Tapia himself never thought he would live past the age of 40. He has so much knowledge and hes training fighters and hes doing some really awesome work with them. He won three more fights by knockout, and then he faced Oscar Aguilar on the Michael CarbajalJosu Camacho undercard in Phoenix for the NABF super flyweight title, winning in three rounds. He leaps up, like a puppy dog, and gallops towards the fighters. Johnny Tapia was an American boxer, who competed in the super flyweight division. Fortunately, he was allowed to resume his career in 1994. Blanco lost one point in round nine for low blows. He won a unanimous decision. Johnny Tapia made his professional debut in March 1988, so he has been a pro for 34 years. Boxersk rekord pro Arthura Johnsona z BoxRec; Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; . Though an active professional, Tapia belonged to a street gang and began using cocaine as a young man. Seven years later Johnny was on a bus that crashed, killing the pregnant woman who sat alongside him. Speaking to the press at his gym in the wake of his. Tapia said he thought his tattoos of angels kept him from passing into the next world. He had many tattoos, which were prominent when he was fighting. Co-caine. He hangs on the name of the white powder and sighs, remembering the dangerous euphoria that rushed through his body and infected his mind. When he finally returned to the ring on March 27, 1994, he beat Jaime Olvera by a knockout in four rounds in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ive never said this to anybody, I dont want it no more. ( 16 1967 ) . Like so many athletes once their careers have ended, Tapia returned to the only real vocation hed known and opened a boxing gym in Albequerque. Five times I was a world champion. After three and a half years away from the ring, he returned to win five fights before defeating Henry Martinez to win the world super flyweight title (115-pound limit). On October 12, 1994 at The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tapia defeated Henry Martnez in eleven rounds to win the vacant WBO super flyweight title. Jesse Pearson editor et scriptor Americanus est. In 2007 Johnny overdosed again and was taken to hospital where he lay in a coma. Tapia claimed two Golden Gloves awards in addition to professional titles in several weight classes. His first pro fight was in 1988. Tapias mother, Virginia, died on May 28, 1975, according to a police report that said her body was found stabbed 26 times with scissors and a screwdriver. I want to hug my mama.. Las Vegas is a City of Sin, the best and worst of humankind, mixed together to form a sickly but irresistible trail of destruction. Updated So why not try and get over the bad stuff and try to make it a good ending?. Nobody puts their hands on my mama. Thanks God I have her. 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. His life, which ended at just 45, was spent trying not to fall into the abyss. As the needle sank into his arm and loaded his veins with toxins, Tapia drifted into a coma. All Rights Reserved. Playboy reported that when they finally married, one of her cousins approached her and said, If you want to see what you married, go look in the bathroom.. He is easily distracted as we all sit together deep inside the mysterious green labyrinth that is the MGM Grand. 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 father had reportedly been murdered while his mother was pregnant with him. The lines on his face that greedily sink into his ageing skin provide clues of his misery. He passed away on May 27, 2012 at the age of 45. During this time, Tapias wife, Teresa, had authorities re-open his mothers murder case. Johnny Tapia died, for the final time, of heart failure at 45, an age much too young for a final exit. Tapia down in round 6, Pastrana down in round 8. Anyone can read what you share. Foul play is not suspected. Johnny Tapia was born on the 13th of February, 1967. [9], Tapia was found unconscious and not breathing in a hotel room early on the morning of March 12, 2007. And many more times I came close to dying. He took the wedding cash and dumped her in a cheap hotel. He was brought up by his grandfather Miguel with eight other family members in a three-bedroom house in Albuquerque. After that, the fight with Romero was set for Las Vegas. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The crazy life of Johnny Tapia a five-time world champion boxer who once wrote that he had been raised to fight to the death ended this week at age 45. 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. Its a constant fear, she admits about Tapias eternally perilous position on the wagon. Back then I needed it, it took me away from everything. Home Thats my queen.. Tapia's heart simply stopped beating and, unlike his previous brushes with death, this one was for real. An insightful and revealing documentary, Tapia shows both his darkness and his better nature as it presents a life thats too complex to judge. It was a cruel blow for wife Terese to take. He left the title vacant so he could face Lineal & The Ring champion Marco Antonio Barrera, who beat Tapia by unanimous decision. She was subsequently stabbed 22 times with a screwdriver, and left for dead. HBOs Tapia begins with an overhead shot of the New Mexico desert. Double champion du monde des poids lourds, de 2000 2003 et de 2006 2015, il dtenait les ceintures WBA (Super), WBO (Super), IBF et la . Johnny Tapia vs. Paulie Ayala (1st meeting) - BoxRec Johnny Tapia vs. Paulie Ayala (1st meeting) Paulie Ayala 118 lbs beat Johnny Tapia 118 lbs by UD in round 12 of 12 Date: 1999-06-26 Location: Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Referee: Joe Cortez Judge: Guy Jutras 115-114 Judge: Duane Ford 116-113 Judge: Fernando Viso 116-113 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. He said he saw every opponent as his mothers killer. He drew in his first bout but his career soon exploded, and Johnny wouldnt lose until his forty-ninth prizefight. He had made that his motto after he thought he had outgrown his first, baby-faced assassin.. In a performance that summoned all of his skill, showmanship and gall, Tapia outfought and outlasted Romero and won a unanimous decision. Tapia began 1998 by successfully defending his championships for the 11th time against former world champion Rodolfo Blanco of Colombia via decision, and then he vacated his world titles in order to move up in weight. Retained IBF and WBO super flyweight titles. On May 27, 2012, Tapia was found dead in his Albuquerque home. Tapia ruled down in round eleven. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Police have made an arrest in the shooting of Johnny Tapia, the son of the boxing legend of the same name. Not included in the police report was young Johnnys memory of being awakened by screaming and looking out the window to see his mother chained in the back of a pickup truck driving by the house, Sports Illustrated said. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much With no father to watch over him, Tapia lived with his grandparents. The murderer had died in 1983 after stumbling drunk into the middle of a busy Albuquerque street where he was hit by three cars and dragged to his death. Boxing Its like a safety net he has for himself; he wants everybody around whos positive and who wont do anything wrong. He says in the film: I would have stabbed the shit out of him like nobodys business. He held the WBO Super Flyweight Championship from October 12, 1994 to December 5, 1998. All my goal is to see Johnny reach this ripe old age, she said. I hurt, Im old, Im done, he says, almost poetically. We will be paid a commission, with no extra cost to you, if you use those links to make a purchase. Tapia stirred from the coma, sobbing, with tubes attached to his tattooed body. Did you encounter any technical issues? Investigators said there were no indications of a drug overdose or alcohol use but that the 45-year-old former fighter likely developed medical complications from past illegal drug use. The family lived in Albuquerque, NM.[13]. From the age of eight, he has wanted to die. When at his best, Johnny Tapia met the world with the finest smile. 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. Tapia was inducted during 2017, posthumously, to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. 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. His father had reportedly been murdered while his mother was pregnant with him. Five days later the Albuquerque Police claimed they found cocaine after the fight in a bag carried by Tapia. He appeared to revel in hostility and combat, as if his self-worth was proportional to his ability to give and take pain. Erik Morales: First Mexican to Win 4 in 4, Top 12 Reasons Why Muhammad Ali Is Forever The Greatest, Top 12 All-Time Greatest Heavyweight Punchers. John Lee Anthony Tapia was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2011. But they didnt make it. Less than a year after his mothers death, he recounted, his uncles were making him fight older boys in matches they bet on. I have a reputation, I can just make a phone call. John Lee Anthony Tapia[2] (February 13, 1967 May 27, 2012) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2011. Tapia was inducted during 2017, posthumously, to the Internation document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Montreal is The Fight City. Not from a drug overdose, but from heart failure. 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. Larry Merchant, the boxing analyst, told Playboy in 2004 that Tapia was a five-to-one underdog to survive his own childhood.. Tapia doesnt dwell on their relationship for long, nor does it detail how strongly it developed prior to Johnnys death, but it must have been astonishing, and perhaps astonishingly sad, for Johnny to realize, after four decades, that he was not alone in the world, and that the man responsible for his creation had been close by all along. His story is well documented but remains as horrifically shocking today as it ever was. 45. A 21-year-old Tapia made his professional debut on March 28, 1988 against Efren Chavez. He hasnt moved on, not properly, from his mothers dreadful demise. TM & 2023 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. Webpage Screenshot: share download .zip report bug or abuse donate . He also remembers the misery that attacked the highs and hauled everything down. Johnny Tapia fights Manuel Medina in a 2002 IBF featherweight championship bout at Madison Square Garden in New York. Search instead in Creative? [10], The next day, on the morning of March 13, Tapia's brother-in-law and nephew were killed in an automobile accident on U.S. Highway 550 near Bloomfield, New Mexico, apparently en route to the hospital to visit Tapia. It doesnt matter where I am, Tapia tells me the following day when I ask if the city is the best place for a reformed drug addict to hang out. Blanco lost one point in round nine for low blows. You tell me. He reached 45 before his. In 1992, he met Teresa Chavez at a party and was determined to marry her. Cocaine became my mistress. He won 59 fights, 30 by knockout; lost 5; and drew 2. But he went on with his careerand was paid two million dollars to face legendary champion Marco Antonio Barrera in 2002. Hes been like a freak of nature where hes never really taken any type of punishment in the ring where hes been hurt which has been a blessing, she says in her suitably angelic voice. Heavyweight hope Jared Anderson does not want to be famous but realises that is a necessity if hes to realise his dreams for both himself and his brother, Kevin Lerena explains to Thomas Gerbasi how a call from Frank Warren convinced him to pack his bags, Dillian Whyte is coming off the most convincing defeat of his career and tragedy in his personal life. 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. In May 2011 Matt Christie stumbled across Johnny Tapia in Las Vegas and discovered a twisted and tragic love story that was destined for trouble from the start, Chris Eubank Jnr vs. Conor Benn is officially OFF, Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn: The story of a grim day for British boxing, Chris Eubank Jnr says there was no phone call with Conor Benn, but does expect their fight to still go ahead. He was 45. I mean, Ill take him until 80 or 90 years old.. When he was eight years old, his mother, Virginia, was kidnapped, raped, repeatedly stabbed, and left for dead by her assailant. If he lost, they beat him, he said. He may or may not have considered this a good thing, his wife told Playboy. Miguel, an amateur boxing champion, taught him pugilistic skills. Tapia, who was 5 feet 6 inches, said the raw fury he displayed in winning his world titles came from the horrific memory of seeing his mother being kidnapped and murdered when he was 8. Scores: 98-92, 96-94, 99-93. 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