in 1998. Notable wins were against Ray Mercer, Brian Scott, Luciano Zolyone, Dicky Ryan and Chris Koval. WBO heavyweight champion Briggs vs. Liakhovich Briggs won the WBO heavyweight title when he knocked out Sergei Liakhovich in the last round of a November 4, 2006, matchup. After a lackluster 11 rounds which left the Arizona crowd restless, Briggs was losing on all three judges' scorecards 106–103, 106–103, and 105–104. Briggs pressed the fight in the 12th round and knocked Liakhovich down. Briggs subsequently trapped him on the ropes and continued his assault, knocking Liakhovich out of the ring. Liakhovich landed on a ringside table, and the referee stopped the bout. If the referee had allowed the fight to continue after the second knockdown and Liakhovich had come back into the ring within 20 seconds, it would have resulted in a draw. The official time was 2:59. Briggs vs. Ibragimov In his first title defense Shannon Briggs was to face Sultan Ibragimov on March 10, 2007; however, Briggs pulled out of the fight because he was diagnosed with "aspiration pneumonia." The fight was rescheduled fifty days later in Atlantic City on June 2, 2007, with Briggs losing in a unanimous decision 117–111, 119–109, and 115–113. After winning the first round, Briggs slowed down and did not have the aggressiveness, accuracy or stamina to compete with Ibragimov. At 273 pounds, Briggs was as heavy as he had been in his career. Briggs entered having won 12 consecutive fights prior to this and announced his retirement immediately following the bout. Career from 2009–2010 Miscellaneous fights Briggs returned in 2009 and scored his twenty-ninth first-round knockout against Marcus McGee. After the bout, Briggs tested positive for a banned substance, and was suspended. The result of the bout was changed to 'No Contest'. Briggs manager Ivalyo Gotzev, stated Briggs was on medication to control his asthma. "He's not a steroid user or a drug user. We're consulting with his physicians and seeing how to make the proper adjustments to make sure this doesn't happen again." The New York State Athletic Commission suspended Briggs for 90 days. Briggs fought three times in 2010 before fighting Vitali Klitschko. He knocked out Rafael Pedro, Dominique Alexander and Rob Calloway all inside the first round of their respective fights. Briggs vs. Vitali Klitschko On October 16, 2010, Briggs fought for the WBC heavyweight title against Vitali Klitschko in the O2