The purported celebrity best known for having his penis lopped off by his ex-wife, Lorena (thus inspiring the term "bobbittize"), was arrested Monday night in Las Vegas and charged with beating his new wife, prompting Fox to drop him from its upcoming bout.
The 35-year-old ex-Marine spent the night behind bars for punching and kicking his new wife, Joanne (the two married seven weeks ago at a chapel on the Vegas Strip), after she refused to accompany him to Los Angeles and watch him go two rounds against the equally nefarious Joey Buttafuoco in Celebrity Boxing 2.
"I told him I didn't want to go to the Celebrity Boxing event and he just lost it," Joanne told the New York Post. "He told me I was screwing everything up and that [Fox] was sending two tickets to the event, and I had to go."
She says Bobbitt slammed her to ground, fracturing her tailbone and finger. Las Vegas police confirm that Bobbit was arrested on charges of misdemeanor battery and domestic violence and for violating his 1999 probation on attempted grand larceny (he tried to steal $150,000 worth of clothes).
Bobbitt, who told police his wife injured herself in a fall, has a history of domestic abuse. He was convicted two times in 1994 for beating a former fiancée, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. And Lorena Bobbitt was found innocent by reason of insanity for the penis attack after telling jurors how abusive he had been.
He spent 12 hours behind bars before being released Tuesday morning on $5,000 bail.
Although Bobbitt managed to get out of jail, Fox decided not to keep him on the Celebrity Boxing 2 card, replacing him with former WWF wrestling babe Joanie Laurer, otherwise known as Chyna.
Fox's pugilistic follow-up, featuring washed-up (and never-were) celebrities duking it out, will tape Wednesday night and is slated to air May 22. Aside from Buttafuoco and Laurer, the previously announced matchups include: wafer-thin ex-basketball player Manute Bol, who measures 7 feet, 7 inches, versus former football star William "The Refrigerator" Perry, who tips the scales at 400-plus pounds; Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire bride Darva Conger (who once said she just wanted to get her quiet life back) against Olympic gold medalist turned suspected shoplifter Olga Korbut. And just added to the card are two whiny, wiry-haired former TV stars--Ron "Horshack" Palillo from Welcome Back, Kotter facing off against Dustin "Screech" Diamond from Saved by the Bell.
A Fox publicist says he's looking forward to one bout in particular. "After the weigh in, the funniest match is going to be between Manute and the Fridge, because one is as tall as the other is wide," says the rep.
Ray Mancini, Barry "Greg Brady" Williams (who lost to Danny "Danny Partridge" Bonaduce in the first Celebrity Boxing special) and Chris Rhodes will provide color commentary, while Michael Buffer (of "Let's get ready to rumble!" fame) will kick things off ringside.
The original hourlong special--featuring fights between such formerly famous and infamous figures as Tonya Harding and Paula Jones, Diff'rent Strokes' Todd Bridges and ex-rapper Vanilla Ice, and Bonaduce and Williams--scored knockout ratings.
(Coincidentally, Buttafuoco's ex-lover, Amy "Long Island Lolita" Fisher, was originally supposed to square off against Harding in the first Celebrity Boxing but was scratched when she was barred from participating by her parole board).
As for Bobbitt--whose post-penis career has included stints as a porn star, a brothel employee, a wedding chapel minister, a tow-truck driver, a bartender and a professional mover--is facing up to a year in prison if convicted on the charges.
Joanne Bobbitt, meanwhile, is recovering from her injuries. She has obtained a temporary restraining order against him and says she intends to file for divorce.