ERIE, Pa. -- Former world boxing champion Paul Spadafora is back in prison -- this time, for allegedly violating parole on a sentence he received for shooting his ex-girlfriend.

Spadafora, the 31-year-old McKees Rocks native and former IBF lightweight champ, is at the State Correctional Institution-Albion.

State parole officials say he faces a parole violation hearing on Wednesday, and they won't say what he's accused of doing until then.

Spadafora, known as "The Pittsburgh Kid," admitted shooting Nadine Russo while drunk in October 2003. He spent seven months in state prison and six months in a boot camp after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and a weapons violation.

He has lived and trained in Erie since being paroled in April 2006, and he has won both of his fights since getting out of boot camp and making a comeback in the ring.

Last week, Spadafora asked an Erie County judge for a protection-from-abuse order against Russo. The request was denied when Spadafora didn't show up at a hearing on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, Russo got a court order to keep Spadafora away from her after telling the judge that Spadafora recently dragged her by the hair and choked her.

Spadafora's promoter, Michael Acri, said the arrest was automatic under state law once Russo asked for a protection order. He thinks the matter will be cleared up without affecting the boxer's comeback.

Attorney William Difenderfer said Russo had been traveling to Erie and causing Spadafora trouble.

Spadafora told his parole officer about the alleged incidents and documented them, Difenderfer said.

---

Related Links:
More County News

Get RSS Headlines | Breaking News Alerts

---