Shannon Briggs entered the ring with his trademark blonde dreadlocks pulled back and carrying 272 1/4 pounds of layered muscle. The Brooklyn kid returned home for the first time in more than three years, adding his name to the muddled mess of the Heavyweights. Unlike most of the heavies in this wasteland of a division, Briggs has an effortless sort of charisma and natural power. That is precisely why Joe DeGuardia signed him to his Star Boxing stable, hoping to extract any remaining years from the Brooklynite.
Briggs' (49-5-1 43 KOs) homecoming proved successful, as he obliterated Marcus McGee (22-18 11Kos) at 2:01 of the first round in the opening bout of the Versus telecast from the Manhattan Center in New York City.
It was Briggs' first bout since losing his version of the Heavyweight title to Sultan Ibragimov. McGee has forged out a Heavyweight career as a traveling man of sorts, often playing fodder to favored opponents. His dossier includes losses to Jameel McCline, Odlanier Solis, Samuel Peter, Malik Scott and Michael Grant. Now, you can add Briggs to the list.
When asked why he returned to the ring, Briggs responded with some not so immodest goals.
"I'm the greatest of all timeĀ
with asthma," Briggs said. "I"m the only Heavyweight champion that won the title with asthma, and I got something to prove. I want to do it for a third time. I want to fight a Klitschko, and that's my goal."
While waiting for the televised broadcast to start up, Briggs paced back and forth in the ring. He stomped his feet in an attempt to liven up the crowd, threatening to collapse the very foundation of the ring.
Briggs measured himself early, snapping out the jab in attempt to soften up McGee. A left hook to the body hurt the Tuscaloosa, Alabama native, and a subsequent right hand to the ribs dropped him to his knees. McGee, knowing the score, stayed down for the count. Like that, the Briggs comeback express got going.
The issue of Briggs' weight came up, something that reporters feast upon. He took the question in stride, offering up his side to the equation.
"I was 334 pounds," Briggs said. "In eight months, I lost 80 pounds, so that's why I'm back. I was down to 254, but I put some weight back because I didn't feel strong."
As for the future, Briggs is looking to keep active, fighting every couple months until a big money opportunity comes his way. He mentioned a January 8th ESPN2 bout as his next appearance, followed by subsequent fights in February (at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida) and March (in Prague).
If he keeps winning and looking good in the process, the long-shot possibility of a facing either fighting Klitschko brother might become more reality than fantasy.