LENNOX LEWIS VS SHANNON BRIGGS. FIGHT REVIEW:
A clash of two heavyweight titans was set, here at the Atlantic Centre, New Jersey for the WBC heavyweight championship in what was billed as ‘March Badness’
This was Briggs’ first world title opportunity after he defeated legendary fighter George Foreman in the title eliminator. The bout went the distance, with Shannon claiming victory via majority decision. This was frowned upon by many, with many believing George was robbed. The unofficial scorecards also matched this belief.
Nevertheless, Briggs was now at the front of the line to go up against Lewis for the belt. This was Lennox’s third defence of the title and he was holding great momentum, coming off a first round knockout win against tough contender Andrew Golota.
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis is one of the most fearsome heavyweights in boxing history. He is an Olympic and Commonwealth gold medalist, as well as being a three-time heavyweight champion of the world. Lennox was also undisputed! The Brit uses his hard jab to hurt his opponents from range to then set up his crushing, powerful right hand. He is also known to lure fighters in to the punch with his footwork. Lennox also possesses great speed and precision with his punches.
Lewis has an amazing resumé, claiming victories over some of boxing’s greatest, including Vitali Klitschko, Mike Tyson, Hasim Rahman, Francois Botha, Evander Holyfield and Ray Mercer. Prior to this fight his record stood at 32–1, but come retirement, he amassed to 41–1–2 with 32 knockouts.
Shannon Briggs
Standing across the ring, the man from Brooklyn, New York, Shannon ‘The Cannon’ Briggs. This fighter has terrifying knockout power, with an 88.5% knockout to win ratio as well as thirty-seven first round finishes. Briggs is two-time world heavyweight champion, holding the lineal championship between 1997–1998 and the WBO title between 2006–2007. Shannon’s record before this fight was a more than respectable 30–1, but when his career finally came to end, his record then stood at 60–1–6 with 53 KO’s. He secured wins over some decent names, such as Ray Mercer, George Foreman, Rafael Pedro and Siarhei Liakhovick.
The Fight
Rounds 1–3;
Lewis starts the first with immediate pressure, sticking in a jab to the body with a crisp right hand over the top, Briggs comes out with high and bouncy footwork, showing a nice right hand himself. Both show nice shots when trading as Briggs keeps light on his feet, continuously moving round the ring so Lennox can’t get too comfortable. ‘The Cannon’ executes a perfectly timed left hook on the champion, sending him against the ropes. Shannon turns up the intensity even further with fast, powerful combinations. Lewis is hurt, but desperately holds Briggs to see out the first round. A huge scare for the champion, but what a start for the challenger!
The second begins and Briggs is full of confidence after rocking the champion, finding the target for some good jabs. Lennox replies with a nice double jab, allowing him to find his range and show some precise punches. He seems more composed and relaxed, as if round one had woke him up! Both show hard jabs as Briggs slams in a right to the body. Shannon shows another huge left hook, accompanied with a sharp three punch combination. As they separate, Lewis produces his signature hard jab. It’s a closer round, but Briggs gets the nod.
Lewis seems to have put the first round in to distant memory, starting this round with a hard right hand. He throws multiple double-jabs to keep Shannon off balance. Both men show hard shots in the centre of the ring, but Lennox is sharper, being more precise with his punches and landing nicely timed right hands. The jab has set up his combinations really well this round, allowing him to take it.
Rounds 4–5;
The champion seems fired up, he opens the round with a hard left hook, rocking the challenger as Lewis stalks him round the ring landing heavy shots. Lennox’s speed is just too much for Shannon, as he is eventually knocked down following a hard left hook-right hook combination. He’s up for eight, but Lewis has him against the ropes landing powerful one-two’s. He continues with barrages of hooks and straights, picking the challenger apart. The New York native throws a poor combination. Lennox simply yet terrifyingly looks him straight in the eye and bangs in a hard hook followed by a one-two-three to put him down for the second time this round. Briggs is up again, showing a tremendous amount of heart. What a round for the champion!
Briggs sets the pace at the beginning of this round, but this can only leave him vulnerable to Lennox’s arsenal, he should let Lewis set the pace so he can counter and pick his shots. Unfortunately for Shannon, he continues to do this, as Lennox punishes him with several powerful punches. ‘The Cannon’ replies with a few himself, but Lewis is far too quick, putting him down for the third time with a crisp one-two. Briggs is up again! Showing the world he possesses an abundance of courage. The Brit follows the knockdown up, unloading with heavy shots. He knocks the American down for the fourth and final time. Lennox Lewis defends his title!
Post-fight thoughts
Lennox Lewis got the job done in emphatic style, sending shockwaves to the other title holders in the division. This bout showed us just how composed Lennox can be when under pressure. As well as this, we witnessed how he can bring his fast hands and explosive combinations in to a contest, allowing him to break down opponents and turn fights back in his favour.
The boxing world paid respect to Shannon Briggs, who displayed a huge amount of heart, courage and bravery to keep getting up when we all thought it was over. The American proved that he holds a large amount of toughness, meaning that many other fighters in the division now know he is not going to go down without a fight!
This was an amazing fight between two of the best in the business. The two men showed us their desire and hunger to achieve their goals, something we can all respect.
