People who got famous because of a scandal tend to get boxed into a corner, professionally speaking.
So maybe it's no surprise that they are the celebrities mostly likely to agree to appear in celebrity boxing matches.
Case in point: Joey Buttafuoco and Amy Fisher, who descended into infamy in 1992 when their affair resulted in Fisher shooting Buttafuoco's wife, Mary Jo, in the head.
The resulting "Long Island Lolita" scandal became a media circus. Fisher ended up serving seven years in prison for assault while Buttafuoco served six months in jail for statutory rape.
Since then, the paths of Fisher and Buttafuoco have crossed many times. They've each done interviews discussing the incident and their relationship. They both participated in the coin toss at the 2006 Lingerie Bowl, a football game featuring shapely women in underwear. And there were even rumors that they had allegedly rekindled their romance in 2007.
These days, both claim to be happy in their marriages: Buttafuoco with his second wife, Evanka; and Fisher, with her husband of eight years, Lou Bellera, a former member of the New York Police Department who appeared with Fisher on "VH1 Celebrity Rehab" earlier this year.
Although Buttafuoco, Fisher and Bellera claim that the incidents that both connected and separated them are in the past, they aren't letting a little thing like closure get in the way of a good cause -- and yes, more media attention.
Buttafuoco and Bellera will put on the gloves to go a few rounds on November 5 as part of Celebrity Fight Night, a charity boxing event that will pit various scandal-plagued celebs against each other. The event will raise money for the FilmOn Charitable Trust, a foundation in charge of distributing its earnings to various children's charities.
Others who will be boxing for what might count as glory in an alternative universe include Fisher, who will go up against Nadya "Octomom" Suleman; White House gatecrasher Tareq Salahi, who will be fighting former steroid-soaked baseball player Jose Canseco; and Lindsay Lohan's dad Michael, who will face O.J. Simpson's former house guest Kato Kaelin.
Bellera admits the idea of pitting him against a man who had such an important (and many would say negative) impact on his wife is a great storyline. While it could presumably allow him to get retribution for his wife, he swears that's not on his mind.
"People can spin it any way they want, but this is an event for charity," Bellera said."I'll turn 61 right before the fight and feel I am in top physical condition. This is about living life and meeting another challenge."
The challenge of knocking your wife's ex-lover on his Buttafuoco, right?
"Look, my wife has paid the price for what happened and Mary Jo has forgiven her," Bellera said. "Everyone, including Joey, deserves a second chance."
Buttafuoco seems to be seconding that emotion.
"For a long time, I had a problem letting things go regarding what happened, but therapy helped," Buttafuoco told HuffPost Weird News. "There's no hostility anymore. I learned to let it go 5 to 8 years ago."
If all this, well, reasonableness seems like it will ruin the possibility of a good match, don't worry. Bellera and Buttafuoco already came close to duking it out at the official press conference.
"He kept touching me, poking me to see if I was soft," griped Buttafuoco. "I pushed him away and he hit the side of my mouth. It was not the place for that."
Bellera continues to insist that it's all about putting on a good show and proving he is still healthy -- even though he's four years away from collecting social security.
"I'm lifting weights and doing aerobic exercises for stamina, flexibility and mobility," Bellera said. "I'm 6 years older than him and he's 70 pounds heavier."
And while he is claiming that it's all for entertainment purposes, it doesn't take much to get Bellera to criticize Buttafuoco's training methods, which include spending weekends at the Bunny Ranch, a brothel near Carson City, Nev. that is the site for the popular HBO series, "Cathouse," where he is being trained by former WWE wrestler-turned-porn-actress Chyna.
Ironically, they've met before: he fought her in 2002 on the Fox special, "Celebrity Boxing." He beat her, and afterward they became fast friends.
"She's a beautiful deep person once you get past that shell," Buttafuoco said.
Bellera isn't so sure Chyna's the best person for the job.
"It's ironic that he's training with someone that he wiped the floor with," Bellera said. "But I don't believe men should fight women to begin with."
Chyna admits she's fighting to keep Buttafuoco's head in the game.
"Joey's in a good place in his life now and he's not as serious about this as Lou," Chyna said. "I've got to get his mind in the fight, while letting him know it doesn't have to be personal."
Chyna says Joey has strength but not technique, and that will be the key.
"If he goes in with a one-two, rock 'em, sock 'em type of fighting, it will be hard for him," she said.
Sadly for Chyna and for Buttafuoco, she won't be in his corner when the fight takes place.
"I am filming my second porn that night, so I won't be at the event, but I'll be thinking about him as I work," she said.
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