. Tapia was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Johnny Tapia made his professional debut in March 1988, so he has been a pro for 34 years. He reached 45 before his. None of it occurred on Teresas watch. 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. Tapia was deducted 1 point in round 2 for a deliberate head butt. From the age of eight, he has wanted to die. On February 11, 2009, Tapia was taken into custody in Albuquerque for a violation of parole related to cocaine use. The Johnny Tapia is currently 45 years old. And many more times I came close to dying. 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. 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. But despite his early success, his life was anything but ordered, as he escaped the streets only when physically in the ring. 2023 Cable News Network. All of Tapias pain and psychological torment is traced to its source in this one admission. Not from a drug overdose, but from heart failure. In 2002, Tapia traveled to London, where he knocked out Eduardo Enrique Alvarez in the first round; after the bout, he was interviewed by former rival Romero. Tapia spokesman Julian Jiron says the marriage came "out of love, respect, and the preservation of the family and Johnny's legacy." He started boxing at age 9 to escape a troubled childhood. 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. Foul play is not suspected. I hurt, Im old, Im done, he says, almost poetically. He has been honoured by the Sports Journalists Association and the Boxing Writers Association of America. The next day, he was in a hospital with an overdose. He is easily distracted as we all sit together deep inside the mysterious green labyrinth that is the MGM Grand. On May 27 of 2012, Johnny Tapia was found dead. The investigation had been reopened at the behest of Tapias wife. 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. Ive got a good wife. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. Isleta Resort & Casino, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Convention Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. He sniffs twice and swallows the build up of tears that bubble beneath the surface. You tell me. When Johnny was only eight-years-old, his mother and only parent was raped and murdered at the age of 33, stabbed 22 times with an ice pick and left to die on the side of the road. After the Barrera fight, Tapias problems with drug abuse became more acute. Anyone can read what you share. vacant International Boxing Council Americas Lightweight Title, New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, International Boxing Federation World Featherweight Title, World Boxing Organisation World Bantamweight Title, World Boxing Association World Bantamweight Title, International Boxing Federation World Super Flyweight Title His life, which ended at just 45, was spent trying not to fall into the abyss. Today, as the giddy Vegas gamblers follow the hypnotic neon lights in search of making their fortune, Teresa is still hoping her marriage will hit the jackpot. He was 45 years old. For more information, see our Cookie Policy. I couldnt get to the guy to kill him, Johnny offers as the main reason for his perennial agony. 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. When he finally returned to the ring on March 27, 1994, he beat Jaime Olvera by a knockout in four rounds in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He may or may not have considered this a good thing, his wife told Playboy. It is a city of fights and fighters, of hockey and heroes, of broken dreams and immortal glory, a city unlike any other. Tapia down in round 6, Pastrana down in round 8. Scores: 98-92, 96-94, 99-93. 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. But he went on with his careerand was paid two million dollars to face legendary champion Marco Antonio Barrera in 2002. Though boxing would provide no more thrills, there was a surprising development in his life. Johnny Tapia was born on the 13th of February, 1967. Anchored in the chaos is a slight man, clear-eyed and full of life, gleefully posing for photographs. Tapia was inducted during 2017, posthumously, to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. I have been famous and infamous. On May 27, 2012, Tapia was found dead in his Albuquerque home. His life was marked by tragedy. Talking to Tapia, the little boy lost who craves his dear mother, its impossible not to root for him. If he lost, they beat him, he said. Albuquerque, he says, Im still your champion.. Search instead in Creative? Webpage Screenshot: share download .zip report bug or abuse donate . An insightful and revealing documentary, Tapia shows both his darkness and his better nature as it presents a life thats too complex to judge. Raised to fight to the death.. Family members say Albuquerque police were summoned to Tapia's house at 7:45 PM Sunday by a family member who discovered the body. At the age of eight, he looked out of his bedroom window and saw his mother chained up in the back of a pick up truck, being driven away by her lover. There is a real openness that invites you to step inside his world and be his friend. [7], On January 17, 2007, Tapia held a press conference stating that he would face Ilido Julio on February 23 in his home town of Albuquerque, New Mexico, then retire. He has so much knowledge and hes training fighters and hes doing some really awesome work with them. [15] After Tapia died in 2012, his widow briefly married his alleged half-brother, Jeffrey Padilla, in 2014. His last fight was in June 2011. Thats the love of my life. Your email address will not be published. I dont miss her, Tapia claims. Never again did he fight for a world title. Thus, death reclaimed its place of prominence for Tapia, who deemed himself responsible for what happened. As a wife, as a woman, Ive learnt theres good and bad in everyone and you have to accept them. When he was eight years old, his mother, Virginia, was kidnapped, raped, repeatedly stabbed, and left for dead by her assailant. NOTE: Johnny Tapia died one year later, in May 2012, from heart failure. His disproportionately large knuckles bulge through the skin as he twists his palm skywards. The widow of former world championJohnny Tapia has remarried. Tapia was deducted 1 point in round 2 for a deliberate head butt. