Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury’s failure to make a fight could lead to an upset where Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder fight to become undisputed world heavyweight champion, claimed Shannon Briggs.
Fury and Joshua had been expected to fight this August to decide who would emerge in possession of the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC, WBO and The Ring belts, but the plans fell through when Wilder won an arbitration case to force through his own claim to fight Fury.
As a result, the WBO ended their leniency over Joshua’s plans and decreed he would have to fight Usyk, the governing body’s mandatory.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Briggs noted that Wilder is not necessarily a walkover because of the strength of his punch alone.
"Don't sleep on Wilder," Briggs said.
"Throughout the history of the boxing world, he is a freak of nature.
"He could crack anybody and knock them out with his power.
"He will be an underrated guy for a long time because he didn't have a lot of guys to fight.
"We don't know what he will come with in this fight. He might shock the world!"
Briggs wondered if Fury might be complacent about the threat posed by the Bronze Bomber.
"Fury might have got the wrong idea,” said the former heavyweight champion.
"If this guy knocks out Fury, then what?
"It is possible. Will there be a fourth fight?
"Fury can't sleep on Wilder. We've got to look at this for what it is - a 200lbs man? With those skinny legs he shouldn't hit that hard!
"But he hits sickly hard. It isn't normal to hit that hard. But he can't fight backing up."
He also warned Joshua that Usyk was a deceptively dangerous fighter himself.
"The fight to get ready for is Usyk vs Wilder!” he said.
"We might have to get ready for that."
"Tough, tough, tough fight. A guy like that? Who can work like that?
"He is a king-sized Vasiliy Lomachenko! As the rounds go on, he gets stronger.
"The best chance for AJ is to catch him early. AJ is strong early, Usyk is strong late.
"This is a dangerous fight, a tough fight. This Usyk is different, man.
"This is AJ's toughest fight - equally as tough as AJ vs Fury.
"If the ring is big, he will be hard to catch. He gets stronger as the rounds go on so, what happens is, he starts pushing you downhill.
"He has work rate and he's a southpaw. He can sneak shots in. He has so much energy, he throws so many punches which aren't all hurting you, but it's the punches that you don't see.
"His condition goes up and up, and he runs you into the ground."