Top Heavyweight Out of U.S. Trials With Hand Injury

Before a blow was struck at the Olympic team boxing trials, the United States lost its No. 1-ranked heavyweight Wednesday morning.

Shannon Briggs, who grew up in Mike Tyson’s Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville, was medically disqualified because of a hand injury. Briggs, 20, is the national champion at 201 pounds and was a solid favorite to win the trials.

He failed his physical Wednesday, shortly after he failed to make weight at the morning weigh-in. He was given two hours to lose a pound, but in the interim failed his physical.

“Briggs has a sprain of the right wrist-hand joint, and there’s a ligament in a stretch position--he can’t box,” said Marilyn Boitano, a physician for USA Boxing.

Briggs said he suffered the injury while sparring six weeks ago.

“I hit (his sparring partner) on the top of the head with my right hand, and it’s bothered me ever since,” Briggs said. “I tried to spar last Tuesday, and I hurt it again.”

The question of whether Briggs could be invited to the Olympic boxoffs June 26-28 at Phoenix as the trials winner’s “most worthy opponent” and still wind up on the Olympic team went unanswered.

On the five-man selection committee for the boxoffs are Olympic Coach Joe Byrd, his two assistant coaches, national Coach Pat Nappi and USA Boxing President Billy Dove.

“I have no comment now, we’ll wait until after the trials,” Nappi said. “We have to be fair to the kids who will box here, but we want to be fair to Briggs, too.”