WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO will not be goaded into a fight with heavyweight loose cannon Shannon Briggs.
The world champion’s business partner and friend, Bernd Boente, has said fights with the winner of the WBC title clash between Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder and any rearranged bout between Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora, are priorities.
Briggs, who has instigated a campaign against the champion that has seen him shouting the Ukrainian down in training camps, at press conferences and, last week, challenge him in a restaurant in Miami, is not on Klitschko’s hitlist.
Waldimir first faces Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev on September 6.
“Shannon Briggs at this moment he’s not on Wladimir’s radar,” confirmed Boente. “Knock on wood, Wladimir is looking for the winner of Wilder-Stiverne or Chisora and Fury. Those are interesting fights and really big fights. The goal has always been to unify.”
The restaurant video on YouTube has now been watched more than four million times, but Boente said that is irrelevant.
“You can promote a fight or upgrade [interest in] a fight when you have a challenge like David Haye but at this moment we have no idea what happens next year,” he said, adding that talk alone would not be enough to get Briggs a shot.
“In the video I think his reaction was perfect. Don’t forget what he did when Chisora spat at him. I have no idea how he did that [didn’t react]. He relaxes. That sort of thing can’t touch him.”
Meanwhile, Klitschko is preparing to meet Pulev in a fight that doesn’t need selling as only 25 tickets remain for the bout at the O2 Arena in Hamburg with the bout still a month away.
Boente, who never looks beyond the next Klitschko fight, thinks Pulev will put forth a good fight on the night.
“We will see on September 6,” he said. “We can never underestimate anybody but from what I see I think he’s the best challenger compared to others, like Alexander Leapai, but I wouldn’t say he was better than Tony Thompson when Wladimir fought him the first time or Alexander Povetkin or some of the others.
“He has a very good amateur background and he’s an all-round good fighter.”
Briggs, who has scored four wins this year at a low level, took a 12-round thumping from Vitali Klitschko in 2010.
