Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that WBC Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko will defend his belt against former WBO champion Shannon Briggs on October 16th in Hamburg, Germany.
“Contracts are signed, everything is done,” Said Bernd Boente, who manages Klitschko adding that there will be news conferences to make the formal announcement in Klitschko’s native Kiev, Ukraine, on Aug. 30 and another in Hamburg, his adopted hometown, on Aug. 31.
“I am very happy that I am finally fighting in Hamburg again. I started in Hamburg as a pro [in 1996],” said Klitschko, who hasn’t fought there since a 1999 knockout of Obed Sullivan. “The O2 World is a fantastic arena and the fans in Hamburg know their boxing, and a great atmosphere is guaranteed.”
“Shannon Briggs is an unbelievable trash-talker, but he is definitely a very strong challenger,” Klitschko said. “He has huge experience, has way more professional fights than I have and is one of the hardest punchers in the heavyweight division. I know I will have to prepare myself with my coach [Fritz Sdunek] very intensely.”
Said Boente: “It’s a very interesting matchup. Vitali has to be prepared very well because Briggs is very dangerous for the first six or seven rounds and you can’t underestimate the guy. Vitali knows this not a walkover. You know Briggs. He can show up as a really good fighter and perform on world-class level, or he can show up like he did in the [Sultan] Ibragimov fight and just walk around the ring.”
“I tried for a long time to get into the ring with one of the Klitschkos. Now it’s time to write history,” Briggs said. “Most of their opponents [expletive] in their pants before they enter the ring. But I will put a lot of pressure on Klitschko. Klitschko can look at his WBC belt for a couple of more weeks. After Oct. 16, it belongs to me.
“I have been in touch with [ESPN programmer] Doug Loughrey and hopefully we can work something again for Vitali’s fight,” Boente said.
