Never bring a knife to a gunfight? How about never bring a Cannon to a Bomber war.
Former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs hasn't exactly been subtle about wanting to take on the top talent in the division. Footage of Briggs screaming “Let’s go champ!” at everywhere from press conferences to powerboats abounds in the 43-year-old's attempts to try to goad a fight against boxers in the upper echelon of the division. Most take the antics in vaguely amused stride. Until Briggs tried to pull the same stunt on Deontay Wilder.
“Shannon just wants attention,” Wilder said. “He’s trying to do it the wrong way. It’s sad to see him try to suck up so much attention from fans. Running off at the mouth is not going to get you where you need to be. You’re old and we know you just want a payday. I told him before, work your way back to the top. Fight somebody and work your way there. People are not laughing with you, they're laughing at you. You’re making a fool of yourself. You’re too old. You’re 43 years old and you’re doing this crazy stuff. I’m the wrong guy to be coming at like that. I don’t play around.
“If you work your way up, I promise I’ll pick your card and we can have that fight. Last time he ran his mouth he got stuck in the hospital for almost a damn month. He didn’t learn from that situation. Now he’s messing with a younger guy that can put it him in there probably permanently. The title I would put on Shannon Briggs is a sad, old man.”
Shots fired. Something tells us Briggs will have a rebuttal ready to go the next time Wilder—or any other high-profile heavyweight—is ready to get back in the ring.