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Blanco lost one point in round nine for low blows. 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. But without prizefighting, life for an impulsive, troubled, and angry young man on the New Mexican streets might have ended much sooner. After two more wins, he gave Willy Salazar a title shot, knocking him out in nine rounds. V roce 1995 se stal dritelem titulu super flyweight WBO Johnny Tapia, ale ztratil vtinov rozhodnut. Tapia was admitted to the hospital in 2007 in critical condition from a cocaine OD. Johnny Tapia. If you change your mind, go to Notifications in the menu to enable browser notifications. It was my mistress and it would take me away nicely.. Or stabbing anybody, or fighting anybody, or killing anybody? His father had reportedly been murdered while his mother was pregnant with him. He also remembers the misery that attacked the highs and hauled everything down. In 1990, he won seven bouts, including an eight-round decision over Jesus Chong, an eleventh-round technical knockout of Roland Gomez in Reno that gave him the USBA super flyweight title, and a twelve-round decision over Luigi Camputaro, to retain that title. Five days later the Albuquerque Police claimed they found cocaine after the fight in a bag carried by Tapia. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much His left jab was punishing, and he claimed not to mind being hit. HOW TALL IS JOHNNY TAPIA? Teresa Tapia looks at Johnny, her husband of 18 years and the father of her three children, and smiles gently. At 38, Tapia faced little-known Sandro Marcos in Chicago. Seven years later Johnny was on a bus that crashed, killing the pregnant woman who sat alongside him. 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. 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. He fought seven times in 1994 and in October he took the WBO super flyweight title from Henry Martinez in his hometown of Albuquerque. Tapia returned home to prepare for bouts in 2001, when he went up in weight and beat Famosito Gomez by a knockout in six, and former WBC featherweight champion Cesar Soto by knockout in three. Tapia was banned from boxing for three years and he describes his suspension as one of the lowest times in his life. A Warner Bros. Its my fault, Tapia said. Johnny Tapia lands a punch against Antonio Ruiz during the fight at the Olympic Auditorium, in May 5,1994 in Los Angeles, California. Though successful between the ropes, Tapia hadnt divested himself of his drug habit. 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. Fed up, she said, she locked him in her apartment, whose windows were covered with bars, and refused to let him out for six weeks while he broke free of the drugs grip. [9], Tapia was found unconscious and not breathing in a hotel room early on the morning of March 12, 2007. [8] Tapia won the fight by majority decision, 9892, 9694, 9595. Tapia was deducted 1 point in round 2 for a deliberate head butt. Johnny chuckles excitedly and hangs off their shoulders as someone takes a photograph of the three of them together. However, his career came to a halt for the next three and a half years after being suspended from boxing for testing positive for cocaine.[6]. Boxing But I found out hed been killed, hed been run over twice. 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. 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. She is happy to be his side, observing and listening. Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Bally's Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. La Mancha Athletic Club, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. Centre Plaza Holiday Inn, Fresno, California, U.S. world championships in three weight classes, Albuquerque Hosts National Golden Gloves Tournament, "Johnny Tapia Fails Drug Test in Rehab - Boxing News", "Tapia to fight Julio in New Mexico, then retire - boxing - ESPN", "Five-time world champion in serious condition - boxing - ESPN", "Boxer Johnny Tapia's brother-in-law dies in wreck: Local: Albuquerque Tribune", "Fightnews New Mexico Boxing.com - Fight Results", "Five-time champ Tapia to remain in rehab after testing positive for drugs", "Man who claimed to be Johnny Tapia's father will pay thousands for fraud", "DNA test results rule out Padilla as father of late boxer Tapia", "Johnny Tapia, Champion Boxer Amid Chaos, Dies at 45", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johnny_Tapia&oldid=1117030003, International Boxing Federation champions, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 October 2022, at 15:29. Scores: 98-92, 96-94, 99-93. He passed away on May 27, 2012 at the age of 45. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. By continuing to browse, cookies will be set on your device. Thats when I met him, she said. She has mixed emotions about him quitting the sport; it has been a rare constant in their perilous journey together. Las Vegas is a City of Sin, the best and worst of humankind, mixed together to form a sickly but irresistible trail of destruction. 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. She couldnt leave him. Johnny always makes sure were with him when he goes anywhere. *Links to streaming, pay-per-view or ticketing platforms provided on this page, if any, are affiliate links. Tapia won his first 22 professional fights, then was suspended from boxing after failing three drug tests. KOB-TV reports representatives for Teresa Tapia confirmed Sunday that she married Johnny Tapia's half-brother, Jeffrey Padilla. Fortunately, he was allowed to resume his career in 1994. A wedding photo showed Teresa Tapia and Jeffrey Padilla joined by Johnny's sons, Johnny Tapia Jr. and Lorenzo Tapia. The radio station segues to a commercial with Snoop and Wiz Khalifas Young Wild and Free and listening to the music, the ex-champion sways joyfully from side to side. . Boxersk rekord pro Arthura Johnsona z BoxRec; Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; . At the end of the film he is at a local radio station, accompanying one of his young fighters to promote an upcoming card. 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.. Scores: 98-92, 96-94, 99-93. He was brought up by his grandfather Miguel with eight other family members in a three-bedroom house in Albuquerque. 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