Francois Botha to Take On Shannon Briggs Aug. 7, Live on Pay-per-View From Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City

Business Wire, June 2, 1999

NEW YORK--(BW SportsWire)--June 2, 1999--

Showtime Event Television (SET), in association with Donald J. Trump, Wednesday announced that two of boxing's best-known heavyweights will square off in the featured bout of a pay-per-view card on Saturday, Aug. 7, at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.

In a career-crossroads fight, former International Boxing Federation (IBF) Heavyweight Champion Francois Botha takes on World Boxing Council (WBC) No. 8 contender Shannon Briggs in a 10-round bout. A victory may propel the winner toward another world-title opportunity.

The fight card, hosted by Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, will be telecast live on SET Pay Per View at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

On the exciting undercard, World Boxing Organization (WBO) Junior Featherweight Champion Marco Antonio Barrera will defend his title against WBO/IBF No. 3 featherweight contender Angel Vazquez. Other world-title fights will be added to the card at a later date.

Botha (39-2, 24 KOs), from Newport Beach, Calif., by way of Witbank, South Africa, captured the vacant IBF title on Dec. 9, 1995, in Germany against Axel Schulz before a hostile crowd of Schulz supporters. However, a month after the fight, Botha was stripped of his title and the fight was ruled a no-contest.

Botha got a second shot at the IBF title on Nov. 9, 1996, when he gamely battled Michael Moorer for 11 rounds before being stopped in the 12th. In his last bout, on Jan. 16, 1999, Botha led Mike Tyson on all scorecards before a picture-perfect right hand sent Botha to the canvas in the fifth round, ending the fight.

Briggs (31-2, 25 KOs), from Brooklyn, N.Y., took the boxing world by storm when he upset former heavyweight champion George Foreman in a 12-round decision on Nov. 22, 1997. Hailing from Brownsville, the same Brooklyn neighborhood that produced Tyson and Riddick Bowe, Briggs is looking to propel himself back to another shot at the heavyweight crown.

In his only attempt at a world title, on March 28, 1998, Briggs had WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in serious trouble in the first and second rounds but could not finish him off. Lewis eventually won the fight in the fifth round.

Briggs rebounded from the Lewis fight by stopping Marcus Rhode in the first round on Dec. 8, 1998. Rhode became the 18th first-round knockout victim of Briggs' 25 stoppages.

Barrera (48-2, 36 KOs), from Iztzcalco, Mexico, will defend his WBO 122-pound for the second time since regaining the title on Oct. 31, 1998, by stopping Richie Wenton in Atlantic City. He originally captured the crown by defeating Daniel Jimenez on March 31, 1995, in Anaheim, Calif., and made nine successful defenses before losing to Junior Jones on April 18, 1997, in Las Vegas.

In his last fight, Barrera successfully defended his title by traveling to Kensington, England, on April 3 and stopping Paul Lloyd in the third round.

Vazquez (17-0, 14 KOs), from Hartford, Conn., will get the first shot at a world title of his five-year professional career. The undefeated former USBA featherweight champion has fought all but his professional debut above 125 pounds, but will drop down in weight to challenge Barrera for the title.

In his last bout, on March 27, 1999, Vazquez went the distance and scored a unanimous decision to capture the WBO Latin American featherweight crown.

Tickets, priced at $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25, can be purchased at the Trump Taj Mahal box office or any TicketMaster outlet, or by calling TicketMaster at 800/736-1420.

SET Pay Per View will distribute the card and anticipates that it will be available to more than 35 million pay-per-view television homes in addition to closed-circuit locations.

"Botha vs. Briggs" is promoted by Dillon Productions/Frank Warren in association with Cedric Kushner Promotions. The executive producer of the pay-per-view telecast is Jay Larkin.

"Botha vs. Briggs" will be the 24th telecast from SET Pay Per View, which on June 28, 1997, presented "The Sound and the Fury: Holyfield vs. Tyson II," the most watched pay-per-view event ever.

SET Pay Per View is the pay-per-view production and distribution company of Viacom International Inc. and is managed by Showtime Networks Inc. The unit has produced and distributed seven of the top 10 pay-per-view events of all time, including the top two: "Tyson vs. Holyfield I" and "Holyfield vs. Tyson II."