Lennox Lewis vs. Shannon Briggs – A Tale of Triumph and Tenacity in Atlantic City

On Saturday, March 28, 1998, Lennox Lewis met Shannon Briggs at the Boardwalk Convention Center, Atlantic City, looking to defend his WBC heavyweight title. Briggs came into the fight following a controversial majority decision win over George Foreman. Lewis came into this bout having destroyed Andrew Golota in the first round.

Lenox Lewis vs. Shannon Briggs Revisited

Fight Night Recapped

Lewis started well in the first round, controlling the distance and dictating the tempo with his strong left jab, which kept Briggs occupied for most of the opening round until “The Cannon” landed a well-timed short left hand that staggered “The Lion.” Following this shot, Briggs sensed a stoppage opportunity and pounced, but the Brit held his opponent to see out the round.

The second round saw Lewis establish his jab again, keeping Briggs at bay, but again, the American got through with a left hook, with “The Lion” ending the round well with two strong combinations.

Read More: Revisiting Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield I and the Controversial Decision

The West Ham-born heavyweight stepped on the gas in round four, landing an aggressive combination – knocking his American opponent into the ropes, with Lewis quickly landing a big right hand. The 1988 Olympic gold medallist continued this potent attack, which saw a peach of a right hook drop Briggs.

He beat the count, but Lewis sensed victory, forcing his opponent against the ropes and landing more telling punches before the American scrambled out of trouble. “The Cannon” did land his own telling shot towards the end of the round, but Lewis countered brilliantly with a smart combination, knocking his opponent down again. Somehow Briggs survived the round.

Read More: Reliving Five Epic All-British Heavyweight Bouts 

The Brit continued his punishing form in round five, with power punches landing almost at will, which saw a powerful right hook land at 1.09 in the round, knocking Briggs down, who got to his feet before another flurry from Lewis forced the referee to stop the fight, awarding him the victory by TKO.

Lennox Lewis Legacy

Lewis cemented his legacy as one of the greatest heavyweights, defeating Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. The final fight of his career saw him dig deep and defeat Vitali Klitschko. His only two defeats against Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman – were also avenged in style.