Tapia was deducted 1 point in round 2 for a deliberate head butt. On the drive to visit him, his brother-in-law and nephew were killed in a car accident. The camera switches from footage of his euphoric celebration to that of a shirtless, paunchy Tapia, sitting in a shabby room where he watches the replay as a grizzled 45-year-old. Scores: 98-92, 96-94, 99-93. The damage wreaked on him by his mothers murder and the degree to which it informed his worldview is extraordinarily sad, and for those of us who havent endured the same trauma, equallyimpossible to understand. And when Tapia was 8, his mother was kidnapped, raped and hanged. Boxersk rekord pro Arthura Johnsona z BoxRec; Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; . Hes like a walking contradiction, Teresa tells me while Johnny is out of earshot. His 1999 loss by decision to Paulie Ayala was named the Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine.Tapia was inducted during 2017, posthumously, to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.Tapia was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Mexican American parents. It was almost the last straw when Tapia was again hospitalized for drug abuse and his wifes brother and nephew died in a car crash on the way to visit him in the hospital. It was a cruel blow for wife Terese to take. If he says Im just going to run down the store to get a Dr Pepper, you cant help but think you should go with him, and wonder what is going to happen. If a human being is a vessel of emotions, Tapia was a powder keg, perpetually on the verge of implosion. Tapia never ran from his own darkness so much as he perpetually hovered over it. Albuquerque, he says, Im still your champion.. Still undefeated after 18 more bouts, he beat Nana Konadu to win the bantamweight title (118 pounds) and become a two-division world champion. His 1999 loss by decision to Paulie Ayala was named the Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine. That win came by ten round split decision in Albuquerque. He has been honoured by the Sports Journalists Association and the Boxing Writers Association of America. But they didnt make it. When he was eight years old, his mother, Virginia, was kidnapped, raped, repeatedly stabbed, and left for dead by her assailant. His father had reportedly been murdered while his mother was pregnant with him. Her killing would not be solved for almost 25 years. According to the criminal complaint, Tapia was on his motorcycle. Tapia was inducted during 2017, posthumously, to the Internation johnny tapia boxrec - At johnny tapia boxrec we like to say " There is no fun like fun in the waterOur mission is to turn your little ones into professional-level swimmers. In 1996, he fought six more times, keeping his undefeated record and defending the title five additional times during that period, which included wins against Giovanni Andrade, Ivan Alvarez, future champion Hugo Rafael Soto, Sammy Stewart and Adonis Cruz. In 2017 he won the Sam Kellerman Media Award in New York and The Reg Gutteridge Annual Award in London two years later. In boxing, Tapias aggression was rewarded; on the street it brought him to the edge of death. No longer a top boxer, Tapia returned to the ring several more times before his final fightin June, 2011, when, overweight and sporting the weathered face of someone ten years older, he won by knockout in Albuquerque. Just two and a half weeks before his loss to Ayala in 1999, the phone rang in the gym where Tapia was training. Tapia claimed what the police found was only a soap bar, and the charges were eventually dropped. He said he saw every opponent as his mothers killer. In a statement, Teresa Tapia said she decided thatmarryingPadilla would be best for the children, for a continuation of their sense of family. This is perhaps the documentarys most poignant moment. Required fields are marked *. Press conferences about the Super Six have just taken place and Tapias eyes twitch as Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch amble past. After four rounds of boxing the fight was called a draw. He won eight fights that year, five by knockout, of which four were in the first round.In 1989, he won seven more fights, including a first-round knockout of Abner Barajas and an eight-round decision against John Michael Johnson. His past regularly came back to haunt him. In 1990, he had just won a $1 million commercial for Pepsi when he tested dirty and got kicked out, losing his boxing license, said his wife and manager, Teresa Tapia, in the same 2004 interview. Johnny was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, on February 13, 1967. But I found out hed been killed, hed been run over twice. Data may be incomplete and inaccurate. Johnny always makes sure were with him when he goes anywhere. "A family member . He also remembers the misery that attacked the highs and hauled everything down. