Chuck Wepner Is Arrested on Drug Charge

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Former heavyweight boxing contender Chuck Wepner was arrested Friday and charged with several drug offenses, the result of an eight-month investigation, Middlesex County Prosecutor Alan Rockoff said.

Wepner, 46, who was described as a “mid-level” drug dealer, was found with four ounces of cocaine in his car when he was arrested in Sayreville. Rockoff said the drugs had a street value of about $12,000.

Authorities also found between six and seven grams of cocaine and $365 in cash in Wepner’s pocket.

Wepner was charged with possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy, Rockoff said.

Following his arrest, police also arrested another man and a woman to whom Wepner was allegedly supplying drugs, the prosecutor said.

Wepner, called “The Bayonne Bleeder,” was defeated in a heavyweight title bid when he was knocked out in the 15th round by Muhammad Ali on March 24, 1975, at Cleveland.