Florida authorities are prosecuting a professional boxer who had allegedly kept a cougar as a pet without a permit and allowed it to escape earlier this year.
33-year-old Tyrone Spong was charged with keeping the cougar without a permit. Spong is the champion of the World Boxing Organization Latino Heavyweight and has numerous boxing and kickboxing titles.
The incident unfolded in January when the endangered panther was spotted by residents after it escaped Spong's residence. Investigators believed at the time that the animal was not one of the Florida native felines and that it was in the custody of someone.
According to officials, the cougar was underweight when it was captured. It had since been placed in a licensed facility.
