By Jake Donovan

“I would rather die in prison than admit to something I didn’t do.”

For 26 years, Dewey Bozella stayed true to those words while wrongfully imprisoned in Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. Because of that, he stays true to another promise he long ago made to himself while still an amateur boxer, that he would one day engage in a pro fight.

At age 52, he gets the chance to cross that item off of his bucket list when he appears on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins’ lineal world light heavyweight title defense against Chad Dawson in Los Angeles, California.

The bout will be a one-and-done affair for Bozella, who will engage in a four-round cruiserweight bout against an opponent still being sought. Win, lose or draw, the night serves as means to fulfill a dream, although his goal for the night goes well beyond simply climbing into the ring.

“I want to win,” Bozella emphatically states when asked of his expectations on October 15. “I don’t want to be defeated. I want people to know to never give up.”

That he’s entering a ring at age 52 is a miracle in and of itself, though Bozella refuses to accept that alone as a victory. A lot of work went into securing his boxing license, including an extensive battery of tests conducted by the California State Athletic Commission.

Bozella was determined enough to live out his dream that he refused to take no for an answer. His recently being licensed was actually his second crack at approval, with the first attempt a firm reminder of just what it takes to become a professional boxer.

“It makes me very competitive for this event,” Bozella acknowledges. “Passing the test shows that I’m committed. I tried on my own and failed. The second time, with the help of this camp helped me get off my feet.”

The camp included the services of Hopkins himself, no stranger to redemption and overcoming the most difficult situations life has to offer. Hopkins’ own tale is well-documented by now, entering prison as a teenager, learning first how to survive and then how to box. Both went a long way towards his leading one of the most remarkable careers in boxing history, one that continues to this day and possibly into 2012 and beyond.

“He’s accomplished a lot,” Bozella says of the 46-year young future Hall of Fame boxer, who offered plenty of advice and support throughout training camp. “He has accomplished tremendous things because of his abilities as a boxer and even as a thinker."

Hopkins put both of those skills to use in preparing Bozella for his first, last and only pro fight next weekend. It wasn’t an easy task by any means, and also the type of situation that could’ve proved distracting for all parties involved given the media attention. Instead, Hopkins taught Bozella the professional ropes, while learning his own lessons in the process.

“It’s been a challenge-a good challenge in working and getting Dewey conditioned to not only pass the test, but just to get the fundamentals together,” Hopkins admits of his time spent with Bozella. “Between (trainer) Danny Davis and my fitness guy, Tony, we did a good job and he did a good job, because he had to put the work in.”

The work put in produced immediate results, if only in physical appearance and not necessarily in the ring. “I went from 210 lb. to 195 lb. in like four days,” Bozella recalls of his first few days in camp. “That’s how hard they worked me.”

It was the type of work he never imagined having to put in way back when he first had aspirations of turning pro.

The game was far different back when he still had his freedom – for example, the very cruiserweight division in which he competes next weekend wasn’t even around in 1977, when he was falsely accused as a 17-year old of murdering a 92-year old woman in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Where Bozella caught a break in training for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is hooking up with an old-school fighter in a new-school era.

“The sport has become modernized in terms of equipment, vitamins you can use rather than just training on natural ability. The technicality of what I see – the serious ones like Mayweather, Pacquiao, the guys that put in their work like Mr. Bernard Hopkins – these are the guys that stand out because of the work they put in, not just because of their natural talent.”

“Back then, all of the guys were serious. You see the difference among those that are serious fighters now.”

Fighting is all Bozella has done for the past three decades, though far more beyond the ropes.

For more than 20 years, he was forced to fight for his innocence, staying true to his beliefs amidst a system that wrongly viewed him as a cold-blooded murderer. There were plenty of chances for him to tell the parole board what they wanted to hear in order to solicit the panel’s consideration for release.

Instead, he chose to stick to what he has always contended was the truth. That truth kept him behind bars, with his boxing dreams kept alive for only as long as there was a prison boxing program. Bozella worked his way to prison light heavyweight champion, hoping to emulate that of another former prisoner.

“I was trying to do what James Scott did,” Bozella insists, referring to the former light heavyweight prospect that spent most of his pro career behind bars in Rahway State Prison.

That dream died when Sing Sing shut down its boxing program in 1992. Bozella refused to allow his own dreams to die with it. While he turned to boxing for salvation, he knew that his own piece of mind would serve as his best means of survival.

“I got my GED and then my bachelors,” Bozella reveals, proving the point to make the most of whatever life offers. “That’s what made the difference when I walked out the front door (in 2009). I took those steps to make sure that I can make it, in terms of dealing with society.”

It took for his case to be passed along to famed law firm WilmerHale to unearth discoveries of suppressed evidence that would finally clear his name and allow him to be sprung for good in 2009.

Since then, Bozella has served as a public speaker, though refusing to limit to the tour to his incredibly remarkable tale. Instead, he uses his own experiences to ensure that others don’t have to go through it, or if they do that there remains light at the end of the tunnel.

Even at that, there are still plenty of changes that can be made on the other side of the equation to ensure that not everyone’s journey is equally as rough.

“I don’t mind going back to prison (as a visitor) to let people know, no matter where they’re from, to never give up. The system should give them the opportunity to get an education and to get a trade, so that when they are released they can be an asset to society.”

Bozella made sure his house was in order upon release in 2009. The goal wasn’t merely to survive life in prison, but to enjoy a smooth transition once in the free world.

All of the right elements were in place – the education, returning home to the love of his life (his wife Trena, whom he met while in prison), and the freedom to wear what he wanted while going wherever he wanted.

Still, truly enjoying the sweet taste of freedom wasn’t as easy as putting Sing Sing in the rearview mirror as he kept walking forward. It requires mental toughness to survive any amount of time behind bars, never mind more than two decades worth. With that naturally comes a difficult transition in a world where your every move is once again your own.

“It took me six months to realize that I was free. I was in the food court in the Poughkeepsie Galleria eating Chinese food. I caught myself acting like I would in the prison mess hall, eating with my back up against the wall. I said to myself, “What the hell are you doing?” and then went to the middle of the mall and just started busting out laughing.

“I did that because it finally hit me - I’m free. My life has taken on a whole new meaning.”

His life story – coupled with his boxing background – led to his receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award earlier this year, at which point it was learned of his dream to have one pro fight. Word of that reached Golden Boy Promotions, who was taken aback by his tale and made it a point to get involved.

Hopkins was a natural fit to get involved, though he is big enough to admit that his own experiences pale in comparison to what Bozella was forced to endure.

“I started reading the case and reading how this man stood up and how this man actually could have said yes to get his freedom and said he did something that he knew he didn't do. I don't think a lot of people would risk 15 or 10 more years in prison, which happened, to finally be set free and gain his life back.”

That’s something to which even Hopkins can’t truly relate.

“I went to jail because I did something. I wasn't an innocent man. He was to jail because he was innocent. That's a big difference; not a small difference. That's a big difference. And so I respect him for having the championship courage to stick to his guns when he could have said after ten years, "I did it" signed the paper and he'd have walked out of there.

 

“That is bigger than anything that I accomplished. You're talking about a life that was basically taken; half of his life. His career was taken away. But… his life is bigger than this sport. It's bigger than… any materialistic things. Your life is valuable. You don't get two lives. And he has gotten his life back and he was blessed. So I was just happy to be a part of that.”

Being a part of that taught Bozella the grueling process it takes to survive inside the boxing ring. It might not measure up to the hard work required to survive the life he was forced to lead behind bars – even on his terms – but without it, he is not living out his dream on October 15, at an age by which even Hopkins admitted he hopes to be long retired.

“Because of my age, people speak of the odds against me. Oscar de la Hoya and Bernard Hopkins – to take the risk they took to help me live out my dream, it’s deep. It makes me very competitive for this event.

“Danny (Davis) put me through it. He didn’t treat me like I was 52 years old. He treated me like I was 26 years. He made me earn it, and I’m still earning it. He has me going hard against pros. Started me slow but had me going very hard, very quick.”

Just as quickly as he hit his stride in camp, his time in the boxing spotlight will come to an end. The walk to the ring, four rounds or less of actual fighting, the results announcement and a few post-fight interviews and then it’s back to business as usual.

All of that is fine for Bozella. In fact, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ve been active doing public speaking since my release. That job continues after October 15. But on that night, I’d love for nothing more than for (all of the fans) to be on my side.

“I’m not looking for sympathy, just to be looked as a man on the mission; a man who never gave up, and because of that, his dream is now coming true.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .