Some ring observers believe that WBC Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko could be in some danger in his next (fifth) title defense against Shannon Briggs in October. Briggs knows he is down to his last chance, is said to be training extremely hard, and will fight with desperation and with some fear, as he, despite some of his public comments, highly respects Vitali’s arsenal and abilities. Like Mike Tyson said before the Briggs vs. Ibragimov fight, a scared fighter is a dangerous fighter and Briggs will be on high alert and ready to throw his atomic fists – with adrenaline flowing.
You can say what you want about Briggs’s flaws but no one can deny the power and speed of the New Yorker’s fists. Briggs is a gigantic man and if he can land one of his best bombs on Vitali, anything can happen. As we all know, one punch from a heavyweight, can change everything.
While Vitali has been cruising pretty comfortably in his recent performances against Johnson, Peter, Sosnowski, Arreola and Gomez, eventually you have to think Vitali will suffer some kind of major adversity – and Briggs, with his brute strength and devastating power – remember Sergei Liakhovich? – could cause some problems here.
Philip H. Anselmo, the boxing historian and strategic expert, analyzed Vitali vs. Briggs and came to this conclusion: “Briggs will see Vitali’s main offense: the left that pops straight out when an opponent moves in- “bing!” and the opposition becomes skeptical of coming in on him, because they’re gonna get smacked, EVERY TIME,” says Anselmo. “That’s a main weapon Vitali uses that makes his fights easier and makes him so great.”
“Seeing a Klitschko brother’s tactic is one thing – many have said, ‘the Klitschkos do this wrong, that wrong,’ or ‘All they do is jab like robots.’ But it’s way different once an opponent is FACING either Klitschko brother, tactics be damned, 99% have failed to capitalize on their ‘knowledge’ once they’re in the ring,” says the world renowned musician Anselmo who has studied and practiced boxing for most of his life.
“Think of 10-plus years ago – Briggs-Lewis, and its actual action, then outcome.
No matter how ‘hard’ Briggs hits, Vitali is the superior athlete, boxer and tactician with the superior chin. If Darrel “Doin’ Damage” Wilson could knock out Shannon cold, then… my prediction is…Briggs is gonna die out there. Watch.”
