Former world boxing champion Dave Hilton Jr., who was convicted of sexually assaulting his two daughters beginning when they were 12, was released from prison Monday after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

One of the first things Hilton did upon his release was visit his father's boxing club. Outside the gym, he told reporters he still believes he is innocent. 

Dave Hilton playfully spars with step-daughter Melissa Shatilla on Monday.
(Ian Barrett/Canadian Press)

He told the Canadian Press that the most difficult thing about being in prison for the last five years was "being accused of these charges.

"I mean the anger that's in there and hard to get rid of," he said. "I figure, after two years, three years, it'd be gone, but it's not."

After a lengthy, sensational trial that captured the imagination of Montreal — home of the legendary "Fighting Hilton Family" — Hilton was convicted in 2001 of having sex with the girls between 1995 and 1998 and sentenced to seven years and eight months in jail.

Hilton, 42, was released after five years and must abide by strict restrictions set by the National Parole Board:

• He is not allowed to be alone with females under 18 without the presence of a "responsible" adult.
• He is prohibited from contacting his daughters, Anne-Marie, 21, and Jeannie, 23.
• He must also abstain from intoxicants and participate in a program for sexual offenders in denial.

In 2004, a Quebec judge lifted a publication ban on the identity of the daughters so they could publish a book about their abuse.

Montreal TV station TQS reported that Hilton was taken to a halfway house in east-end Montreal.

Parole board flagged 2 concerns

In a letter to Hilton on May 10, the National Parole Board highlighted two concerns it had regarding his early release.

The first was that Hilton — who had pleaded not guilty on nine counts — continued to maintain his innocence.

The second was that he remained romantically involved with a woman who has contact with two minor girls, a sister and niece.

During his trial, the court was told the abuse began with kissing and progressed to oral sex, masturbation and intercourse.

During testimony, Hilton's image took a beating, as he was revealed to be a hard-living, hard-drinking man with a lifestyle often on the seedy side.

With files from the Canadian Press