Shannon Briggs on How He Started Boxing As A Homeless Teen

The story of Shannon Briggs in it’s entirety might not be known to all boxing fans, more so the online stuff that you may have seen this past year since he’s burst back onto the scene with his ‘Lets go champ!’ catchphrase.

Besides his funny social media edits, the above catchphrase has become very popular this year not just in the boxing world but also among people who don’t even follow the sport – who have been drawn to the beacon of positive energy that Briggs has become known for.

His story is a remarkable one. But not many really know where it all started out and just how difficult it was for Briggs growing up.

Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Shannon Briggs on where it all began:

“I started drinking when I was thirteen years old. I was homeless from when I was thirteen to about twenty years old. I’ve been on my own since basically I was a kid. So when I was put on the amateur top level, I’ve always been in a situation where besides playing catch up, I’m on the big screen and I’m not ready.”

He went on to say:

“The hardest thing for me in my life was been homeless. Been a homeless teenager and losing my home because it wasn’t like something I was used to. I came home from school one day and I came home and we were evicted. I looked in the peep hole and the apartment was empty. I lived there all my life. I was born and raised in Atlantic Towers. That was a turning point for me. I left that building that day a homeless teen. A homeless kid. No more comic books. No more toys. Now people look at me on Instagram and they see my personality, they see the comic book side of me – they see the television side of me. Whereas I lost my childhood that day. When I went home and we were evicted I had to become a man that day. I took the bus to my aunt’s house. That night she kicked us out. I no longer had a color TV in my room. It was all about survival. I started getting in trouble and life took me to where I am now.”