Boxer to take anger classes to resolve bar fracas with woman

CRAFTON, Pa. (AP) Former lightweight boxing champ Paul Spadafora has agreed to take anger management classes to resolve charges that he put a woman in a headlock at a Pittsburgh-area bar, drank her beer and then threw her down when she went outside to call police.

If 40-year-old boxer from McKees Rocks does that, his attorney says Spadafora will plead guilty to a charge of harassment and be fined $300. Spadafora agreed to the deal at a preliminary hearing Thursday, and must return to court to resolve the case Aug. 25.

Police say Spadafora was baiting patrons at the Redstone Tavern in Crafton on April 7 before grabbing the woman. But Spadafora's attorney questioned whether the 63-year-old woman started the dispute. She refused medical treatment for scrapes to her knee and hand.