Worst HW champ H2H?

Shannon Briggs

The guy didn't beat anyone of note, became a champion by beating a geriatric Foreman (in a robbery) and was ranked by Ring only twice (1997 and 1998, in seventh and fifth place respectively).
Had asthma and was on PEDS for practically his entire career.

I'm quite surprised he hasn't been mentioned yet.

 

Good point. Only recency bias keeps him out of the discussion.

 

I'm pretty sure that he'd knock out most of the early guys, and anybody with a leaky chin. I would bet on the Briggs that fought Lewis (While Shannon was the lineal champ) over many other champions.

 

I’ve read a post from you that refers to George Benton believing that if you are 168lbs you still have to power to KO anyone. Anymore info on that?

 

Briggs didn’t, “put it together,” for one night. I don’t believe the elder Spinks did, either.

 

I think he conceivably could have lost to anyone.

 

Most fighters could have "conceivably" lost to anyone. If we're talking about men on their worst nights, then what's the point?

 

What I meant was, with all of them at their best, it’s possible he runs dead last.

 

You think so? The man that gave Lewis a fair rumble and had him say that Briggs was, no question, the hardest punching man he faced? I don't think a man with that power and speed will lose to a man like Tommy Burns or James Jeffries.

 

Fair rumble? He landed a punch. He also lost to 48-year-old George Foreman. The table is wide open.

 

He won the first two rounds on most's scorecards, and though I do believe that that version of Foreman won the fight, most others on this list would've lost to him, too. Beyond that, we are still talking about every man at their best, so the Foreman fight has no need to be brought into consideration. Briggs was in no way a phenomenal fighter, but he should definitely be favored over such small and rudimentary fighters.

 

Well when was his best, then? The fight with Foreman was in his prime, & was his crowning achievement. Which version of Briggs are you putting forward? I don’t see him as beyond anyone’s class, even head to head.

Spinks remains my choice though.

 

As I was remarking on, I believe that his best performance was against Lewis. I doubt that many of these early champions could take his left right combinations.

 

No chance of Briggs beating anyone in a 20, 25 round fight like the pre 1930 fighters. Maybe even 15 would be too much for him. He had no speed, no stamina, his power was average.

 

Do you seriously think that a man like Tommy Burns who usually weighed under 170 lbs for a fight would win over a guy typically 50 or 60 lbs heavier, with power even beyond that, and fast hands? Yes, he had lackluster stamina, because he had athsma. He had very fast hands for his size, you can see that in any of his prime footage, and you're just gonna neglect the statement from Lewis? The same guy who fought men like Vitali, Tyson, Rahman, Tua, Holyfield, Golota, Mercer, McCall, and Morrison, says that Briggs was the strongest puncher he faced and that means nothing?