Exonerated Man Makes Boxing Debut At Age 52

Saturday, ageless boxer Bernard Hopkins was defeated in one of the most bizarre TKO's in recent memory.

Prior to this, an even older fighter, as compared to the 46-year-old Hopkins, made his professional debut on the undercard in Los Angeles.

52-year-old Dewey Bozella won a unanimous decision over Larry Hopkins (no relation to Bernard). In another oddity, Larry Hopkins lost points in the match's final round after spitting out his mouthpiece six times.

At the event's conclusion, Bozella announced his retirement from boxing.

Bozella spent 26 years in the New York prison system, becoming the lightweight boxing champion at infamous Sing Sing Prison. Two years ago, Bozella was exonerated of murder charges and began to dream about resuming his boxing career. 

His conviction was based upon the testimony of two career criminals who repeatedly changed their versions of the murder. There was no physical evidence linking Bozella to the crime and at his retrial, he was offered freedom if he would admit his guilt and he refused. 

Last July, Bozella was given the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY Awards. Previous Ashe Award winners have included Pat Tillman, Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela.