Although UFC fights are getting more and
more of the attention these days, Jimmy Boyd is still
here to keep you up to date with his boxing reports. The
odds are posted for this Saturday’s big heavyweight bout
so Jimmy Boyd is here to help you cash in on this fight
with his Briggs Ibragimov predictions.
Shannon “Brooklyn” Briggs is no newcomer
to holding a heavyweight title belt. He beat grill
master George Foreman nearly 10 years ago for the title
back in 1998. His experience in big fights goes on the
pros list while his aged 36 year old body goes on the
cons side of things. This will be his first title
defense since regaining the belt last November by
defeating Sergei Liakhovich by TKO in the deciding
round. 42 of his 48 professional wins have come by
knockout. They call this guy the “Cannon” for a reason.
His power packed punches have enabled him to win fights
where he has been out boxed as was the case last
November when he would have lost on all 3 judge’s score
cards had he not knock out Liakhovich. Lets put it this
way, Briggs is not going to be able to fight the fight
he did against Liakhovich if he wants to maintain his
title belt.
Sultan Ibagrimov has a little more youth than Briggs. He
is the third ranked WBO heavyweight fighter, the fifth
ranked IBF fighter, and the ninth ranked WBA man. In my
Briggs/Ibagrimov odds article, I mentioned how Ibagrimov
is part of a trend which is a throwback to Rocky IV. He
is one of several fighters from the former Soviet Union
dominating the heavyweight boxing scene. As good as this
is for Russia, it is part of the reason why heavyweight
boxing audiences are at an all-time low in the United
States. This used to be the spotlight weight class and
now it is barely earning media attention.
Although you won’t find a huge amount of media attention
for this fight, it is definitely a fight worth watching
for true boxing fans as Briggs tries to hold off
Ibagrimov in what I am branding as the “Cold War Bout.”
Ibagrimov hasn’t had as many professional fights as
Briggs, but he doesn’t lack experience. He is an
unbeaten 20-0-1 in his career. He is the more youthful
fighter and the fresher fighter. Briggs probably
shouldn’t be the heavyweight title holder now and I
don’t think he has another big upset in him. The books
have made Ibagrimov the favorite for a reason.
Unfortunately for United States boxing enthusiasts, it
looks like the sport will take another step backwards as
this one will go to the Soviet invader.
