According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former two-time heavyweight title holder, Shannon Briggs tested positive for a banned substance following his first round knockout over Marcus McGee on December 3rd in New York City.
The bout was changed to a no contest. Briggs was also suspended for 90 days by the New York State Athletic Commission, according to Ivaylo Gotzev, Briggs’ manager.
Gotzev declined to identify the substance that Briggs tested positive for but told ESPN.com on Saturday night that the test result came about because of medication he takes for asthma, which he has battled for years.
“Shannon is on enough medication to kill a horse because of his asthma,” Gotzev said. “All the medications he takes, other people couldn’t even get out of bed. But he’s out there running and training and fighting. He’s not a steroid user or a drug user. He’s using medication. We’re consulting with his physicians and seeing how we can make the proper adjustments so this doesn’t happen again.
“Maybe he needs to stay off certain medications before fights. I don’t know. I’m not the doctor. But Shannon is on a number of medications due to his asthma. He had something found by the commission, and we’ve dealt with that.”
“Shannon is a fighter, so whatever comes our way we’ll be ready, be it MMA or boxing,” Gotzev said. “If it makes sense, why not give MMA a try? I don’t think [UFC heavyweight champion] Brock Lesnar gets past Shannon’s jab.”
“I have sat down with [Chris Arreola’s promoter] Dan Goossen and if he’s not lying through his teeth, he’s said several times on several occasions that he’s looking at Shannon as a possible opponent for Cris.
