Briggs Reveals Klitschko Motivation

Shannon Briggs is on the phone, hollering about his mom dying of a drug overdose.

He's talking about his step-dad taking his final breath in prison.

He’s yelling about once being homeless in Brownsville, claims he never got paid for his 2010 fight against Vitali Klitschko that left him badly beaten and in the hospital for days.

He talks about the epiphany he had soon after the fight that caused him to reassess his life, cut off his trade-mark dreadlocks and quit drinking.

He talks about having thoughts of suicide.

We all know why Briggs is spilling his guts on the phone, why he’s dutifully answering questions on every topic under the sun.

He wants a heavyweight title fight with Wladimir Klitschko, the same guy he’s been pestering for the past several months, showing up in South Florida gyms and restaurants and even at sea, often shirtless and in a bad mood.

“Everywhere you go I go!” Briggs yells at Klitschko during these visits. “I’m the champ you’re the chump. What you do…I do!” "Now you see me, Im everywhere baby!"

It’s his latest attempt to secure a big fight and payday with a Klitschko brother.

Briggs has somehow breathed new life and interest into his career with these creative stunts.

Briggs also says he met with police on Friday night because he says Klitschko is considering filing a restraining order against him.

In any event, if he actually gets a fight with Klitschko, it won't be because of his ability in the ring.

No, it will be because of the reactions these numbers have brought.

Briggs captures these humorous encounters on his iPhone, filmed by his nephew, Craig Brown, 26. He posts them on his Twitter and Instagram accounts. The reaction has been impressive. The world of social media loves it.

So does TMZ.

The clip of Klitschko falling off his surfboard at sea after a boat Briggs rented for $600 made waves has been viewed over 96,000 times on Youtbube.

The encounter between Briggs and Klitschko at an eatery in Hollywood, FLA, which ends with Klitschko dumping water on Briggs head, Briggs stubbing his toe and cutting his foot on glass in the ensuing melee has garnered over 250,000 views.

“No, he’s peed off now,” Briggs said of Klitschko in a phone interview on Saturday. “And that’s what I want. I’m peed off because the heavyweight division is in shambles because of him and his brother and their styles. I’m in better shape at 42 than I was at 22. I totally changed my lifestyle. I don’t party anymore, haven’t had a drink in over three years. I want the fight.”

Briggs says he doesn’t have a promoter or a manger, yet he’s fought and won five fights this year against no-name opposition, winning four of them by first-round knockout.

He says that Oscar De La Hoya recently reached out to him, but he wasn’t interested.

"I've been on my own since forever," Briggs says. "I don't need anyone now.

Besides, the people are my manger, my promoter. I'm the people's champ."

The ultimate goal of these crazy videos?

A title shot against Klitschko at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where he is originally from, Briggs says.

And he’s enlisted former heavyweight titlist Chris Byrd to help train him for the fight, he says.

If it happens.

At this point, he hasn’t gotten any indication that it will.

“That fight would be great for Brooklyn,” Briggs says. “There hasn’t been a big heavyweight fight in Brooklyn forever. And it’s my home. You call yourself a world champion and then fight all your fights in Germany,” he said of Klitschko, who has a title fight coming up in November in Germany. “No, come to Brooklyn. I’m reaching out to Jay-Z, to Puffy, to Fat Joe, to what’s her name- Rosie Perez. So many different people. Jennifer Lopez. I need my people. Donald Trump. Bring on the fight!”

Of course, a fight with Klitchsko would bring him a big payday, which is the main reason why he wants the fight, he says.

Briggs talks so fast and with such conviction it’s difficult to sort out fact from fiction. In a nearly hour interview, he referred to himself as broke several times. Asked if he’s really destitute, he said, “Well, nah, I’m doing okay.”

But a big payday is his motivation.

“Hell yeah,” he said. “It’s prize-fighting. I have three kids to feed. The motivation is the money and the title. I’m also motivated by the people. I want to be the people’s champ. I’m a kid whose parents were on drugs, and I want people who are going through things to see me and be motivated to not want to give up. I want fat people to see all the weight I lost and not to give up. I wanted to commit suicide. My mother died on my birthday. My dad died in jail. Every manager [screwed] me. So I want to motivate anyone who’s gone through a tough time in their life.”

The confrontations, which some believe are set up, are not staged, Briggs insists.

“The video is not planned,” he says, kind of fudging the truth because it does require preparation. “It’s spontaneous. I have better videos of me stalking him but I don’t want to go to jail,” he says with a thunderous laugh. “I’ve been stalking this man but I just don’t want to go to jail.”

Here’s how it works, he explains.

He finds out where Klitschko is going to be that day, relying on tipsters in the paparazzi who follow celebrities like Klitschko, and then Briggs hops to it.

And because Briggs says he lives right down the street from Klitschko in Hollywood Beach, it’s not hard to find him.

“You have to pay some people to know where he’s at,” Briggs says. “I knew he was at the water everyday but I had to save up some money to get a boat. Once I got the money to get a boat, I got my boat. I paid $600 for a couple hours and they gave me the champ discount.”

He says that he and Klitschko haven’t spoken off camera, haven’t sat down and discussed just what in the hell Briggs is up to.

Briggs has no idea if any of this will lead to anything since Klitschko hasn’t given him any indication that he will face him.

Briggs does know one thing- he’s starting to get under Klitschko’s skin, as evidenced by Klitschko’s angry reaction when he fell in the water off his paddle board.

Briggs says he stayed with him in his boat, watching him from afar to make sure he returned to shore unharmed. (“We don’t want to kill him,” Brigg said with a laugh.)

Briggs says he got a call from associates of Klitschko early on Saturday morning, upset with his latest stunt.

“I don’t know what he’s going to do but he’s mad,” Briggs said. “They gave me a call. I think they’re sick of me. It was someone from his camp who said, ‘Listen, you’re Wee weeing off Wladimir. Don’ show up anymore.’ I’ve been getting death threats. They say if I show up to Germany- there’s going to be a problem. But ‘Let’s go champ!’ That’s what my brain is telling me. Let’s go get this fight.”

Briggs said he got the idea to do the videos and basically harass Klitschko into fighting him from Muhammad Ali, who essentially hassled Sonny Liston into facing him.

Through it all, Briggs says he’s been impressed with Klitschko’s composure. Aside from the water board incident, he’s kept his cool.

“I never seen someone like this guy,” Briggs said. “He’s hard to break. It was hard to break him. I broke him now. He’s very cool and cold. But I finally broke him.”

I have a horrible feeling this fight will happen after Wlad deals with Pulev.....hope it doesnt though

Shannon Briggs v James Toney would be a fight I wouldn't mind. Hope the press conferences have a translator at them though

So many embarrassing things in one interview. I highly doubt the Klitschkos didn't pay him for his beatdown. If I remember correctly, there was a issue with his handlers, and they made off with his purse.
- What on earth is Byrd going to teach you about beating the Klitschkos? How to hope for an injury? How to have a jab tattooed to your face?

At least he's still a fast talker and doing alright financially though. Leave with some coin and your faculties is the name of the game... so he won, I guess.