Pro Boxer Charged for Allowing Unlicensed Cougar to Escape

A Florida boxer is accused of letting his illegal exotic cat roam free.

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A Florida boxer faces the possibility of jail time after he was charged will allowing his illegal pet cougar to escape. 

Tyrone Spong, a 33-year-old who won the WBC and WBO Latino Heavyweight Championship, was charged with misdemeanors for “keeping the animal without a permit, allowing it to escape, keeping it in too small a cage, failing to provide it with toys or other stimulation and not providing shelter,” among other charges related to exotic birds found in his home, according to The Sun-Sentinel. 

Spong’s unlicensed, 60-pound pet cougar was captured in a South Florida neighborhood in January. It was initially suspected to be a Florida panther, a rare species of cougar native to the area, but the animal was determined to be domesticated because it had a collar. 

“Mr. Spong kept an extremely dangerous class 1 cougar which ultimately escaped and was loose in a residential neighborhood during daylight hours while school was not in session during New Year’s Day 2019 resulting in threats to the public safety,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wrote in a report. 

Each of the charges Spong faces carries a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 60 days in jail.