Rating Shannon Briggs

[James9753]

How will Shannon Briggs be remembered as a contender during the late 90s/early 2000s? Obviously he had that controversial win over George Foreman but was surely seen as a good contender? How did he stack up against his peers in and around that time period?

[Controversial]

In between journeymen and the top guys of the division. Talked a good fight but rarely backed it up. He had a big punch but a very padded record and lost anytime he stepped up in class. Has been found to be using illegal substance in the past and more recently with increased levels of testosterone so some doubt over how clean he was.

[Boxing Writer]

How will Shannon Briggs be remembered as a contender during the late 90s/early 2000s? Obviously he had that controversial win over George Foreman but was surely seen as a good contender? How did he stack up against his peers in and around that time period?

1. He was knocked out in 3 rounds by very small journeyman Darroll Wilson, who was destroyed by Tua in 1 round in his next fight.

2. He got a gift draw in the fight against Francois Botha.

3. He lost to Sedreck Fields, who was 9-9 at that time and finished his career with 22-37 record.

4. He got battered from pillar to post by Jameel McCline.

5. Aside of winning in a very controversial way against 49 y.o. George Foreman Briggs didn't beat a single top-30 opponent up to 2006.

So Briggs was EXTREMELY overrated based only on his great physical look and the first two rounds of his fight against Lennox Lewis who had probably underestimated him.

[DrDuke]

He was a fringe competitor. Not a journeyman, decent, but nothing special.

[gilgamesh]

In between journeymen and the top guys of the division. Talked a good fight but rarely backed it up. He had a big punch but a very padded record and lost anytime he stepped up in class. Has been found to be using illegal substance in the past and more recently with increased levels of testosterone so some doubt over how clean he was.

That pretty much sums it up.

[Tuan_Jim]

He doesn't rate.

[TooMuch]

He was a world champion, wasn't he? So I'd rate him a bit above fringe contenders.

[DrDuke]

He was a world champion, wasn't he? So I'd rate him a bit above fringe contenders.

He won the lineal championship from Foreman in a very controversial fashion. Then he took WBO belt from Liakhovich, who was also fringe. In that period of time there were an exchange of the belts by the boxers, who would have most likely never done it a bit earlier or later.