Haye vs Briggs - who wins?

As expected, last night Shannon Briggs and David Haye came through their bouts against Emilio Ezequiel Zarate and Arnold Gjergjaj respectively to set up an Autumn clash between the heavyweight pair.

Whilst both fighters are past their prime, their boxing personas ensure that their impending clash will garner enough interest to ensure a healthy payday for both fighters. The winner will almost certainly set themselves up for a money spinning match up against on of the elites of the division.

Both fighters tell a similar tale. Both are renown knock out artists. Both love the sound of their own voice. Both have courted infamy by hounding Wladimir Klitschko outside of the ring.

Haye - sporting the decapitated head t-shirt of Wladimir and his brother Vitali:

Briggs - knocking Wladimir into the sea:

Both have had lengthy hiatuses outside the ring. Haye was out for over three years with a serious shoulder injury and only returned this year. Briggs was out for a similar period after he suffered a brutal 12 round loss at the hands of Vitali Klitschko in 2010.

Whilst on paper, Haye, the younger man by nine years would be expected to register an easy win against 44 year-old Briggs. There are question marks over 'whether David Haye is still David Haye.'

Haye suffered his shoulder injury in November 2013, in the lead up to his fight against Tyson Fury and a month after his 33rd birthday. Having promised all and sundry that he would retire before he was 30, it looked as if 'the boxing gods' (as he put it) had decided for him. He was out of boxing for good. Yet after two years of rehabilitation, parting ways with his old trainer Adam Booth, Haye was back under the guidance of Shane McGuigan. The big question was why?

The glory or the money?

Whilst the romantic in me would like to believe it was the glory, I fear it may be the latter. Following up the comeback fights against relatively unknowns Marc de Mori and Arnold Gjergjaj with a bout against Shannon Briggs suggest a fighter gearing up towards one last big pay day, rather than one tuning himself for a prolonged stint at the top of the heavyweight tree. Could Briggs be the banana skin between Haye and a possible bonanza showdown with Anthony Joshua in 2017?

Whilst Briggs makes no bones about seeking one last hurrah to secure his and his family's financial future, he certainly isn't half stepping his way to a big pay day. He is in tremendous physical shape and his 'Let's Go Champ' PR bandwagon is roaming up and down the UK drumming up more interest in his fights than most of the other crop of Heavyweights combined.

So the question is; will Briggs, having picked himself up from the pit of despair, defy age and logic and derail David Haye's comeback? Or will the Hayemaker have too much power and blast Shannon the Canon into retirement for good?

My head says Haye by KO but that won't stop me putting a cheeky bet on Briggs if the odds permit it.

What's your view? Leave your comments below.

If you enjoyed what you read here, don't just 'retweet' it, don't just 'like it' elsewhere. Make sure you sign up and UPVOTE it, here on Steemit and share in the rewards!