Dewey Bozella (born 1959) is a formerprofessional boxer who is known for being wrongfullyimprisoned. Convicted in 1983 for the murder of an elderly woman, Bozella served 26 years in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2009 after being proved innocent.^[1]

Bozella was nine when his father beat his pregnant mother so badly that she later died. He was a witness to the beating. His father ran away and never returned. One of his brothers was stabbed to death, another was shot and killed, and a third died ofAIDS.^[2] As a teenager, Bozella trained for a time with former two-time world Heavyweight champion boxerFloyd Patterson.^[3] At 20, Bozella was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for attempted robbery.^[4] He earned a bachelor's degree fromMercy College and a master's from New York Theological Seminary.^[5]

In 1977, 92-year-old Emma Crapser was murdered in herPoughkeepsie, New York apartment. Police alleged that Crapser walked in on a burglary that was being committed by a then 18-year-old Bozella, who then killed her. In 1983, Bozella was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. He continued to claim he was innocent and refused to admit to the crimes he was alleged to have committed, even when in front of theparole board, who denied him parole on four occasions. Bozella contacted theInnocence Project, who agreed to examine his case. When the Innocence Project discovered that there was no DNA evidence remaining to be tested, they referred the case toWilmerHale. Lawyers at WilmerHale discovered new evidence that had been suppressed by prosecutors showing Bozella was in fact innocent and had been framed. Supreme Court Justice James Rooney ofPutnam County, New York agreed that theDutchess CountyDistrict Attorney, John King, had failed to disclose crucial evidence which would have proved Bozella's innocence.^[1][6][7] On October 28, 2009, Bozella was finally released from prison after serving 26 years.^[8][9]

Bozella was imprisoned in New York State, including atSing Sing Correctional Facility inOssining, New York. While incarcerated at Sing Sing, he became the prison's light heavyweight boxing champion.^[7]

On October 28, 2009, after being released from custody, Bozella began working with youths at a local gym inNewburgh, New York. At the gym, which is now closed, he worked with teenagers teaching them about boxing and about the dangers of joining gangs. He frequently visits various organizations to deliver speeches about his life experiences. Bozella is a frequent sight at New York City area boxing cards.

Bozella currently lives inFishkill, New York with his wife, Trena. While accepting an award in 2011, he told anESPN reporter that he still dreamed of having at least one professional fight one day. In 2011, boxing championBernard Hopkins helped Bozella's dream come true.^[7]

On July 13, 2011, Bozella's life was chronicled inESPN's annualESPY Award show in theNokia Theatre atL.A. Live inLos Angeles, where he was honored as the recipient of theArthur Ashe Courage Award.^[10]

On October 15, 2011, at the age of 52 years, Bozella won his professional boxing debut^[11] on the undercard of theBernard Hopkins vsChad Dawson match-up atStaples Center in Los Angeles, California, against Larry Hopkins by a 4-round unanimous decision.^[12][13]Bozella had been training with Bernard Hopkins inPhiladelphia.^[14] PresidentBarack Obama telephoned Bozella to wish him luck in the upcoming fight.^[15]

In 2012, Bozella was a guest at the Ring 10 Veteran's Boxing Foundation 2nd Annual Fundraiser where he credited boxing and the champions with whom he shared the dais for saving his life.^[16][17]

In 2016, Bozella published his memoir, Stand Tall: Fighting For My Life, Inside and Outside the Ring.^[18]

1 Wins (0 knockouts),0 Losses,0 Draws,0 No Contest
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes
Win	1-0	Larry Hopkins	UD	4 (4)	2011-10-15	Staples Center,Los Angeles,California	Bozella's professional debut.

• Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer who served 18 years for murder before his conviction was set aside in 1985
• Innocent prisoner's dilemma
• List of wrongful convictions in the United States

• Boxing record for Dewey Bozella fromBoxRec(registration required)

• 1959 births
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• African-American boxers
• American sportspeople convicted of murder
• Overturned convictions in the United States
• Legal history of New York (state)
• American male boxers
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• American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
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• Mercy University alumni
• Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
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