Looks like wladimir will fight in september.

I wouldn't mind seeing the Briggs fight, actually.

Boxing history is replete with champs taking these sorts of "gimme" defenses. Patterson had Tom McNeely, Ali had Richard Dunn, Holmes had Scott Frank, Bowe had Michael Dokes, etc. etc. etc.

I honestly don't see why fans make such a big deal about this. It's part of boxing, and has been from the beginning.

 

Does Briggs belong in the ring at this level? The issue is not so much whether Wlad gets some easy defenses, but whether the fight should be sanctioned at all.

 

Did McNeely, Dunn, Frank or any one of a number of other such opponents belong in the ring with the champ?

No, but for a variety of reasons they got the shot. Briggs has done his part to create interest in a fight with Klitschko, and I see no reason not to let him have the payday.

 

The way I feel about it is this, if Wlad fights 3x a year and two of the fights are against either top ten(TBR not sanctioning bodies) ranked opponents or #1 ranked mandatories for whichever belt is due than his third fight should be allowed to be against whoever he wishes if it's financially viable. I don't believe if Wlad fights twice a year that one of those fights should be Briggs. However if he fought Jennings and Fury and wanted to squeeze a third fight in, and no unification was available I'm for Briggs.

 

If he fights in September, it could be a tuneup before an important fight.

Option A: Jennings, tuneup, Wilder
Option B: Jennings, Wilder

I hope Wilder and Fury fight in the summer. That way, the winner can fight Wlad for all the marbles at the end of the year.

 

“If my fight [with Stiverne] goes well,” Wilder said on Friday, “and if Klitschko fights [Bryant] Jennings this year [which is likely in late spring], I want to fight Tyson Fury and, if possible, I want to come to the UK for that fight. My plan is to deal with Stiverne, challenge Fury and, at the end of the year, unify the whole division by challenging Klitschko. That would be an awesome year.”

 

Frank was 25, Dunn was 31, McNeeley was 24.

Briggs already had a shot at a Klitschko and turned in a pathetic performance followed by a hospitalization, followed by controversy that Briggs' entire purse and more went towards this hospitalization.

Klitschko should have fought Briggs prior to 2010.

And yes, athletes are older these days. But with Briggs, it's a combination of both age and lack of credibility. Tarver, for example, is older than Briggs yet more deserving.

 

Say what you want, but Shannon Briggs is still a 2x heavyweight champion, even if he won those titles controversially. I think Briggs deserves the fight with Wladimir. A win over Wladimir will do wonders to Briggs' legacy, as it would make him a 3x heavyweight champion (2x lineal) in three different decades.

 

Not that interested in this to be honest but wlad hasn't got any really quality opponents anyway

 

It shouldn't be sanctioned. He will get killed.

 

Klitschko cant fight Briggs omg. As far as i know he can make only 1 voluntary per year, so no way he fight Briggs.