by David P. Greisman
The man who killed former junior-middleweight title challenger Rhoshii Wells in August 2008 has been sentenced to prison, according to the Associated Press.
Roger Randolph, 29, was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years to life after being found guilty in February on one count of murder. He was also sentenced to one to 12 years behind bars on a count of discharging a firearm at or into a building. The AP report suggests that Randolph’s sentences will run consecutively — that is, that he was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison — rather than concurrently.
Wells and his 4-year-old son were walking in an apartment courtyard near downtown Las Vegas when Randolph shot him, perhaps due to a dispute over a dice game, according to the AP report. Wells was 31.
The former contender had won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics, went on to unsuccessfully challenge Alejandro Garcia for a 154-pound belt, and briefly appeared on the third season of boxing reality competition “The Contender” only to be cut in the first episode without ever fighting.
That was 2007. Wells fought from 1997 to 2005, going 18-2-2 with 10 knockouts.
David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter at twitter.com/fightingwords2 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fightingwordsboxing, or send questions and comments to fightingwords1@gmail.com
