Paul Spadafora won in his first fight since being released from prison, stopping Jesus Francisco Zepeda in the fifth round Wednesday night in the 22nd Erie Boxing Classic.
Spadafora (39-0-1), the former IBF lightweight champion, served a sentence split between Camp Hill Penitentiary and a prison-style boot camp for the October 2003 shooting of his girlfriend outside a gas station in McKees Rocks.
His last fight was in April 2004.
Spadafora, known as the ``Pittsburgh Kid,'' entered the ring in white trunks with blue trim with the nickname ``Comeback Kid.'' He has traditionally worn black and gold trunks.
Spadafora opened a cut above Zepeda's right eye in the first round of the scheduled 10-round bout and used a sharp right jab to bloody his opponent. Instead of his customary defensive strategy, Spadafora stood at the centre of the ring and used his jab to keep Zepeda at bay.
The fight was stopped shortly after Zepeda (16-4), of Shelbyville, Ind., was examined by a ringside doctor for excessive bleeding. Spadafora then caught Zepeda with a straight right to the jaw, momentarily stunning him before referee Rick Steigerwald stopped the contest.
