Did Shannon Briggs Win A Belt? A Look At His Career

Shannon Briggs was a very talented amateur boxer who, after becoming a professional, fought two of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was even able to win a world title later in his career!

But what exactly is a “lineal champion”? Let’s dive into the exciting world of boxing titles and how Briggs won his.

The world of professional boxing is a bit complicated, as there are many different organizations that sanction world title fights. You could have a WBA champion, a WBC champion, an IBF champion, and a WBO champion in the same weight class. In addition to these championships, you have lineal championships. Think of these as the “true” champions – a boxer who has beaten the last undisputed champion. In the heavyweight division, a “lineal champion” is a fighter who has beaten the previous lineal champion in a fight for the title. This means that if a fighter wins the lineal title, he is considered the “true” champion of the division. It’s like a lineage going back to the first heavyweight champion.

Briggs’s victory over George Foreman in 1995 made him the lineal champion. However, the fight wasn’t for any of the major titles. Foreman was the reigning WBC and IBF champion. To be considered a “lineal champion”, a fighter must win the title from the previous lineal champion in a fight for the title. Since Foreman had previously defeated the last undisputed heavyweight champion, he was considered the lineal champion even though he had lost his major titles.

But Briggs’s “lineal championship” didn’t last long. He lost the title in his very next fight to Lennox Lewis. The title changed hands once more in 1997 when Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in a fight for the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles. This fight was considered the fight for the “lineal championship”, making Lewis the next lineal champion.

Shannon Briggs had a long and successful career. And while he didn’t win a major championship belt, he was the lineal champion, a title that holds significance for the sport of boxing.