Briggs vs Ibragimov (June 2)

[H2O Man]

On Saturday, there is an interesting fight card scheduled in Atlantic City, NJ, which will be televised on PPV for about $30. Though I am not buying many PPV cards in 2007, this will be one I plan to purchase.

It has an okay undercard. Up-and-coming Wwelterweight contender Shamone Alvarez (17-0, 11 KOs) fights tough Jose Luis Cruz (32-2-2, 26 KOs). And Calvin Brock continues his comeback against an overmatched Alex Gonzales (18-4, 8 KOs). Brock, who generally avoided fighting serious competition before his title bout, is again fighting a non-threatening opponent. Hopefully, after this victory, he will attempt to improve by fighting a contender. Otherwise, he will risk becoming the current version of Buster Mathis Sr.

The main event looks to be interesting. Though it is not being promoted as such, it is one of the most important heavyweight fights this year. Briggs is the WBO "title-holder" in a division without a true champion. He is 6'4" and weighs about 265 lbs. He is 35 years old. His record is 48-4-1, with 42 KOs.

Sultan Ibragimov is 6'2" and about 220 lbs., which used to be considered big for the division. He is 32 years old. His record is 20-0-1, with 17 KOs.

DUers will remember that this bout had been scheduled for March. It had been considered for MSG, then for Russia. Briggs had to postpone the fight, due to pneumonia.

In the interim, Sultan scored a 1-round TKO over Javier Mora at MSG. The names on his record include Lance Whitaker (TKO 7); Zuri Lawrence (TKO 11); and former cruiserweight champion Alfred Cole (TKO 3). His biggest fight was a July '06 draw with Ray Austin, who is one of Brigg's sparring partners. Sultan scored well early in the bout, and decked Austin in the 4th. But Austin came back in the late rounds, and decked Ibragimov in the 10th.

Briggs has had a strange career. Some highlights from his record include winning a controversial decision over George Foreman to win the heavyweight title in November, 1997; then being knocked out five months later by Lennox Lewis in a bout that ranks with Lewis's most impressive wins. I was at ringside when Shannon TKOed Abraham Okine in Verona, when the "African Assassin's" manager thought Briggs would be an easy win for the underfeated contender. Briggs then KOed an old Ray Mercer in August, '05; in fairness to Mercer, he was no longer the tough contender he once was.

Sultan is known for training very hard. He has good skills in the ring. Against Austin, he showed the ability to land hard punches on a taller opponent. But, Austin does tend to bend forward, and has not been noted as a gifted defensive fighter.

Ibragimov has been good in the later rounds in his fights against third-tier opposition. Against Austin, he did tire significantly. In part, that was from the "wrestling" against the bigger foe in the clinches.

Briggs is a combination of strengths and weaknesses that has resulted in his frequently frustrating career. He suffers from asthma, and from frequent bouts of self-doubt. And he does not have a reputation for a love of training. (Read Teddy Atlas's book!)

But, when the guy is focused, and in shape, he is capable of beating any heavyweight in the division. And that is why many of the other "title-holders" have avoided fighting him. His 11-06 TKO in 12 of Serei Liakhovich was not a fan-friendly fight from round 2 to 11. But Briggs showed flashes of very real talent against a guy who was certainly one of the 3 best heavyweights at the time.

I've read that Briggs isn't training hard, and that he is training really hard. Without being in someone's camp, you are generally at the mercy of subjective reports. However, I am certain that Sultan has trained hard for this fight. It seems like Briggs would be favored to win early, and Sultan's chances increase as the fight gets into the late rounds. That's if both men come to fight. If not, Briggs will likely take a decision.

It will be interesting to see if Brock challenges the winner.

[TSIAS]

1. Should be a fun fight

I recall that HBO had originally planned to air it as part of a World Championship Boxing doubleheader on 3/10, but that fight fell through. I guess HBO didn't have another open date, so it's gone to PPV. I'm surprised that Showtime didn't pick up this date. Instead, they went with a less interesting, less relevant LH Matchup between Tarver and Muriqi one week later.

