Friday 28 August 2015 18:34, UK
Former world champion Antonio Tarver has ridiculed Shannon Briggs' recent opponents and dismissed talk of a showdown between the pair.
Briggs is a former world heavyweight champion who courted headlines for his pursuit of current divisional kingpin Wladimir Klitschko - but after calling out fellow veteran Tarver as well, has been met with criticism for his recent hat-trick of first-round knockout wins.
Tarver (31-6-1-KO22), who is unbeaten up at heavyweight since suffering world light-heavyweight title defeats to Chad Dawson in 2008 and 2009, is three years Briggs' senior at 46.
Having battled to a draw with another ageing world champion in Steve Cunningham in July, Tarver told On The Ropes Boxing Radio: "Shannon Briggs is definitely going to win his next fight. Are you kidding me? He's not fighting no one.
"I'm going to let Shannon Briggs do what he wants to do but he ain't ready to step up to the plate and fight any kind of significant fight. He's not fighting on TV, he's in the dark, so he's fighting guys like that. It's laughable so I'm not going to give him any airplay.
I'm going to let Shannon Briggs do what he wants to do but he ain't ready to step up to the plate and fight any kind of significant fight.
"I'm not giving Shannon no airplay on my interviews because he doesn't even deserve that. He's going to win his next fight. He's probably going to win the rest of them until he fights someone that knows how to fight.
"I'm trying to go for the big fish. It's not a circus and I'm not a clown."
Tarver shocked the boxing world in 2004 when he avenged a majority decision defeat to Roy Jones Jr via a second-round knockout - snatching his fellow American's world titles in the process. He went on to win the trilogy decider the following year.
Briggs (58-6-1-KO52) fights Michael Marrone (21-4-0-KO15) in Florida on September 5.
