Boxer, 52, Wins Debut After Years Wrongly Jailed

Dewey Bozella wins his 'first and last fight'
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 17, 2011 1:35 PM CDT
Dewey Bozella, 52, Wins Boxing Debut After Years of Wrongful Imprisonment
Dewey Bozella, left, lands a punch to Larry Hopkins during the fourth round of their boxing match at the Staple Center on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

After 26 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, a 52-year-old boxer finally got his chance to go pro—and won his first fight. "I used to lay in my cell and dream about this happening," says Dewey Bozella. "It was all worth it." Bozella was convicted of the murder of a 92-year-old woman in 1983; during his decades in jail, he became Sing Sing's light heavyweight champion, the AP reports.

Bozella, who was exonerated in 2009, was masterful during Saturday's fight despite lacking the speed of a younger fighter. As the final bell rang, he threw a hard right cross, knocking 46-year-old Larry Hopkins in the jaw for a dramatic finish. Now that he's won the fight, Bozella says he's satisfied. "This was my first and last fight," he says. "It's a young man's game. I did what I wanted to do, and I'm happy." (More boxing stories.)

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