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Boxer Barred and Charged For Sucker Punch After Loss. A boxer who punched his opponent after their bout last Friday night and was charged with assault is awaiting a boxing commission hearing that will determine his punishment and whether he will receive his $10,000 purse.
James Butler of Harlem was verbally suspended after the fight by a deputy commissioner of the New York State Athletic Commission, which regulates boxing, said Eamon Moynihan, a spokesman for the agency. Since then, the agency has sent a letter to Butler officially informing him of his suspension. Butler has 20 days to respond, and a hearing will most likely be held after that.
Butler (18-3, 12 knockouts), known as the Harlem Hammer, lost by decision to Richard Grant (14-8, 2 knockouts) of Brooklyn in a 10-round supermiddleweight main event at Roseland Ballroom. Minutes after the decision was announced, Butler walked up to Grant as if to congratulate him. Then, with his bare right fist, Butler hit Grant in the jaw, sending him to the mat with blood spraying from his mouth.
Grant was released from a hospital around 4 a.m. after being treated for a tongue injury. His promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, said yesterday that Grant's jaw had been knocked temporarily out of its socket. Grant received 26 stitches; he also had some loose teeth and was experiencing severe headaches, Burchfield said.
"He hasn't been able to eat since the fight," Burchfield said. "I've never seen anyone get hit with a punch like this, blood squirting out of his mouth. He looked like he was dead."
The main event was the last of nine bouts that were billed as "Fighting for America: A Night of Thanksgiving." All ticket proceeds were donated to the Twin Towers Fund to help New York rebuild after Sept. 11, and three former Olympians fighting that night donated their entire purses. About 500 tickets had been given out free to police officers, firefighters and rescue workers, most of whom sat in the balcony.
In the audience was Raymond W. Kelly, the incoming police commissioner, and the recently appointed head of the state boxing commission. Kelly immediately ordered a deputy boxing commissioner to suspend Butler, who was arrested and arraigned the next day on a second-degree assault charge before being released. If convicted, Butler faces up to seven years in prison.
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