Shannon Briggs has vowed to come back and avenge Mike Tyson if he loses to Jake Paul on Friday night.
The former WBO and lineal heavyweight champion hasn’t stepped foot inside the squared circle since flattening Argentinian journeyman Emilio Zarate in 2016.
A fight with David Haye was supposed to follow but despite Briggs’ best efforts, including crashing the Brit’s press conference with Arnold Gjergjaj, it never came to fruition.
Over the last few years, he has been more active on the other side of the ropes and even spent time working as Logan Paul and Jake Paul‘s boxing coach for their early exhibition bouts.
However, that doesn’t mean the 52-year-old is retired, as he vehemently reminded talkSPORT.com during a recent exclusive interview.
“I’m not retired, it’s just that nobody wants to fight me,” Briggs said.
“I’m just inactive because they are scared. They’re scared of me champ.
“I’m looking to fight in March, and if Jake beats Mike Tyson then I’m going to avenge Mike and knock Jake out cold.
“That’s what I want to do if he wins… I’m telling you first if Mike loses then I’ve got to do this for the neighbourhood.
“You see the hat? Brownsville Boxing Academy. I can’t let Mike go out like that.”
Tyson is set to square off with Paul in a matter of days at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Both men will duke it out in a professional heavyweight bout under the auspices of the Texas Boxing Commission.
Adjustments have been made to the rule set; including shortened two-minute rounds and heavier 14oz gloves.
But unlike Tyson’s exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr in 2020, knockouts are allowed.
The fight has been met with significant backlash from several members of the boxing fraternity due to the staggering 31-year age gap between the pair.
Most feel Tyson stands no chance against a 27-year-old in his athletic prime.
Yet Briggs thinks it will be far more competitive than people are making out.
“I can’t even imagine what’s going to happen in that first round because Jake ain’t no chump,” he added.
“He ain’t going to lay down. I know him personally. I worked with him, and he’s always been a little tough, and he’s a little crazy.
“That’s what makes this interesting, that he’s crazy enough to go in the ring with Mike Tyson.
“And if Mike Tyson does what he has got to do, he can hurt him, and he’s willing to give it a shot.
“So hats off to him, because a lot of kids would be like, ‘Hell, no, are you crazy?’
“If the real Mike Tyson turns up and he’s in shape and he’s ready to punch hard, he could punch through his guard and knock him out.
“He could punch with his hands up and knock him out. But we are going to see. We don’t know what he’s got left, he’s 58 years old.
“And what’s Jake got? Can he stand up? Can he fight back? Can he hurt Mike Tyson?
“The whole world’s going to be watching, can you imagine that? It’s on Netflix.”
Shannon is the founder of the Brownsville Boxing Gym & Academy, a non-profit initiative that provides boxing training and wider education classes to young people in Brownsville, Brooklyn. You can learn more about the cause here.
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