Once touted as the next Mike Tyson, Briggs has suffered a number of injuries and setbacks in his career that would've stopped a less determined athlete. However, Briggs has been quietly on the comeback trail the last two years, knocking out all of his opponents in impressive fashion.

Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Briggs was to follow as the next great in a line of Brooklynites that included Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe. Briggs' trademark combination of size, power and speed was evident from the very beginning. After winning the national amateur championship, Briggs was favored to win a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics but was prevented from participating due to a hand injury.

"The first time I saw him, when he won the national amateur championship, I said he's a future champion," according to Evander Holyfield. "He's got a brilliant future."

His future looked brilliant indeed as he compiled a 25-0 record in his early career, including 20 knockouts, 15 coming in the first round. A brief setback against fellow undefeated prospect Darroll Wilson didn't stop Briggs as he quickly racked up three more impressive knockouts and a gritty tenth round TKO in a battle with Jorge Valdes.

That led to Briggs' greatest victory to date, a decision over the legendary George Foreman. This sent Briggs to the title shot he had been working his whole life for.

Briggs had the whole crowd on the edges of their seats when he pounced on Lennox Lewis right off the bell and had him on the run. He came within an eyelash of beating the champion before being stopped in the fifth round. He was still throwing punches when the fight was stopped. "I fought my best and came within a hair of beating him," said Briggs after the fight. Not bad for a guy who was homeless as a youngster.

"My way out was to dream, to use my imagination," said Briggs of his experience living on the streets. "I dreamed of buying a home when I didn't have a home. I dreamed of having things I didn't have, I refused to give up."

Sent to the comeback trail, Briggs was undaunted as he refocused to face top ranked opponent Francois Botha. The fight resulted in a draw and many havenÕt heard much from Briggs since.

A wake up call came knocking on Briggs' door in the form of Sedrick Fields in April of 2000. The journeyman Fields won an eight-round

Briggs' determination was resurrected. For those who haven't noticed, Briggs has knocked out his last four opponents in the first round. Excited about his return to HBO against top ranked Jameel McCline, Briggs is not taking this opportunity lightly. "I'm going to be in the best shape of my life for this fight," commented Briggs.

He's very motivated for this fight," Briggs' promoter Cedric Kushner said of the fighter. "He's bright enough and smart enough to know this is a legitimate opportunity. He's in a winnable fight in prime time and getting a hefty payday."

The two hometown New Yorkers have taken very different paths to this point, but it promises to be a very exciting bout. "We're opening the doors one more time for Shannon Briggs," said HBO Senior VP Kery Davis. "It's a captivating fight. That's the one driving force."

Perhaps this roller coaster is finally on its way back to the top for good. Will it dive down again? Time will tell, but with the speed, size, power and determination of Shannon Briggs, don't count him out just yet. "The key is to have a goal," said Briggs, "have a dream and then pursue it. You can't just give up and say things can't be changed."

Shannon won the WBO Heavyweight Championship title when he knocked out Sergei Liakhovich in the last round of a November 4, 2006, matchup. After an extremely lackluster 11 rounds which left the Arizona crowd restless, Briggs was losing on all three judges' scorecards. Sensing urgency, Briggs pressed the fight in the 12th round and knocked Liakhovich down and then the exhausted Briggs subsequently trapped him on the ropes and continued his assault and Liakhovich was knocked out of the ring. Liakhovich landed on a ringside table, and the referee stopped the bout after it was clear that Liakhovich should not continue. The official time was 2:59 thereby awarding Briggs the winner and the new WBO Heavyweight Champion. With a new title in hand, all roads go through Briggs as he is continues to wreak serious havoc in route towards the much anticipated showdown with Wladimir Klitschko.