BRIGGS: I'LL KNOCK VITALI OUT OR HE'LL QUIT IN HIS CORNER
- On 16 October you are facing Vitali Klitschko. Where do you prepare for the fight and with whom?
Shannon Briggs: I'm training for the fight here in Miami Florida, not too far from where I live. I'm with my head coach and boxing trainer of 8 years Herman Caicedo, Dave Concannon my strength coach and nutritionist, Alonzo Breland the assistant trainer, Anna Margret Sanchez my breathing coach and Tyrell Biggs the gold medal winner of the 1984 Olympic Games. I decided to stay here in Florida and I feel good about my decision. I felt not being too far from home right not was a great move, especially because it's hurricane season here in Florida I wanted to be close to my family in case of a storm. Besides that, at this stage of my career I didn't feel the need to spend unnecessary be away in isolation due to distractions. I'm 38 years old and focused. If partying or going out was a thought or issue I'd have to be mentally disturbed. This fight is a chance of a lifetime and I'm taking full advantage of it.
- What strategy do you prepare to the fight?
SB: There is no particular tactic other than for me to set the tempo of the fight.
- Do you think that it is possible to face Tomasz Adamek if you do not beat Kitschko in October?
SB: I’ll win on October 16 and I will then look to fight Wladimir and then David Haye to unify all of the belts. After that, Adamek will be my last fight.
- You are already an experienced fighter. You think this is your last chance to win the championship belt?
SB: Last chance? (laughing) I hope so. I'm going to win and after that unify the titles. I've had a great career. I've done things against all odds. My mother died of a drug abuse on my birthday December 4th 1996, my father died in prison in 1993. I was told all my life that boxing was not for me due to being asthmatic. I was born four months premature and weighed two pounds at birth with underdeveloped lungs. Here I am today 6'4 inches, 250 pounds, I was born wit brown hair and now sometimes I'm a blonde. I've won the Lineal heavyweight championship of the world from George Foreman in 1997 and the WBO belt from Sergei Lyakovich in 2006. I'm married with the prettiest woman on Earth and we have 2 children flown down to earth by angels.
- Klitschko defeated Albert Sosnowski in May and the Pole could not endure to the final bell. Do you think that your fight in October will last 12 rounds?
SB: No. I will knock him out or he will quit in his corner on the stool. In the past, my career was a living nightmare due to my breathing problems. They are not an issue anymore. When I was given thought of making a comeback to the ring over a year ago, I was fortunate to meet Doctor Charles Hensley - the creator of the homeopathic cold remedy Zicam. After a few conversations I asked the doctor if was possible to create a remedy that could help me breathe better. I started using everyday that he calls Zivair and it's not only changed my life but the life of my four year old son who inherited asthma from me. I truly believe Dr.Hensley will revolution the way asthma and breathing disorders are looked at. He believes that prevention is cure. Why wait to until you can't breathe and your dying? Here in America five people die everyday from asthma and 30,000 people go to the emergency room everyday.
- Many people do not appreciate you. They say you are too weak to beat Klitschko. Do you want to answer something to them?
SB: I'd like to thank them. I love to prove people wrong about my boxing skills. It's a turn on for me like when I see my beautiful wife.
- Would you like to visit Poland before or after some press conferences in Germany?
SB: I fought as an amateur in Warsaw Poland in 1992. It was amazing. I was at a grocery store and I had Polish money that I had exchanged from American currency and some poor kids where in the store asking me for food and money. I didn't know how much my American money and been converted in total but I knew it was a few hundred bucks. I brought them food and gave them all of the money. It felt good to because I used to ask people for spare change as a child for food and candy. I saw little polish Shannon Briggs. Different skin color of course without the locks but they where the same as me. Poor doesn't have color. I love Poland.
