WBA announce.. Browne v Briggs.. for vacant regular title.

In a surprise announcement this week, the WBA have ordered the unbeaten Lucas Browne 24/0 (21 Ko's) to face former WBO champion and two time WBC title challenger Shannon Briggs 60/6/1 (53 Ko's) on or before December 31 of this year for the vacant WBA regular title, on the condition that the winner defends against Fres Oquendo within 120 days..  Browne appeared to have pulled off a fabulous dramatic upset, when he knocked out former champion Ruslan Chagaev in Grozny earlier in the year, but failed a drug test following the victory. Browne has since pleaded his innocence and now has a great opportunity to reseal his grasp on the belt that he came so close to owning..  Shannon Briggs is no pushover, a powerful heavyweight from another era..  in 1996, Briggs looked like the new future force of the division, he had amassed 25 straight knockouts before suffering a damaging loss to Darroll Wilson.. after 5 straight knockout wins, in 1998 Shannon got a shot at the then WBC champion Lennox Lewis, going out on his shield in an epic battle, proving how dangerous he really could be..  however Briggs dragged his feet, and for the next 8 years he'd beat mediocre opposition and drop decisions to Jameel McCline and Cedric Fields, before landing a shot at Serhei Liakhovick and his WBO title..  in a long tedious bout, Serhei looked comfortably ahead, but as the rounds went on, Briggs looked patiently unmoved, and with a final 12th round rally did the unthinkable in stopping the Belarusian in the dying seconds to win the title..  Briggs would lose his first defence to Sultan Ibragimov and literally disappear until his 2010 defeat to Vitali Klitschko in Hamburg..   Briggs never boxed due to a severe depression and lack of opportunity for 4 years until a return in 2014, the product, 9 fights later at the age of 44 is here..   it's an intriguing matchup and a potentially exciting one between two guys with 74 knockouts in 84 victories between them..   Browne is happy to be facing Briggs and has even voiced his distain for David Haye who appeared to duck Briggs after an earlier agreement to meet him in the uk..   No site or official date has been announced..