I just watched the last Ibragimov/Mora telecast for free on some obscure cable channel. The welterweight you mentioned, Alvarez, obliterated some tomato can early. Frankly, I'm surprised we're not seeing Russian native, England resident, and Jewish Heavyweight Roman Greenberg. I wasn't all that impressed with his last performance on the aformentioned card, winning a 10 Round UD over undersized Michael Simms.

I was shocked to read that Ibragimov is approximately a 2:1 favorite. Some books have Ibragimov as big a favorite as -222. If I were a bettor, or had disposable income to gabmble, I'd throw the big bucks on a life underdog. I'm not sure Briggs will necessarily win, but I figured him to be even money or a slight favorite.

On a humorous side note, Mike Tyson has abandoned fellow Brookyn resident Shannon Briggs and will be in the camp of the Russian, Ibragimov, for this fight.

Like I said last time this fight was made, Briggs will want to hurt Ibragimov early on. His last fight against Lyakhovich went against conventional wisdom, with Briggs scoring a KO late. If Ibragimov is able to withstand the early barrage of Briggs, I'd expect him to tire and Ibragimov to win on points. I'm very interested to see what weight we see him on Thursday. I'm hoping it's not significantly higher than the 268 he weighed last November.

[H2O Man]

2. Greenberg

is one of the young heavyweights who I think will bring a lot of excitement back to the division.

I'd agree on the weight issue. If Briggs has trained hard, he should be favored. Ibragimov always trains hard, and I can understand why many people would think he will win. Shannon has shown the ability to not live up to his potential several times in his career.

My son is telling me to NOT buy this fight, or the Judah-Cotto one next week. Both will be replayed by HBO, and really, neither should be PPV. (He also thinks that Briggs will win by the end of the 3rd round, because Ibragimov is too easy to hit.)

[TSIAS]

9. It's a hard fight to pick

I'm not sure if HBO will replay both fights. I know for sure that they'll replay Cotto/Judah on June 16 before the Boxing After Dark card between Ndou and Malignaggi. I'm not sure this fight will be replayed, unless it's on a network like MSG or FSN. It's not an HBO PPV production, and they have their own PPV next week. Long story short -- if you want to see Briggs/Ibragimov any time soon, pony up the $30 now.

If I had the choice, I'd rather pay extra and see Cotto/Judah. Unfortunately, that show has another pretty poor undercard. Humberto Soto versus Bobby Pacquiao might be okay, but the rest of the card appears to be another tuneup for Arum prize Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

[Wetzelbill]

3. Being champ might do something to Briggs

Some guys in combat sports win a title and it makes them so confident that they become better than ever. Briggs has always been an underachiever and often hugely disappointing, such as when he was knocked out by Darroll Wilson. But like you said, he looked very good at times against Lennox Lewis too. The guy has some serious tools. Good size, good athleticism. He's a talented guy, but very perplexing. His asthma, the self-doubt, the training problems, those have always been problematic. It's almost like even though he's a champ now, Briggs will always be regarded as one of those "coulda, woulda, shoulda" disappointments.

However, now he has a belt. Granted, alphabet titles often aren't worth much on their own, and the division isn't exactly blessed with a whole lot of outrageous talent, but just being champion might truly mean the world to the guy and that could be enough to push him in a new direction. Ordinarily I would pick Ibragimov but, truth be told, I thought Liakhovich was going to beat him too. So, you know, I'm going to go with Shannon on this one, and if he wins, never underestimate a guy on a roll who has developed some confidence in himself.

[H2O Man]

4. One thing to his

advantage is that he has finally been able to afford the "cutting edge" in medical care for the asthma. From reports, it sounds like he has more confidence in his ability to fight at a better pace.

He really hits hard, too. He hurt Lewis in the first round, but shot his wad in the next :45 seconds with rather wild shots.

I'm hoping for him and for Brock, both of whom have more potential than almost all the other American fighters in the top 15 heavyweights.

