11	Dec 10, 2005	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico	Won vacant WBC FECARBOX heavyweight title
49	Win	44–4–1	Brian Scott	KO	1 (10), 1:10	Nov 26, 2005	Convention Center, Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S.
48	Win	43–4–1	Ray Mercer	KO	7 (10), 0:41	Aug 26, 2005	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
47	Win	42–4–1	Abraham Okine	TKO	3 (10), 0:54	Jun 10, 2005	Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York, U.S.
46	Win	41–4–1	Demetrice King	TKO	2 (6), 1:49	Mar 3, 2005	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
45	Win	40–4–1	Jeff Pegues	TKO	1 (10), 0:35	Mar 6, 2004	Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York, U.S.
44	Win	39–4–1	Wade Lewis	TKO	3 (8)	Aug 28, 2003	The Plex, North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
43	Win	38–4–1	John Sargent	TKO	1 (12), 0:17	Jul 19, 2003	War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.	Won vacant IBU heavyweight title
42	Win	37–4–1	Marvin Hill	TKO	1 (10), 0:33	Mar 27, 2003	War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
41	Loss	36–4–1	Jameel McCline	UD	10	Apr 27, 2002	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
40	Win	36–3–1	Reynaldo Minus	KO	1 (8), 2:21	Dec 1, 2001	Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City, New York, U.S.
39	Win	35–3–1	Jason Waller	TKO	1 (10), 0:37	Oct 19, 2001	The Orleans, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
38	Win	34–3–1	Russell Chasteen	KO	1 (10), 2:55	Apr 7, 2001	Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel, Worley, Idaho, U.S.
37	Win	33–3–1	Eric Curry	KO	1 (10), 2:34	Nov 2, 2000	Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel, Worley, Idaho, U.S.
36	Loss	32–3–1	Sedreck Fields	MD	8	Apr 27, 2000	Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, U.S.
35	Win	32–2–1	Warren Williams	TKO	3 (10), 2:22	Feb 24, 2000	Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, U.S.
34	Draw	31–2–1	Francois Botha	MD	10	Aug 7, 1999	Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
33	Win	31–2	Marcus Rhode	TKO	1 (10), 2:55	Dec 8, 1998	Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York, U.S.
32	Loss	30–2	Lennox Lewis	TKO	5 (12), 1:45	Mar 28, 1998	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	Lost lineal heavyweight title; For WBC heavyweight title
31	Win	30–1	George Foreman	MD	12	Nov 22, 1997	Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	Won lineal heavyweight title
30	Win	29–1	Jorge Valdes	RTD	9 (10), 3:00	Jun 24, 1997	Argosy Festival Atrium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
29	Win	28–1	Melton Bowen	TKO	1 (10), 0:26	Apr 15, 1997	South Mountain Arena, West Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
28	Win	27–1	Eric French	TKO	2 (8), 2:23	Feb 21, 1997	Mahi Temple Shrine Auditorium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
27	Win	26–1	Tim Ray	KO	1 (10)	Sep 25, 1996	Robert Treat Hotel, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
26	Loss	25–1	Darroll Wilson	TKO	3 (10), 2:17	Mar 15, 1996	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
25	Win	25–0	Calvin Jones	TKO	1 (10), 0:54	Dec 15, 1995	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
24	Win	24–0	Sherman Griffin	TKO	1 (10), 1:17	Sep 22, 1995	Central Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
23	Win	23–0	Will Hinton	TKO	1 (8), 1:50	Aug 25, 1995	Bally's, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
22	Win	22–0	Marion Wilson	PTS	8	Mar 24, 1995	South Mountain Arena, West Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
21	Win	21–0	Craig Payne	UD	8	Jan 13, 1995	Bally's, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
20	Win	20–0	Mike Faulkner	KO	2	Oct 21, 1994	Palm Springs, California, U.S.
19	Win	19–0	Mark Young	TKO	8 (8), 2:06	Aug 26, 1994	Bally's, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
18	Win	18–0	Exum Speight	TKO	1	Aug 4, 1994	Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S.
17	Win	17–0	Jimmy Ellis	TKO	1 (8), 0:35	Mar 12, 1994	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
16	Win	16–0	Mike Faulkner	KO	6 (6), 1:46	Feb 20, 1994	Belle Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
15	Win	15–0	Danny Wofford	UD	6	Dec 9, 1993	Paramount Theatre, New York City, New York, U.S.
14	Win	14–0	Tim Noble	TKO	3 (6), 1:04	Nov 10, 1993	Broadway By the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
13	Win	13–0	Danny Blake	PTS	6	Jul 10, 1993	Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Bruce Johnson	TKO	1 (6), 1:36	May 22, 1993	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Ron Gullette	TKO	1 (6), 1:52	Mar 25, 1993	Broadway By the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Robert Pagan Perez	KO	1	Dec 9, 1992	Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Rocky Bentley	PTS	4	Dec 4, 1992	Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Rick Honeycutt	TKO	1	Nov 21, 1992	Miami, Florida, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Tony Simpson	TKO	1	Nov 13, 1992	Revere, Massachusetts, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Donnie Penelton	KO	1	Oct 29, 1992	Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Juan Quintana	TKO	3, 1:13	Oct 9, 1992	Tiverton, Rhode Island, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Greg Santos	KO	1	Sep 19, 1992	Troy, New York, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Ed Carlson	KO	1 (4)	Aug 28, 1992	Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Cedric Sims	KO	1 (4)	Aug 6, 1992	Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	John Basil Jackson	KO	1 (4), 1:28	Jul 24, 1992	Catskill, New York, U.S.	Professional debut

Titles in boxing

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record
1 win (1 KOs), 0 losses, 0 draws Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time Record 2004-03-27 Win Tom Erikson K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Saitama Saitama, Japan KO (right cross) 1 1:03 1-0 Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

Filmography

Film credits

Television appearances

^[25]

References

External links

• Official website
• Professional boxing record for Shannon Briggs from BoxRec
• Shannon Briggs at the Internet Movie Database
• K-1 Sport profile