"By him boxing like he did, every other week, he was dropping the weight and getting his reflexes and skills back in order. It helped a lot. Shannon is in tip-top shape and the best shape I have ever seen him in. He's walking around right now at 242 pounds. He has another 2 weeks, so he will probably drop another 5 or 6 pounds. His hands are flying faster than ever. He knows that this is the last hurrah and he has to make good at it," stated world-class trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad as he talked about how training has been going for Shannon Briggs, who's preparing for an upcoming October 16 clash with WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. Check out what else he had to say about Briggs, Klitschko, Zab Judah, Chad Dawson and much more.
PC: How is everything going my man?
EMM: Everything is lovely, man. I'm just handling what I gotta handle and that's it.
PC: I know you have Shannon Briggs coming up against Vitali, but you have a lot of guys and I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.
EMM: Well, I had Hasim Rahman, former 2-time world heavyweight champion, in Panama where we knocked the kid out in round 1. I just want to keep Hasim busy, so he can regain that heavyweight championship again.
PC: Will Hasim fight again this year or has it been a busy enough year for him?
EMM: You know, the more he's in the ring, the more he's learning and the more his body is getting accustomed to that warfare. There is nothing like that experience inside of the ring, where the gloves are smaller and we have no headgear. So we can really get into the phase of the art of self-defense and we gotta keep our guys busy. That's what we do.
PC: You have a ton of heavyweights. Do you let them work together or is it an individual thing?
EMM: You know what? It is what it is. We work together. I mean, we don't go in and try to kill each other, but we capitalize on each others mistakes and take it from there, making sure that when they box each other again, it don't happen.
PC: Shannon Briggs has a big opportunity coming up. He was another guy that stayed really busy. I remember Shannon was fighting every other week. How will that activity help him on the 16th?
EMM: By him boxing like he did, every other week, he was dropping the weight and getting his reflexes and skills back in order. It helped a lot. Shannon is in tip-top shape and the best shape I have ever seen him in. He's walking around right now at 242 pounds. He has another 2 weeks, so he will probably drop another 5 or 6 pounds. His hands are flying faster than ever. He knows that this is the last hurrah and he has to make good at it.
PC: You told me awhile back that we have to give the Klitschkos their just due because not only are they dominating, but they are doing it while in great shape. What does Shannon have to do to walk away from Germany with that title?
EMM: You gotta realize one thing, a lot of these guys that are fighting the Klitschkos didn't have the experience, so a lot of these guys lacked experience. They just went in there and boom, boom, boom, got paid and went back home. With Shannon, he has two things that are working in his favor and that's experience and he has punching power in both hands. We all saw he can end a fight at any time, whether it's the 1st round or the last round.
PC: I know you are a big fan of Glen Johnson, much like I am. I'm happy to see him get an opportunity in the Super Six tourney. Was there any talk of Chad Dawson maybe replacing Mikkel Kessler?
EMM: Chad is just focusing on his potential rematch with Pascal. I haven't talked to Chad in awhile. I like to let my guys really have some time off, especially after the hard and rigorous training that we do in preparation for a fight. I like to let him get his rest, let his body rest, and enjoy his family until it's time for us to get back together again, and then we do what we gotta do.
As far as Johnson, Glen has been nothing short of an ambassador to the game. He's fought all around the world. You gotta take your hat off to a guy like Glen. I saw Glen a couple of weeks ago at Miami Beach. We attended the opening of Muhammad Ali's gym. We took pictures together and we talked a lot and everything and I wish him all the luck in the world. He is truly one of the great ambassadors in the sport of boxing.
PC: It's been a long road for "Super" Judah, but he's back on HBO. What can we expect from him against Lucas Matthysse?
EMM: Against Matthysse, you know, I got my guys working with Zab while I'm out of town. Morris East, who is the former jr. welterweight champion of the world, has taken over until when I get back, which will be right after I finish capturing the heavyweight championship with Shannon. It's hard work, but I get reports every day on Zab. He's working super hard. He's running 5 miles a day up in Mount Charleston and we're right on schedule. My guys are telling me he's looking fantastic. He's so dedicated to what he wants to do. It's a different Zab Judah now!
PC: Did you get the opportunity to watch Mosley-Mora yet?
EMM: I didn't get a chance to see it yet. I have been traveling so much, I didn't get a chance to see it, but it takes two to make a fight. I heard Shane brought all the pressure while Mora did all of the running. It takes two to dance and if one guy doesn't want to dance, what are you going to do?
PC: Floyd Mayweather has been in the news a lot lately. If you could offer one piece of advice to Floyd, what would it be right now?
EMM: It is what it is. I just hope Floyd can get his program together because you know what...listen, he is an asset to the boxing world. Let's not make no mistake about that. I just hope that he can get his situation straightened out. I don't know what's going to happen. I haven't talked to Floyd, but if I had a chance to sit down and talk to him, I would tell him to watch his surroundings. That's all it is. Watch your surroundings. There is only one Floyd Mayweather Jr. and when you got people around you that want to be Floyd Mayweather Jr., that's when you have a problem. Keep God first and all others second. When you have that philosophy in life, life will be great.
PC: Best of luck to you and all of your fighters. It's always good to hear from you. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
EMM: Listen, my passport is packed and I'm ready to handle my business. My fighters are ready and they are in great shape, mentally and physically. That's the key, mentally and physically, and we do what we gotta do to handle our business.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]