Retired boxing champion Vinny Paz, whose comeback story after a car crash was dramatized in the 2016 film "Bleed for This," has been accused of attacking a Rhode Island man and sending him to the hospital.
Providence police say they were called to a home early Tuesday morning. They say when officers arrived, witnesses told them Paz had accused a friend of stealing $16,000 and then assaulted him.
Former boxing champion Vinny Paz (formerly Vinny Pazienza) has run into some legal issues after being accused of attacking and hospitalizing a Rhode Island man, according to ESPN. Paz, 55, contends that he really the victim in the incident though, saying he had been robbed and simply hand to handle the business...
According to Providence police, they were called to a home early this morning by which time Paz had already left the premises. Witnesses told police that Paz accused a friend of stealing $16K from him and then went to work on him. The man suffered a number of broken teeth, bite marks which broke the skin, and a black eye.
Police then issued a warrant for Paz for felony assault.
Speaking to a local news station about the incident, Paz was unapologetic for what transpired, saying:
"Bottom line is, I got robbed. And when that happens, you gotta do what you gotta do," he said in a brief interview with WPRI-TV outside his home in Warwick, before getting into an SUV and being driven away.
Paz, who was a very popular fighter in his heyday, recently gained even more notoriety when the 2016 film Bleed For This hit movie theaters. The film recounts Paz's comeback to boxing after breaking his neck in a car accident.
I thought this was about the rapper. Never heard of this boxer. Lol
UncleChael -I thought this was about the rapper. Never heard of this boxer. Lol
Pazienza probably lost the fight and got a hometown decision as usual
UncleChael -I thought this was about the rapper. Never heard of this boxer. Lol
Boxer is who the rapper named himself after.
Has had the real Paz at JMT shows whenever they roll through Rhode Island.
UncleChael -This is pretty fucking sadI thought this was about the rapper. Never heard of this boxer. Lol
frank ep - Pazienza probably lost the fight and got a hometown decision as usual
The alleged robber suffered broken teeth, a black eye and bite marks.
I for one am shocked Vinny Paz would do such a thing
What are the ghetto sources? Not doubting it happened but “…he really the victim” sounds like a blogger who just rolled a blunt to some Jay Z and not a journalist.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Ex-boxing champion Vinny Paz, who is accused of biting a man, knocking out his teeth and sending him to a hospital, appeared in court on a felony assault charge Wednesday and was released.
Paz, a five-time world champion who broke his neck in a car crash, is known for his comeback story, which was dramatized in the 2016 film "Bleed for This," starring Miles Teller. He appeared in Providence District Court on Wednesday morning, not long after turning himself in on a warrant issued by police Tuesday.
Paz, who appeared in court with black eyes, did not enter a plea and was released on personal recognizance. He was ordered to have no contact with the man he is accused of beating and was scheduled to appear in superior court in April.
Witnesses told police that Paz accused the man of stealing $16,000.
Outside court, the retired champ maintained his innocence, telling reporters, "I got robbed." He called himself the victim and said he planned to go to a hospital after leaving court.
Asked if he regretted taking the law into his own hands, he replied, "No."
Paz, 55, retired from boxing in 2004. Since then, he has had several brushes with the law, including a 2012 no-contest plea to disorderly conduct for a fight with two women at a Providence bar. He also pleaded no contest in 2007 to drunken driving.