[doublethink]

5. Eholay! ..... Briggs weighed in at 273 lbs....

What do you think of the Cotto vs Zab Judah fight on the 9th? I may have to get that one on PPV. Should be a good fight. Peace.

[H2O Man]

6. That's a little

heavier than I had hoped for. But he is a big guy.

The Cotto vs Judah fight could be very good. I think Zab's best chance is to hit him hard early. He was jogging with Tito a while back, and Tito said Zab will get a TKO within 4 rounds.

After 4 rounds, Cotto's body punching is a big plus. A guy who punches that well to the body actually can end a fight early, too.

We know the Cotto who will get into the ring is a well-disciplined warrior, who is focused on doing damage to every foe placed in front of him. But, he is not fast, and has been seriously hurt by a guy who wasn't a banger.

Which Zab Judah enters the ring? You never know. And even the good one doesn't take punches well, and is not a study in discipline. But he hits hard, he's very fast, and he puts together good combinations.

I'd favor Cotto .... he'll look to hurt Zab's body, then I expect his powerful short hook to land up top. But I think Zab has a good chance; if Judah is well-prepared, he could end it early, or win by outboxing a slower guy with a limited ability to move his feet.

[doublethink]

7. I agree with your assessment ........

Cotto's chin is suspect, good body puncher. I always am suspect when a guy moves up in weight at first. Seems to me that 'most' have a bit more trouble in the ring when they do that. Loose a bit of power on their punch against bigger men, etc... but in Cotto's case 147 may be beater for his stamina, and making 140 was getting to him. His couple of fights at 147 so far worked out okay. Zab is quicker, gave Floyd Mayweather a run for his money. Wonder what kind of trouble his southpaw stance will give Cotto? Anyway should be a good fight. But before then, enjoy the fights this weekend H2O Man. Peace.

[H2O Man]

8. Moving up

in weight does change most fighters' ability in areas like punching power. A wonderful example is Roberto Duran, who will be at the Hall of Fame next weekend. But a lot of young guys hurt themselves by trying to stay at a lower weight, and they are not able to maintain a brisk pace -- Tommy Hearns in the first Leonard fight, for example.

Cotto looks like he is "big" for his weight. Tough guy, and from everything I can see, a real decent man outside of the ring. He seems to respect Zab's ability, while I am not as confident that Zab respects Cotto.

Whoever gets hurt first will likely lose. Both are capable "finishers."

[TSIAS]

10. I did end up buying it

Admittedly, the undercard is a bit underwhelming. Both of these guys are exciting fighters to watch. I hope I end up pleasantly surprised, similar to last year when I ordered Rahman/Maskaev. That ended up being my best PPV experience of 2006.

Alvarez is up and coming at Welter, and Cruz is a decent opponent. It'll be a test of the caliber a fighter Alvarez is. Cruz has two losses on his record to name opponents -- Mosley and Sharmba Mitchell. While it certainly isn't a toss-up, it could be better than a lot of what HBO has offered lately.

The Brock fight is pretty awful, though. He's the highest profile name on this undercard, but it's unlikely we'll be seeing much of him. His opponent doesn't have a win this century, and has been KO'd by past his prime Cruiserweight Robert Daniels and Derek Bryant. I have to say that doing this bit of research underwhelmed me. It's a disgraceful piece of matchmaking for a fighter of Brock's caliber. At least put him in against someone like Zuri Lawrence (who he faced a few years ago). The over/under has to be somewhere around 120 seconds.

[H2O Man]

11. The first fight

ended in a curious manner!

I think that Brock has to be willing to fight someone who poses a potential threat. He has to know that he is fighting a stiff. Before his loss, and certainly since it, one of the things he needs is confidence in his ability to compete at the top level. Two fights in a row against such weak opposition has to tell him that his manager has limited confidence in him.

[H2O Man]

12. Ibragimov wins

by decision. I had wanted Briggs, but the challenger won it, fair and square.

