By Bradley Yeh
Amongst fighters, rivalries beyond that described by governing body’s contention ranks are commonplace. For the most part they’re good for the game. They provide knowledge about boxer’s, psyche, skills and determination. Furthermore they can drive a fighter to aspire for a more comprehensive and conclusive win. Out of this, both the promoters and the fans can win because everyone knows no matter what is said, only one fighter can win. There were no exceptions to this with respect to the rivalry between Glen Kelly and Paul Briggs as their careers dovetailed into common ground and they approached each other on a collision course in 2002.
Common opponents often allow analysts insights as to how fights may unfold and for the most part they make interesting breakdowns. Observing each boxer’s capabilities and adjustments in response to a similar opponent’s style, power, and strategy, casts some light on how each boxer may respond to the strengths and weaknesses of each other when they meet. At the time Kelly and Briggs shared previous common domestic opponents in Paul Smallman and Jaimie Wallace, and both opponents were considered very capable and durable domestic opponents when Briggs and Kelly both beat them.
A noteworthy fact presenting itself from this is that Briggs didn’t require overtime for the same assignments, and that Kelly did - again Briggs had completed his work before the time allocated.
Briggs had KO’d both Smallman and Wallace before the end of the 4th stanza, whilst Kelly had defeated them both via points decisions approximately 3-4 years earlier than when Briggs had feasted on them. Perhaps Kelly had them when they were much less shop worn, there certainly can be a case put forward for that viewpoint. However, armed with benefit that hindsight now allows us to see past Briggs’ performance in the Wallace & Smallman bouts, the smart money says If Briggs would have fought them when Kelly did, Briggs most likely would’ve still won both fights by KO.
Adding to the mix of tangibles was the fact that Kelly also had a win over John Mugabi (who had fought Marvin Hagler in 1986).
This combined with Kelly’s win over the respected Sam Soliman in 1999 was commonly forwarded in fight-talk conversations as a retort to suggestions that, the frequency in which Briggs truncated the time required to complete scheduled assignments meant that Briggs was theoretically the easier man to back for a win against Kelly.
Aside from the benefits associated with scrutinizing common opponents as a forecasting tool, the method can also be extended to an extreme where it’s prone to failure because no quantified value or indicator can be extracted from its application that reliably differentiates between forced and unforced errors. Nor can a value can be extracted that differentiates whether errors have originated before the main event, as some do, such as those from, training, age, and fatigue from schedule. That’s boxing and all those tangibles allow us to say, “anyone that succeeds in this game must be doing something right because so much is against you”.
Whether Kelly made Briggs’ job with Smallman & Wallace easier due to these matters of chronology was hard to gauge for other reasons also, one of them being that Briggs didn’t fight with the caution that Kelly possessed. That kind of self-confidence, when properly harnessed is a valuable skill and put simply Paul Briggs shows no sign before and during a fight that he won’t win. His will to win is tremendous. Fittingly Briggs just loves to trade and inflict. All these characteristics make for a pretty daunting fight-persona and it’s one reason why Peter Briggs finds it difficult to get light heavyweight opponents.
Delivering knockouts always appeals to the target audiences that promoters love. Briggs didn’t disappoint on the occasion against Glenn Kelly. Marked with intensity Briggs marched to the ring. The bell rang and Briggs simply set about discovering and creating weaknesses within Kelly whilst confirming his own strengths. The round started with Kelly easing himself onto the scorecards, but not with the same velocity as Briggs.
It was the kind of fight where you could clearly see the difference in confidence between the fighters from their expressions when tagged. Briggs was indifferent when Kelly would occasionally land and Kelly was visibly concerned when it was his turn to experience an unguarded moment.
Round 2 opened with Kelly looking for ways dictate tempo, as Briggs came forward with more assertion and authority. Briggs had waited too long for this and you could see it within his attitude. Briggs was simply intent on getting his own way, and he did. Briggs was not deterred by Kelly’s power and by round 3 Kelly knew it, more importantly Kelly also knew it was obvious - think dark clouds, hail, lightning and laughing thunder.
It’s not just the fear of physical inferiority that drives a boxer toward success, at a deeper level it’s the need to avoid public humiliation associated with being defenseless that drives the spirit to perform when raised up on the canvas square in competition. It doesn’t take long to become removed from your senses when you know you're alarmed and powerless to create respect within your opponent. During round 3 it was apparent to Briggs that Kelly may be deprived of the fortitude normally required to implement continuity of strategy. Almost all fighters experience fear, it’s the ability to use fear in a constructive manner that motivates for success that counts. When a fighter can’t use his fear to positively motivate himself, things can go wrong.
In round 3, against Paul Briggs, these considerations must have poured through Kelly’s mind like termites through the framework of a condemned house. And Briggs smelt it and switched to a southpaw stance. A statement of confidence that presented more to contemplate for Kelly’s mind, when he surely longed for less. Round 4 opened and Briggs returned to orthodox stance and had Kelly on the ropes. Then it happened.
Boom!
The KO landed and Kelly couldn’t get up despite attempting to do so. From round 2 it was unmistakable that it would be only a matter of time before he imposed that power upon Kelly. At this stage of Paul Briggs’ career, with the destruction of Kelly, it became very obvious why Briggs was called the Hurricane – as only in nature are such deterministic, devastating and aggressive forces commonplace.
In round 4 Briggs momentarily disconnected Kelly from his aspirations with a KO that was comprehensive and complete. Kelly’s confidence had dropped below a useful threshold 3 minutes prior, whereas Brigg’s only grew stronger. Barry Michael, Australia’s former IBF 130-pound Champ, who called the fight, said "That right hand from Briggs would've knocked out a bull. That guy (Briggs) can punch and he has the talent to go all the way. That was a great performance and will really give him a big profile on the world scene".
Ascension plan implemented, obstacle (Kelly) removed, and another assignment closed without overtime for Briggs.
After the scores were announced, Briggs took centre stage inside the ring and gave praise to Kelly for taking the fight and also for handling the ridicule that had been thrown his way during all the pre fight antics. Kelly stated that Briggs was world class and then Briggs openly stated “You are now looking at the next world light-heavyweight champion”, (meaning himself). That statement lit a fire within Briggs that’s still burning. It was a moment of success and an inner sight to the psychological mechanics that drive Paul Briggs to author his own destiny. Of note was the fact that Briggs’ announced his plan at a dais he constructed after an achievement, not before. Briggs prefers to let his actions tell the whole story.
Within the aggressive kinetics of this fight and also the Petridis demolition Briggs truly defined his athletic identity in Australia, and to some extent the USA. Like the Petridis win, the Kelly win was not without some legacy either, as only 7 months earlier the then recognized pound for pound champion Roy Jones Junior (in his prime) had taken 4 more rounds than Briggs to defeat Kelly. Again Briggs gave the Australian boxing fraternity a thermometer by which to judge his potential on the international boxing scene. In return they allowed themselves to be invigorated by a man prepared to do what it takes to get where he wants.
From where we all sat that night Paul Briggs climbed into the ring, confidently nodding his head yes, as if the victory against Kelly was already written, it looked pretty good considering that a Hurricane was imminent.
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