By James Slater: There was a suggestion a short time ago, that said Shannon Briggs would come into his WBC heavyweight title fight with champ Vitali Klitschko weighing under 250-pounds. Briggs was reportedly training hard and was lower than he had been in years. However, today in Germany the official weigh-in took place, and Briggs, though muscular, looked the same old fighter he‘s been for the past eight years or so.
Tipping-in at a somewhat disappointing 262-pounds, Briggs looked to be carrying TOO MUCH muscle if anything. The 38-year-old is in no way fat, but he does have the look of a fighter with way too much bulk. 262 is by no means the heaviest weight Briggs has weighed for a fight (for the record, he has weighed in excess of 262 nine times), but he has been lighter in recent times (258 for his last-but-one bout).
Personally, I was hoping to see a sleeker Briggs climb onto the scales for the weigh-in for this Saturday’s big fight, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. Had he comes in at, say 240 or 245, Briggs would have had a half-decent chance against Vitali (who weighed his usual 251-pounds). But now, carrying all that weight, Briggs’ punch output is sure to slow by the halfway stage – if the fight lasts that long. An asthma sufferer carrying 262-pounds (and who knows how much more by fight time) will not have the gas to be able to throw enough punches to unsettle the tough and relentless “Dr Iron Fist,” or keep him off him for more than a few rounds. It’s as simple as that.
So, in terms of winning late, or on points, Briggs looks to have next to no chance. His only shot then, is to get Klitschko out of there early. But with his granite chin – a chin that has not once let him down in over 40 pro bouts – does Vitali really have to worry about being KO’d tomorrow night? Briggs will come out swinging, of that I’m pretty sure – but after a few rounds, if he hasn’t seen the WBC boss fall, Briggs is equally sure to be blowing hard.
At this point, Klitschko, the more relaxed fighter, will begin to dominate and I wouldn’t be too surprised to see “The Cannon” quit on his stool. “Fatigue makes cowards of us all,” so the saying goes, and when his body is fatigued and crying out for oxygen, Briggs may opt to adhere to this saying.
Look for the challenger, after seeing his early onslaught fail to get the desired result, to be left gasping for air, taking heavy shots and finally either being rescued by the referee or remaining on his stool between rounds. I go for Klitschko to win inside 8-rounds. Had Briggs weighed-in at around 20 pounds lighter, I’d have given him a decent shot at going the full 12.
The dominant Klitschko era will not come to an end tomorrow!