Vladimir Klitschko has no intention of fighting compatriot and Ukrainian icon Oleksandr Usyk after retirement.
But the former unified heavyweight champion has contemplated an unlikely comeback and could be tempted to box another opponent.
Former world titlist Shannon Briggs, who previously hilariously taunted Wladimir Klitschko and boxed his older brother Vitali, supports the returning elder statesman of the division.
“Nothing is impossible,” Briggs said. sky sports. “Humanity, as we know, has done amazing things.”
Americans respect Klitschko. “He’s a really tough guy to be a heavyweight champion and fight for his country in a war that takes so many lives. This guy is a true champion and a strong guy. It’s great for boxing,” Briggs said.
“I want to fight him. There’s no secret about that. You can’t take anything away from him as a fighter, as a person. He’s a really good guy.”
Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
Returning to boxing at such an old age is risky. But Briggs, who is older than Klitschko at 53, now wants to make it himself.
“You can take an old car and restore it. You put new wheels, new spark plugs, a new battery and the car runs like a new car. That’s true. I feel that way myself,” he claimed.
“Anything is possible. We can turn back time.
“Age doesn’t matter anymore.”
But Bob Arum, the venerable boxing promoter who led 45-year-old George Foreman to become the sport’s oldest heavyweight champion, provided a dose of reality.
Oleksandr Usyk celebrates with Wladimir Klitschko (Photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom)
“Remember when Foreman came back, when he came back he was closer to 41 than 45 and he had already lost to (Evander) Holyfield and was tested and knew where he was at. But Klitschko is now 48 and going into the middle fight. “It seems a little impossible to come back without it.” Areum said. sky sports.
“I think so,” he added. “I don’t know. I’ve always been a big fan of Klitschko and the Ukrainians, but I don’t know.
“It’s hard for me to believe that Klitschko can come back and win the heavyweight championship without a series of interim fights. It’s really hard to believe.”
Causes of Briggs
Although his return to boxing has been controversial, Briggs is also living another dream of his. That means establishing a boxing club in nearby Brownsville, New York, with an academy to provide training for other roles in the sport.
Briggs is bringing a boxing club to Brownsville (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
“I’ve been motivated to do this since I was a child, a homeless teenager sleeping in a boxing gym for shelter,” Briggs said. sky sports.
“I am opening a boxing academy in Brownsville, Brooklyn, home to Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowie, the great Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Zab Judah, Danny Jacobs, Curtis Stevens and our new rising star Bruce Carrington.
“But when you have six or seven boxing champions (from Brownsville) that are only 1.8 miles in size, less than half the size of Hyde Park in England, and there are 100,000 people living in this neighborhood and it’s less than two miles in size, that tells me .There must be something in the water. It’s a pain.
“When you’re in a poverty-stricken neighborhood where there’s so much violence and suffering, it’s easy to have people who are literally fighting to get out. Mike Tyson is one of those people. I’m one of those people.”
