Briggs Bashes Mercer

HOLLYWOOD, FL - A day after Hurricane Katrina swept through South Florida, leaving much of the area around the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in the dark, three South Florida boxers did the same to their opponents Friday night.

Heavyweight Shannon Briggs used three short rights to knock out Ray Mercer 41 seconds into the seventh round and join West Palm Beach's Jameel McCline and Hollywood's Juan Urango as knockout winners before an estimated 2,500 fans.

What had been a competitive main event ended abruptly when Mercer charged Briggs but found himself awkwardly on the ropes, facing the crowd. Briggs held him there with his left hand while landing three punches that crumpled Mercer, 44.

"The guy turned his back," said Briggs, 33. "He went over the ropes, and I hit him and hit him and hit him. I knew he was hurt."

Mercer claimed foul and said he wants another shot at Briggs.

It's not surprising that the result didn't do much to settle things between these fighters. They shared a manager in the mid-1990s, triggering a rivalry wrapped around jealousy, Briggs said.

"I was the undefeated guy," Briggs said leading up to the fight. "A lot of beautiful women, a lot of cars, and he couldn't take that. He was a has-been then, washed up, and he's jealous of me now."

Briggs spent much of the bout trying to get under Mercer's skin, mockingly smiling at most of Mercer's better punches. But, as soon as the bout ended, Briggs offered nothing but respect for his elder.

"In his day, I wouldn't have lasted a round with him," said Briggs (43-4-1, 37 KOs). "He was an awesome fighter. He's a living legend, a 1988 Olympic gold medalist. They don't make them like him. This guy's a throwback."

This guy also wants to get thrown back in the ring with Briggs.

"The guy hit me in the back of the head," said Mercer (34-6-1), who had won 11 of his previous 12 bouts. "I want a rematch."

McCline knocked out Virginia's Steven Pannell at 2:36 of the third round, and Urango knocked out New Yorker Andre Eason at 2:59 of the seventh.

Pannell (34-9) came out aggressively for the third round but was met with a right hook. A fierce combination later, McCline had recorded his 20th knockout, improved to 32-5-3 and scored congratulatory kisses from daughters Savannah, 8, and Brianna, 2 1/2.

The result broke a two-bout losing streak for McCline, 35, a former sparring partner for Lennox Lewis. McCline lost a split decision to IBF heavyweight champion Chris Byrd in November, then was decisioned by Calvin Brock five months later.

"This puts me back," McCline said. "I'm already in the top 10 in both The Ring and the IBF, but this just puts me back as a serious player in the minds of all contenders and champions and challengers."

O'Neil Bell retained his IBF world cruiserweight title with a sudden knockout of South Africa's Sebastiaan Rothmann at 2:09 of the 11th. Rothmann (18-4-2) appeared to be ahead, especially after two points were deducted from Bell (25-1-1, 23 KOs) for low blows.

Bell ended it with three consecutive rights, the third nailing Rothmann on the jaw and leaving no doubt about the outcome.

A right by Urango floored Eason in the seventh. Urango improved to 16-0-1 with 13 knockouts and added the WBO Latin American super lightweight championship belt to his WBC title he owns. Eason is 16-3.

Noteworthy: Heavyweight Lance Whitaker (30-3-1) became the first winner in the boxing history of the new sports/concert arena, stopping Louis Monaco (14-31-4) 30 seconds into the third round. . . . Light heavyweight Edison Miranda (23-0) took a unanimous six-round decision over Hilario Guzman (6-18-3).

Ross Salazar
Canadian Correspondent

Information from other publications and wire services was used in the compilation of this report.