By David Selwyn

One time Linear Heavyweight champion made a successful return to the ring at the Madison Square Garden Theater on March 3rd.  Briggs scored an impressive 2nd round TKO over Demetrius King.  King previously was never stopped in his previous13  fight record.  A few days before the fight I had a chance to have a long one on one conversation with Shannon.  Here is Part II of that conversation.

David Selwyn: What do you think can be done today to improve the sport of boxing?  Some people feel that boxing is on a decline.  What is your take?

Shannon Briggs: I feel that boxing has to become a league like the N.F.C., N.B.A., M.L.B.  These are all corporations.  They are not run by the government.  The government never stepped into football or baseball or NASCAR or tennis or golf.  Why step into boxing?  We need to build credibility so sponsors will come to the sport.  Sponsors won’t touch boxing right now.  If you look at a commercial for Gatorade or Nike they use professional actors, they won’t use actual boxers, it’s sad.  Now, this is what boxing needs to do, it must become one corporation.  It already is a business but people need to come together.  The money comes from the sponsors.

David Selwyn: So you feel that all the promoters must unite and merge?

Shannon Briggs.: I believe so.  Yes sir.  It’s the only way the business is going to survive.  These guys like Lou Dibella, Cedric Kushner, Don King, and Bob Arum and so many other promoters.  These guys are geniuses.  You look at a guy like Dibella who was president of H.B.O. Boxing.  They are like the Bill Gates of boxing.  This is a dying sport.  It’s not getting the play like football because of the nature of the sport and at the same time it’s a beautiful sport.  There is an art to this thing.  At one time everyone knew who Joe Louis was.  They knew who the heavyweight champion of the world was.  Ali or who ever.  Now people don’t know.  You walk down the street and ask who is the heavyweight champion of the world is and they can’t tell you.  Some people say Mike Tyson or Evander Hollyfield.  They don’t even know.  No one is marketing boxing.  That hurts me the most Dave.  You look at television and they have N.B.A. commercials like “I love this game”.  If something happens in baseball or basketball they cover it up.  In boxing all the dirty laundry is exposed.  All you hear in boxing is Mike Tyson did this Mike Tyson did that.  People love negative.  There are a lot of positive stuff going on in boxing.  Eddie Mustafa Muhhamad, The Retired Boxers Foundation and Ring 8 in New York.  These organizations try to help out boxers with needs.  I blame a lot of the negative things in boxing on the press.  They are not promoting the sport, they are trying to kill it.  I’m for the people who enjoy boxing.  I’m not for the writers or the promoters.  I’m for the upliftment of the fighters and the sport.  This is my goal.

David Selwyn: Which boxers would you pay to see today?  Who are your favorite current boxers?

Shannon Briggs.: I enjoy watching Chris Byrd.  I enjoy watching so many fighters.  Floyd Mayweather is good.  When I saw him I said Damn.  He is one of the best ever.  He is one of the greats.  One thing about boxing that hurts is that fighters don’t fight enough.  Floyd fights and you might not see him for six to eight months.  Back in the days, guys fought every two weeks.

David Selwyn: Who was your toughest opponent?

Shannon Briggs.: George Foreman by far.

Dave Selwyn: Was it his brute strength?

Shannon Briggs.: His brute strength.  His experience.  He is just an incredible man.  He is a super human being.  They broke the mold with George.

David Selwyn: What was the greatest fight that you have ever seen  live in person or live in T.V.?

Shannon Briggs.: That’s a tough one man.  I think it was Gatti-Robinson.  Great fight, I was watching it live.

David Selwyn: What happened with your altercation with members of the University of Miami Football team in 2001?

Shannon Briggs.: A lot of times Dave, guys recognize me from television and I guess I don’t look that mean.  I’m a people person.  When I’m out people usually say what’s up.  I’m not stand offish.  Sometimes people take kindness for weakness.  Sometimes you get people who say stupid stuff like “Oh your not so tough.”  I take a lot of crap from a lot of people.  Some guys are jealous and say something stupid.  It happens a lot to me.  I was at a party.  I had some words with a guy who was drunk.  He jumped on me.  I got on top of him, his boys jumped on top of me.  I took a beating.  It was like 20 or more guys.  I took a beating but I took it like a man.  They did not handle the situation like I did.  I did not report it to the police.  I went home and went to the hospital.  I found out later that there were some criminal charges being brought against me.

David Selwyn: When you heard about criminal charges being charged against you, did you talk to a lawyer?

Shannon Briggs.: Well I did not even know what it was about.  When I first heard about it, it was months later.

David Selwyn: At that point could you have pressed charges on him?

Shannon Briggs.: I could have but I didn’t even know who they were.  Who was I going to sue?  A bunch of college kids.  They found out he was a boxer.  I talked to police and we resolved it.  Then a civil suit was started and this is why it started and that’s why the shit hit the fan.

David Selwyn: You pleaded guilty to something right?

Shannon Briggs.: I didn’t plead guilty to anything.

David Selwyn: Did you get probation?

Shannon Briggs.: I got a little probation.  Listen Dave everywhere I go people recognize me and sometimes get real stupid.  I was walking down the street one day in South Beach with a couple of guys and a guy comes up to me and says “Yo ain’t you Shannon Briggs.  I’ve seen you get knocked out by Lennox Lewis” and I was thinking that this was not a nice thing to say.  All you have to do is say hello.  I asked him why he had to disrespect me like that.  He sees me with my girl and her friends.  I said where do you come off like that.

David Selwyn: You have ignorant people out there.

Shannon Briggs.: Exactly.  I respect everybody, I just want everybody to respect me.

David Selwyn: The world does not work like that Shannon, sometimes you have to be tough and not let people step on you.  My motto is you mess with the bull you get the horns.

Shannon Briggs.: That’s right Dave, sometimes they mess with the Lion and the lion bites and they want to know why.  My thing is to try to stay out of trouble.  I stay home a lot.  I’m a target, for some reason people mess with me.

David Selwyn: What was the outcome of the lawsuit? 

Shannon Briggs.: I lost and the guy that sued me was awarded 2 million.  I’m going to appeal it.  I learned that there are people trying to make money off me.  I had a guy the other day say to me I need to let you beat me so I could make a million..  Unfortunately this is how the world is.

David Selwyn: Any last words Shannon?

Shannon Briggs.: Well Dave I just want to thank you for this opportunity to speak to the fans.  I love boxing and I love boxing fans.  I just hope the sport can improve to benefit the boxers.  I’m coming back for the fans.  I don’t care about the belts, I want to be the people’s chant.

David Selwyn: Well thank you Shannon and I wish you nothing but the best.  Thank you for your time and candid conversation.