Shannon Briggs was defeated by a boxer with as many losses as wins in a devastating upset.
In his esteemed career, ‘The Cannon’ cemented his status as one of the hardest hitters in heavyweight history, destroying an array of top-level operators.
Lennox Lewis even went as far as to claim that Briggs was the heaviest puncher he ever faced. However, while the American scored 53 knockouts, the lethal operator wasn’t capable of winning every single time he set foot inside the ring.
On one occasion, the icon was on the receiving end of an extremely surprising result.
WOW: Shannon Briggs feared for an opponent’s life after brutally knocking him out
Shannon Briggs lost to Sedreck Fields in a major upset
On April 27, 2000, Shannon Briggs went to war with Sedreck Fields at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York, USA.
The former and indeed future world champion was a massive favorite, as his opponent entered the bout with a 9-9 record.
However, refusing to listen to the doubters, Fields was keen to prove he had the minerals to pull off the win.
Over the course of eight rounds, the pair traded leather, with the underdog putting in a tremendous effort.
The crowd in attendance was stunned as the journeyman not only took the big shots coming in his direction, but also managed to land some hefty blows in return.
At the end of the contest, Fields celebrated wildly, believing he’d done enough to get the victory. And his assumptions were proved valid, when the ring announcer confirmed that he’d won a majority decision.
In an interview with Boxing News 24/7, Briggs reflected on the loss as well as some of his other difficult nights, saying: “I wasn’t prepared for the Lewis fight, and I was like 280lbs before the Jameel McCline fight.
“I was drained for that fight, and McCline still couldn’t knock me out. I literally got up off my couch and fought Sedreck Fields. All of those fights were mistakes I didn’t need to make.”
Shannon Briggs landed massive KO with just one second left to win his second world title
Having realized the mistakes from his previous losses, Briggs knew he needed to produce a big performance against Siarhei Liakhovich.
With the opportunity of becoming a 2x world champion on the line, the powerhouse was determined to do whatever it took to get his hands on the belt.
However, the fight didn’t exactly go as planned, with his opponent doing the significantly better work.
But in the dying seconds, Briggs landed a terrifying KO to win the WBO heavyweight title.