Former Champ Rocchigiani Sentenced

[PizDoff]

Former Champ Rocchigiani Sentenced

Mon Dec 19,12:33 PM ET

FRANKFURT AN DER ODER, Germany - Former WBC light heavyweight champion Graciano Rocchigiani was sentenced to six months in prison Monday for a drunken-driving probation violation.

Rocchigiani originally was jailed in 2001 for assaulting a police officer, who found the German boxer asleep and drunk behind the wheel of his car. He was put on three years' probation upon his release in 2002. Rocchigiani has violated probation three times for drunken driving, the last being in May.

In 1998, Rocchigiani won a $31 million judgment against the WBC over the loss of his light heavyweight title. But he settled for less when the WBC planned to dissolve itself under bankruptcy laws.

The WBC declared its light heavyweight title vacant when champion Roy Jones Jr. said he was moving up to the heavyweight division.

Rocchigiani won a split decision on March 21, 1998, against Michael Nunn to become the new champ. But when Jones Jr. returned in June he was restored as light heavyweight champion, and the WBC wrote to Rocchigiani saying the official rankings that had him as champ were a "typographical error."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051219/...N5bnN1YmNhdA--

[daigoro]

WBC = Wee Bit Corrupt