Ex-boxing champ Vinny Paz appears in court on assault charge

January 02, 2018 11:00 pm • Last Updated: January 03, 2018 7:31 pm

In this Nov. 2, 2016, file photo, former boxer Vinny Paz, subject of the film "Bleed for This," poses at the premiere of the film in Beverly Hills, Calif. Retired boxing champion Vinny Paz, whose comeback story after a car crash was dramatized in the 2016 film "Bleed for This," has been accused of attacking a Rhode Island man and sending him to the hospital. Providence police say they were called to a home early Tuesday morning, Jan . 2, 2018. They say when officers arrived, witnesses told them Paz had accused a friend of stealing $16,000 and then assaulted him. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

PROVIDENCE — Ex-boxing champion Vinny Paz has been released on $5,000 personal recognizance after turning himself in on a felony assault charge for allegedly attacking and biting a man, knocking out his teeth and sending him to the hospital.

Paz, a five-time world champion, is known for his comeback story after a car crash, which was dramatized in the 2016 film "Bleed for This."

He appeared in Providence District Court on Wednesday morning, not long after turning himself in on a warrant issued Tuesday. He did not enter a plea.

Witnesses told police that Paz accused the man of stealing $16,000. The retired champ made a series of statements on Tuesday defending his actions. He told WPRI-TV that he got robbed, "and when that happens, you gotta do what you gotta do."

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