[Wetzelbill]

13. I just looked up the results

Looks like I was wrong about it inspiring Briggs to another level. :) But you know, Ibragimov is a hard working guy, always comes into a fight in good shape etc, I'm sure he deserves his rewards. :)

[TSIAS]

15. I'm happy for Sultan

As upset as I am with Briggs, I'm equally happy for Ibragimov. Like I've said before, he fights a lot in Hollywood, Florida where I live. I think he'll be more committed to being a champion, even if the belt I bought at Wal-Mart for $5 has more value. That being said, lets hope winning a title belt elevates Ibragimov to bigger and better things. And if he makes money because of this bogus belt, more power to him. He certainly deserves to make more money than Briggs in the future.

I'd be happy to see Chagaev/Ibragimov in the future. While neither are world-beaters, they appear to be hard workers who will put on a show for the fans.

I'm praying that Sam Peter comes back strong and brings some excitement to the division. Both Klitschkos and Peter are the only guys that I get excited about. There are some other decent guys, and I can only hope that one of the Eastern Europeans emerges as a great fighter and can challenge Klitschko.

[TSIAS]

14. What a waste

I know you like Briggs, but it didn't seem like he even tried. At least when Spinks stinks out the joint, he really believes he won. But Briggs raising his arms after the fight? Are you kidding me?

Please tell me that Briggs had an Asthma attack following the 1st Round and was physically incapcitated. The seniors playing slot machines at the Seminole Casino in Hollywood could have done more damage than Briggs.

Sorry your guy lost, but I'm more pissed than I've ever been over a PPV. The cheap PPV didn't even interview Briggs, but I'd be interested to hear his reason for not trying. Maybe he was trying to one-up Willy Pep, and try to win a whole fight not throwing a punch.

Sincerely, maybe you could offer me some reason not to feel like wishing Shannon Briggs never makes a dime off of boxing again. I couldn't be any more upset than I am now.

And the 115-113 scorecard? Was the Puerto Rican equivalent of Diebold scoring that fight.

What a travesty. The worst HW "Title" fight I've seen. I'd rather watch Kirk Johnson vs. John Ruiz 100 times before re-watching this on my Tivo.

Should have stuck with my gut and gotten Cotto/Judah instead. At least there's a chance Judah goes nuts and does something crazy. Briggs is definitely an enigma. His size and power make him an exhilirating, 1 punch KO waiting to happen. Unfortunately, tonight he never tried.

-Taylor

[H2O Man]

16. It was Shannon

at his worst. If a man tries his best and loses, that's okay. But to fail to even try, is different. And I never felt that Shannon was trying to win the fight. I'm not saying he purposely lost. He just displayed the exact reasons that Teddy Atlas refused to continue to work with him.

I feel cheated out of the money I paid.

And where was Brock? I would have liked to see him against this guy, rather than Briggs. And I think that while Klitschko is still the #1 contender, the best hope for an exciting champion is Sameul Peter.

[doublethink]

17. As soon as I heard Briggs was at 273 .........

I said to myself ...... self ..... you better pass on the PPV on this one. I know Briggs is a big man but ....... that has got to be the biggest in his fighting career? And at 35 years of age at that weight, hmmmm sorta didn't have a warm fuzzy feeling about him last night. Lack of training for this fight? Could be, don't know? But then maybe his metabolism caught up with him at that age so still want to give him the benefit of the doubt on the weight issue. Didn't see the fight ....... Briggs had a lot of talent, potential etc ... etc... when I watched him in his younger years, someone to get excited about. Oh well, yea kinda like I feel about Samuel Peter in the heavyweight division now too .....

I think I'll stick to the PPV on the lighter divisions for awhile, and oh hell guess I gotta get HBO again and start watching their regular scheduled boxing programs, some pretty good fights coming up. Peace.

[TSIAS]

18. Briggs: "I am the greatest of all time"

"With all due respect to Muhammed Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson, I'm the greatest of all time because I did it with asthma. I won the heavyweight title twice with a disease." - Shannon Briggs

I've heard a lot in the way of sports hyperbole, but Briggs comparing him to GOAT's like Ali and Robinson is a new one.

[H2O Man]

19. Sad.

That is really sad.