JAYFORCE

Watch… Looks staged. But it’s okay. As long as it’s entertaining… “Have some water” (bwaaaahahahaaa).

I know what the video was ‘meant to show’ but I put dots together differently. Truth: We have had no real reason to get hyped about the heavyweight division in quite some time. But… Shannon Briggs? Last fight I saw him in was against Jason Statham in one of the “Transporter” movies. Even Statham has moved on.

But boxing history holds that the ring retires great fighters, especially heavyweights. In other words, a fighter keeps fighting until someone throws him a bonafide can’t-be-denied azz whuppin in the squared circle. Sure, every now and then you get a Lennox Lewis, who retires on high; but most heavyweights who were on top either fight in relative obscurity OR they had that one ‘ewww daaamn someone oughta stop this’ match (ex: Ali v. Holmes, Tyson v. Lewis… and Hollyfield should have been “retired” by the two that Lewis gave him).

To his credit, I don’t think Shannon got his “retirement whuppin” … but this hounding for the champ’s attention is long after what would be considered his career peak. Now, George Foreman had two careers, in essence; winning the title again well after what most would say was his prime. BUT even he had some “retirement” (once from Ali, sorta) and another from Axel Schulz, an German bruiser who was declared the loser that night even after knotting Foreman’s eye so high his shades rose off his face.

Perhaps the Klitschkos (Wladimir and Vitali work as a unit) deserve to work the game as a weakened division and early politics kept them out for a bit. Some (pointing at myself) say Lewis got away with murder …with a VERY controversial win over Vitali (watch the proof here for a few seconds) back in the day and retired without making it right. Maybe the Klitschkos feel justified in leaving like Lennox Lewis, still pretty, pretty healthy, and pretty much in a sound state of mind.

Oooh, @ojones1 are you saying this Briggs rah-rah is a set up to fuel promo for a title fight with he and Wladimir INSTEAD of facing true contenders? Well…I wrote it, huh? Guess I threw the brick. Can’t hide my hand now… It follows that someone would ask/blurt, “Well, who are these so-called contenders, O?” I’m glad you asked, me-acting-like-someone-asking-me-a-question… Allow me to quote Bleacher Report in my response:

Klitschko has not lost a fight since 2004. Since then, the gigantic heavyweight with fast hands and nimble feet has put together one of the more remarkable championship runs in heavyweight history. Klitschko is top dog at heavyweight. So is [Bryant] Jennings the guy to dethrone him? Is he the guy to bring the title back to the United States? Will he be the guy to bring American heavyweight boxing back from the doldrums?

“I think so,” said Jennings. “But I can’t do it alone. Trust me. I can’t do it alone. I’m one of the guys. I think that it’s just going to take more than one guy.” Jennings said he and fellow undefeated prospect Deontay Wilder were probably the two most exciting heavyweights in America right now, to go along with the United Kingdom’s Tyson Fury. He said a group of guys like that, which might include other fighters who have yet to emerge, could make the heavyweight division real exciting.
– Bleacher Report

AND Wilder has whupped MUCH azz (29-0, ALL KNOCKOUTS)… AND Wilder is from Tuscaloosa (where we make champions, Roll Tide)… AND Bleacher isn’t even touting him in the above writeup.

Yeah, there are more worthy fights to be made than Briggs v. Klitschko. So I say good try to this ‘smoke screen.’ But I don’t care wither way. For one, no one cares about the heavyweight division now (maybe that’ll change, but not now). But second, I like Pro Wrestling… and this ‘drama’ outside the ring leading to a pay-per-view showdown in the ring… works for me!

So… Who’s bringing the folding chairs? Gotta hit somebody with a folding chair to make it a pay per view, right?

– @ojones1