Shannon Briggs has faced a series of ferocious fighters during a 67-fight career, including Lennox Lewis, George Foreman and Vitali Klitschko, but one of them punched so hard it felt like he’d been hit by a car.

In 1998, “Cannon” faced Lewis in his prime, when he suffered three knockdowns in the fifth round stoppage.

Lewis entered the fight as the all-around favorite and WBC world heavyweight champion, using Briggs as a springboard for a clash with Evander Holyfield the following year.

Prior to this, Briggs had claimed Majority decision win over ForemanHe defeated the previous two world champions but eventually announced his retirement shortly after the non-title fight.

Even though “Big George’s” illustrious career is over, he still adds enough credibility to one of the sport’s oldest adages: Power is the last thing a boxer loses.

Briggs also Lost to Klitschkoin 2010, after a widely unanimous decision, but still seemed convinced that Foreman was the toughest fighter he had ever faced.

talk with First round of television broadcastThe Brooklyn man vividly described what it felt like to be hit by Foreman’s devastating punches.

“Nobody hit the ball like George Foreman. George Foreman hit the ball hard, champ.

“I got hit by a car one time…that’s what it felt like when I was fighting George Foreman. He hit me one time and knocked me down, but he (didn’t) know that, and then he shot me again and woke me up.”

In 1994, the 45-year-old Foreman became the oldest ever world heavyweight champion when he knocked out Michael Moore with a seemingly effortless blow.

Before that, the great boxer built a formidable reputation by stopping the likes of Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in the 1970s.