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the unified IBF and WBO super flyweight titles between 1994 and 1998, the unified WBA and WBO bantamweight titles between 1998 and 2000, and the IBF featherweight title in 2002. A Warner Bros. After that, the fight with Romero was set for Las Vegas. She couldnt leave him. Tapia was the 1983 National Golden Gloves light flyweight champion, and the 1985 Golden Gloves flyweight champion. Tapia spent much of his adult life yearning to meet the man who destroyed her. He has also written about boxing for The Guardian and the Daily Mirror and has been used by the BBC, Sky Sports, BT Sport, HBO Boxing and Talk Sport as a boxing analyst. Tapia, a five time world champion, might be one of the greatest television fighters ever, a distinction he shares with fellow 90s legend Arturo Gatti. . The intoxicant was perhaps the only thing capable of ordering his thoughts. That was a very, very emotional time and the hardest time for me, and for him, because he knew he had gone too far. That is to say, he possessed the rare medley of talent, charisma, and recklessness that leapedthrough the screen toseize the viewers heart. On their wedding night, in 1993, Teresa found the man she had pledged her life to injecting drugs. Mi vida loca, or my crazy life, were the words tattooed on his belly. Blanco lost one point in round nine for low blows. With Johnny its hard to decide what is best for him but, as a wife, Id love to see him retire and be a husband and a father first and foremost.. He quit the ring several times, but could not seem to give it up. Both sport dozens of tattoos, having used their skin as parchment on which to inscribe their own dramas. Four times I was declared dead. Realizing his habits, she at first resisted. Johnny Tapia. Four times they wanted to pull life support. Cocaine became my mistress. He leaps up, like a puppy dog, and gallops towards the fighters. Johnny Tapia fights Manuel Medina in a 2002 IBF featherweight championship bout at Madison Square Garden in New York. The last fight of Johnny Tapia took place on June 4, 2011 against Mauricio Pastrana. It is when she cant see him that she worries. The first time was a mistake but the second time was a habit, he confesses. Johnny chuckles excitedly and hangs off their shoulders as someone takes a photograph of the three of them together. His life, which ended at just 45, was spent trying not to fall into the abyss. 5:45 PM EDT, Mon May 28, 2012. Teresa loves it when her husband chuckles like that; it means he is in a good place. Later that year, Tapia tried to commit suicide with a drug overdose and required hospitalization. Or stabbing anybody, or fighting anybody, or killing anybody? An explosive combination puncher who backed up his suicidal tendencies with athleticism, he repeatedly waged all-out war in the ring and punctuated each miraculous victory with his trademark back-flip. The Albuquerque police said an autopsy would be done in the next few days. He has so much knowledge and hes training fighters and hes doing some really awesome work with them. Name: Johnny Tapia Alias: Mi Vida Loca Birth Name: John Lee Tapia Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Birthplace: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Died: 2012-05-27 (Age:45) Stance: Orthodox Height: 168cm Reach: 165cm Pro Boxer: Record Amateur Boxer: Record Managers: Paul Chavez (1988-1995) Teresa Tapia, his wife (1995-2011) Not from a drug overdose, but from heart failure. Boxing Less than a year after his mothers death, he recounted, his uncles were making him fight older boys in matches they bet on. I would have, believe me, if I could have had him in front of me. [8] Tapia won the fight by majority decision, 9892, 9694, 9595. Our attempts to imagine his emotional and psychological pain still leave us on the distant edge of Johnny Tapias reality. AboutPressCopyrightContact. Johnny Tapia, a prizefighter who won world titles in three weight classes in a chaotic life that included jail, struggles with mental illness, suicide attempts and five times being declared clinically dead as a result of drug overdoses, was found dead at his home in Albuquerque on Sunday. Johnny Tapia. [17] Tapia died of heart failure. The fight took place on July 18. Johnny Tapia was an American boxer, who competed in the super flyweight division. Tapia, a five time world champion, might be one of the greatest television fighters ever, a distinction he shares with fellow 90s legend Arturo Gatti. *Links to streaming, pay-per-view or ticketing platforms provided on this page, if any, are affiliate links. Matt Christie has been hooked on boxing since he picked up a copy of A Pictorial History of Boxing in 1985 as a seven-year-old. If you change your mind, go to Notifications in the menu to enable browser notifications. HOW TALL IS JOHNNY TAPIA? Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much In his autobiography, Mi Vida Loca: The Crazy Life of Johnny Tapia, the fighter says that his father was murdered before he was born and that he was eight when he saw his mother murdered. He was a 21-year-old flyweight prospect when he covered one nostril and used the other to snort back his first heavenly line of cocaine through a tightly rolled dollar bill. Scores: 98-92, 96-94, 99-93. Tapia is a 5-time world champ. In his first defeat, Tapia lost the bantamweight crown to Paulie Avala in June 1999 in what The Ring magazine called the fight of the year. He narrowly defeated Manuel Medina in 2002 to win the featherweight (126 pounds) title. Tapia eventually took these skills to the ring, where he showed himself equally proficient at regulated combat. He experienced frequent relapses over the next few years and several overdoses. Known in years past as "Sin City" and "Babylon on the St. Lawrence", it saw more than its share of ring legends over the decades. Johnny sees things well, Freddie Roach, Tapias trainer and a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, said in an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2002. May he rest in peace. Raised thereafter by his grandmother, Tapia turned to boxing at the age of nine.[4]. His life, which ended at just 45, was spent trying not to fall into the abyss. Back then I needed it, it took me away from everything. Tapia started boxing at age 9 and had his first amateur fight at 11. Tapia was married to Teresa Tapia in 1994 and had three boys. He was brought up by his grandfather Miguel with eight other family members in a three-bedroom house in Albuquerque. But when I ask Johnny how he sees himself in the future, he says hes not even sure hell wake up tomorrow., Johnny Tapia, Champion Boxer Amid Chaos, Dies at 45, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/sports/johnny-tapia-champion-boxer-amid-chaos-dies-at-45.html. According to his wife, no drugs were found in his system. Tapias body was found Sunday night at his home in Albuquerque. Larry Merchant, the boxing analyst, told Playboy in 2004 that Tapia was a five-to-one underdog to survive his own childhood.. He had made that his motto after he thought he had outgrown his first, baby-faced assassin.. I felt that I killed [them] cause I was in the coma, he says. Foul play is not suspected; an autopsy and toxicology tests will be carried out, Gibbs said. He was 45 years old. One of them said Mi Vida Loca ("My Crazy Life"), the nickname he adopted. **This site uses cookies and other technologies, so we can remember you and understand how you and other visitors use our site. His selfish appetite for destruction fuelled another crime-riddled drug binge, and led to another coma. Teresas brother Robert Gutierrez who worked Johnnys corner and his son a young boxer about to turn pro rushed to the hospital to be by Tapias side. His ring return has kept Tapia out of trouble since 2009 boxing was a condition of his release from prison but now he wants to retire. He was born on Feb. 13, 1967, so he will turn 46 in -10 month and -11 day. Five days later the Albuquerque Police claimed they found cocaine after the fight in a bag carried by Tapia. Name: Juan Tapia Pro Boxing Record: 12-4-0 (Win-Loss-Draw) Nickname: Johnny Blaze Current Streak: N/A Age: 29 | Date of Birth: 1993.03.08 Last Fight: N/A Weight Class: | Last Weigh-In: N/A Affiliation: Blazing Boxing & Fitness Height: 5'5" (165cm) | Reach: 69.0" (175cm) Career Disclosed Earnings: $0 USD Born: Brownsville, Texas Bout made at a catchweight of 124 pounds. But he insists the best of him is still to come, writes Declan Taylor. That was his life.. He is so full of life and he has so much to give people and he really is a great person but at the flip of a switch he can turn around and be your worst nightmare.. Tapia is 5' 6" (5 Foot and 6 inch) which is 168 cm (1 meter and 68 centimeters). As I walk away, I wonder if he still will be after a night gliding through the silky temptations of Vegas. One in particularwas his 1997 bout with fellow Albuquerquian Danny Romero. Id love to think that in 30 years, well be old together and surrounded by family. . Tapia had an outstanding amateur career, winning the 1983 New Mexico State Golden Gloves,[5] the 1983 and 1985 National Golden Gloves tournaments at light flyweight and flyweight, respectively. Family members say Albuquerque police were summoned to Tapia's house at 7:45 PM Sunday by a family. [3], Tapia was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Mexican American parents. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Montreal is The Fight City. Tapia himself never thought he would live past the age of 40. Though an active professional, Tapia belonged to a street gang and began using cocaine as a young man. Johnnys bout ended in a draw by majority decision (MD). HBOs Tapia begins with an overhead shot of the New Mexico desert. In his first title defense, Tapia defeated Jose Rafael Sosa by decision. Tapia won his first 22 professional fights, then was suspended from boxing after failing three drug tests. 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