[bigboydan]

he was charged with being the getaway driver in a drugstore robbery. i guess his comeback will be delayed just a little bit uh

Former Tyson challenger McNeeley arrested in Stoughton

STOUGHTON, Mass. --Former heavyweight contender Peter McNeeley, who lost to Mike Tyson in 1995, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges that he drove a getaway car in a drug store robbery.

McNeeley, 37, was arrested with Robert Perry, 47. Both men are from Norwood.

McNeeley pleaded not guilty to charges of being an accessory before the fact to an armed robbery and being an accessory after the fact to an armed robbery, at his arraignment in Stoughton District Court, said David Traub a spokesman for the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office.

Perry pleaded not guilty to charges of armed robbery and shoplifting, Traub said.

Judge Francis T. Crimmins, Jr. ordered McNeeley held on $7,500 cash bail. Perry was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail. Traub said attorneys for both men plan to request bail reviews.

A probable cause hearing was set for July 18.

Perry stole a fanny pack from the Walgreen drug store in Stoughton around 1 a.m. Thursday then approached the clerk, demanding money, police Lt. Thomas Murphy said.

"Mr. Perry raised it and pointed it at the clerk ... the gesture of the pointing, it was believed by the clerk to be a weapon," Murphy said.

The clerk handed over money, and Perry got into a car waiting in the parking lot, Murphy said.

Police in neighboring Canton who had been alerted to watch out for the car pulled over a vehicle driven by McNeeley. He and Perry were arrested after witnesses identified the men, Murphy said. Police recovered $180 in cash and an empty fanny pack.

McNeeley, whose ring nickname was "The Hurricane," emerged in the spotlight in 1995 when he fought Tyson, the former champion. The fight, Tyson's first after serving a prison sentence for rape, was stopped in the first round after Tyson twice knocked down McNeeley.

In March, McNeeley was arrested in an assault on a bar patron in Norwood. He pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and battery and unarmed robbery.

In recent years, McNeeley has taught a boxing class at a gym in Needham. In a 2002 interview with The Boston Globe, McNeeley acknowledged struggling with alcohol and drug abuse.

[JoshW]

Remember his fighting Mike Tyson. He didn't have that good of run, so not surprising to see him turn back to crime which I believe he had a history of before and even a little during his boxing carear.

[Mudcat]

When I saw this thread title, I couldn't even remember who Peter McNeeley was.

[moses millsap]

He and Perry were arrested after witnesses identified the men, Murphy said. Police recovered $180 in cash and an empty fanny pack.

Another intelligent boxer. I'm surprised he wasn't pulling this caper with the emotionally unstable Oliver McCall.