TMZ Sports reports that former IBF junior middleweight champion Kassim “The Dream” Ouma remains behind bars for assaulting a man who allegedly made repeated sexual advances toward him on early Friday morning.
According to law enforcement sources, Ouma went to the man’s home in Hollywood to have a cocktail, although Ouma had never met the man before. The former boxing champ claims that the man made a series of sexual passes at him, but that he rejected them. Ouma says when he tried to leave the man made one more attempt and that prompted Ouma to allegedly land a knockout punch that sent the man to the floor and then the hospital.
Police were called to the scene and arrested Mr. Ouma on felony battery charges. TMZ reports that the 35-year-old fighter remains incarcerated and has not commented on the incident.
The Dream, who was born in Uganda, pursues a comeback after holding the IBF junior middleweight title in 2004. According to Time Warner Sports Net, after a dismal record of 2-6 from 2006 to 2010, when he lost bouts to everyone from then-middleweight champion Jermain Taylor to journeyman fighter Gabriel Rosado, Ouma won his last fight against Rahman Yusubov in December.
Ouma boasts signature victories over Marco Antonio Rubio, Sechew Powell, and Verno Phillips. The 28-8-1 southpaw has fought on HBO five times, Showtime twice, and the various ESPN networks eleven times. He most recently won by knockout in an unsanctioned fight that will nevertheless go to the judges.