HEAVYWEIGHTS Austintown's Koval set to fight Jan. 27 in Miami

He will fight Shannon Briggs of East Orange, N.J.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- It's official.
After lengthy negotiations by his manager, Pat Nelson, Austintown heavyweight Chris "Special K" Koval will fight Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs of East Orange, N.J., in a 12-round bout on Jan. 27 at the Miccosukee Resort and Gaming land in Miami.
They will battle for the vacated USBA and NABA championships.
Briggs, 34, is 45-4-1 with 39 knockouts. Koval, 23, is 23-2 with 18 knockouts. He has been training at Larry Filer's Downtown Boxing Club in Youngstown under the eye of his longtime trainer, Tommy Cordell.
Koval will fly to Florida on Thursday to continue training with Nelson at Steve Canton's gym in Fort Myers.
"There will be a lot of real good sparring for Chris," Nelson said. "If Chris can defeat Briggs, there will be an automatic top-10 ranking by the WBA and a top-five ranking by the IBF, which can put him right in the middle of the big heavyweight mix.
"There isn't any doubt about this being the biggest fight of his career."
Played football at Fitch
Koval played football at Fitch along with his brother Jeff, who has been a defensive starter for Youngstown State.
Chris Koval turned pro on Jan. 25, 2003, and has won 11 straight fights.
He's stopped 18 opponents with a devastating overhand right.
"This is a huge opportunity and it is up to me, not a single other soul, to take advantage of it," Koval said. "In this sport, one punch can make a difference and I know I have the punching power.
"I know a lot of boxing people feel I don't have a shot, but I feel I do or there is no way I would take this fight."
Added Nelson, "Chris is just one big punch away from being right in the middle of a muddled heavyweight picture."
Briggs turned pro July 24th, 1992. He's won 25 straight fights, 20 by knockout.
Beat George Foreman
On Nov. 22, 1997, at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Convention Center, Shannon won a 12-round majority decision over George Foreman to earn a shot at the title.
On March 28, 1998, Briggs was knocked out by Lennox Lewis at 1:45 of the fifth round in a WBC title fight. Briggs has knocked out nine straight opponents since then, including Ray Mercer, Abraham Okine (who was 14-0 at the time) and Brian Scott.
"I know the guy can fight and how tough he is supposed to be, but it is time for me to move," Koval said. "And he is the guy I have to move on."