Heavyweight contender Shannon Briggs (60-6-1, 53 KOs) showed that he can still punch with massive power in taking out journeyman Emilio Zarate (20-17-3, 11 KOs) in the 1st round with a perfectly placed left hook to the body. Zarate, 34, dropped to the canvas after getting hit by Briggs’ powerful body shot and he stayed down in agony until the fight was halted by the referee at 2:22 of the round.
First it was Alexander Dimitrenko, then it was Jakov Gospic, but now, finally, Shannon Briggs has a confirmed opponent for tomorrow night: Briggs, 59-6-1(52) will face Argentine heavyweight Emilio Ezequiel Zarate, 29-16-3(11) in his chief supporting role on David Haye’s second comeback fight at The O2 in London.
UKTV has today announced its presenting team for the live and exclusive broadcast of Haye Day this Saturday at the O2, as David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye takes on Arnold ‘The Cobra’ Gjerjaj.
It was officially confirmed at today’s press conference in London that Shannon Briggs will no longer be fighting Alexander Dimitrenko on Saturday night’s David Haye-Arnold Gjergjaj card at The O2. Fans raised eyebrows when it was announced how 44-year-old Briggs would box Dimitrenko – by far the most dangerous opponent so far in Briggs’ now 8-fight comeback – as a “warm up” for his agreed next fight with Haye (providing the two win on Saturday).
Update: Hayemaker Promotions today announced that Shannon Briggs will face Alexander Dimitrenko at Haye Day on May 21 at the O2, London (see below).
East Side Boxing spoke to Dimitrenko, who stated: “I spoke to no one and no one gave me an offer! The fight is not official, that is not the truth. I still have no offer, these are just empty words!”
With David Haye’s second comeback fight fast approaching (May 21st), there is still no official word on who Shannon Briggs will face in the chief support. As fans probably are aware, Haye and Briggs have an agreement to fight one another later in the year providing they both come through at The O2 in London next month – Haye will face little-known but unbeaten Arnold Gjergjaj in the headliner.
So who will 44-year-old Briggs, 59-6-1(52) fight on May 21st? Well, according to Briggs himself, in speaking with two sources – Fightnews and Tru School Sports – he will face Russian-born Alexander Dimitrenko on May 21st.
After huge public demand, former two-time world heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs has been confirmed to fight at Haye Day on May 21 at The O2, with the view to a battle David Haye later in the year if they are both victorious.
Nicknamed ‘The Cannon’, Briggs brings a wealth of experience with a record of 59 wins (52KO’s) 6 loses. Briggs has been actively pursuing a fight with The Hayemaker for a number of months but will have to overcome his Haye Day opponent in order to challenge the former two-weight world champion.
It looks as though Shannon Briggs has finally talked, harassed and pestered his way into a big fight and the big pay day that will go along with it. After spending months irritating then-heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko in an unsuccessful attempt at getting a title shot – with Briggs entertaining some and irritating others with his war cry of “Let’s go Champ!” – Briggs shifted his attention to the UK scene.
Back when he rudely, entertainingly, disrespectfully (depending on your view) crashed the press conference to officially announce David Haye’s May fight with Arnold Gjergjaj, veteran Shannon Briggs was told by Haye that in order to have any shot at fighting him he must first pass a UK brain scan.
“It doesn’t matter that you’ve been fighting where you’ve been fighting, on some Indian reservation or wherever, “ Haye said, adding how he had real doubts the 44-year-old would be medically cleared to box in the UK. Haye, like the rest of us, watched with alarm the sickening and prolonged beating Briggs took at the hands of Vitali Klitschko in 2010, this being Briggs’ last “real” fight.
Former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs arrived in London today, and he says he is looking to fight, “Whoever the British people want me to fight.” Briggs may be well into the veteran stage of his long career and he may be way past the force he once was, but the New Yorker remains both a good talker and a fan attraction.
It’s no secret Briggs wants a big fight with Britain’s David Haye – and he today told Sky Sports how he has “been looking for him [Haye] everywhere” – but the man who once beat the great George Foreman and gave the also great Lennox Lewis a helluva fight says he is open to fights with any of the big-name British heavyweights, including Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.