Shannon Briggs

Shannon Briggs (born December 14, 1971) is an American heavyweight boxer whose career was decelerated by a loss to Lennox Lewis in 1998. Shannon Briggs has also one first-round KO win in K-1 to his credit.

Related Topics:
December 14 - 1971 - American - Heavyweight - Boxer - Lennox Lewis - 1998 - K-1

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MIAMI (AP) ? A jury has awarded $2 million to former University of Miami defensive lineman Brian Stinson for injuries suffered in a nightclub fight with former heavyweight boxer Shannon Briggs.

Related Topics:
University of Miami - Brian Stinson

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Jurors on Friday sided with Stinson, who said his football career was cut short after Briggs broke his eye socket during a fight in 2001.

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"This was not a fight. This was a brutal beating," said Stinson's attorney, Ken Padowitz of Fort Lauderdale.

Related Topics:
Ken Padowitz - Fort Lauderdale

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Briggs, 33, of Pembroke Pines, has 25 first-round knockouts in a 12-year boxing career. He earned a controversial 12-round majority decision over two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman in 1997, causing Foreman to retire at the time. The next year, Briggs was stopped in the fifth round by Lennox Lewis.

Related Topics:
Pembroke Pines - George Foreman - Lennox Lewis

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Stinson, 27, testified that he began chatting with an unidentified young woman at the bar after he arrived with a group of Hurricane players. He said Briggs started berating her and then cursed him, giving a shove that sent him through an exit door and into an alley.

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Stinson said when he tried to return to the club, Briggs punched him.

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"I couldn't move," Stinson testified Friday. "All I could see were fists, and it was awful."

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A doctor testified that Stinson suffered facial fractures and now has limited vision in his left eye. The injuries caused Stinson to miss scouting camps. He now works as a counselor at a university in Washington, D.C.

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Briggs countered that he was leaving the club when a young woman called out his name. He tried talking to her but was rebuffed by Stinson and Miami defensive end Quincy Hipps. After some shoving, bouncers appeared and tossed Stinson into the alley. Briggs said Stinson returned and tried to tackle him.

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"I was lucky he missed me, otherwise the story would be Shannon Briggs got his butt kicked," he testified.

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Briggs said he would appeal the verdict but regrets he was at the club that night.

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"I am a big target and people think I have big pockets," he said. "It was a football party and I was a boxer. I shouldn't have been there."

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