Or stabbing anybody, or fighting anybody, or killing anybody? Scores: 98-92, 96-94, 99-93. A police officer told him that his mothers killing had been solved. Its like a safety net he has for himself; he wants everybody around whos positive and who wont do anything wrong. Five days later the Albuquerque Police claimed they found cocaine after the fight in a bag carried by Tapia. Five times I was a world champion. 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. [17] Tapia died of heart failure. A metropolis where hundreds of young warriors train and battle each day in its many gyms, it is where Archie Moore, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Bernard Hopkins all found greatness. HOW LONG HAS TAPIA BEEN FIGHTING? He had made that his motto after he thought he had outgrown his first, baby-faced assassin.. [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. Privacy. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Search instead in Creative? My wife could have killed me, she could have turned off the machine, Johnny says, his voice quivering under the weight of shame. All fights list 2023, champion titles, age, height, reach and weight, KO ratio of the boxer Johnny Mi Vida Loca Tapia. Anchored in the chaos is a slight man, clear-eyed and full of life, gleefully posing for photographs. Teresa loves it when her husband chuckles like that; it means he is in a good place. Wladimir Klitschko (en ukrainien : ; transcription franaise : Volodymyr Volodymyrovytch Klytchko) est un boxeur ukrainien, n le 25 mars 1976 Semipalatinsk (actuel Seme) en RSS kazakhe.. 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. Home The investigation had been reopened at the behest of Tapias wife. Id love to think that in 30 years, well be old together and surrounded by family. If he lost, they beat him, he said. Tapia was deducted 1 point in round 2 for a deliberate head butt. The Johnny Tapia is currently 45 years old. Tapia learned through DNA testing the true identity of his father, a man still living and whom Johnny had long known. Four times I was declared dead. He moved up in weight to win the 147-pound WBC welterweight title from Carlos Palomino on January 14, 1979, and finally won a third title when he added the 154-pound WBC light-middleweight title from Maurice Hope on May 23, 1981. Tapia started boxing at age 9 and had his first amateur fight at 11. HOW TALL IS JOHNNY TAPIA? She was 32 years old, and from that unthinkable day, Johnny pledged that he would not live beyond that age. Our attempts to imagine his emotional and psychological pain still leave us on the distant edge of Johnny Tapias reality. The indelible writing has always been on the wall for this twisted love story. Ive got a good wife. When he was eight years old, his mother, Virginia, was kidnapped, raped, repeatedly stabbed, and left for dead by her assailant. Its a constant fear, she admits about Tapias eternally perilous position on the wagon. Its always fear, always, definitely, and he sees it too, hell see the look on my face.. There is a real openness that invites you to step inside his world and be his friend. Teresa suddenly felt fierce hatred towards husband but, even as his constant drug possession resulted in him being sent to prison, she couldnt bring herself to untie the knot. By continuing to browse, cookies will be set on your device. Press conferences about the Super Six have just taken place and Tapias eyes twitch as Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch amble past. 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. 1967213 () . Tapia never ran from his own darkness so much as he perpetually hovered over it. 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. She wrestles with her unconditional adoration for Johnny every single day. I was so angry I thought I was going to stay in prison for life, but I ended up doing 23-hour lockdown [every day] for a whole year so I could get out.. In 1992, he met Teresa Chavez at a party and was determined to marry her. I dont miss her, Tapia claims. 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 says in the film: I would have stabbed the shit out of him like nobodys business. Larry Merchant, the boxing analyst, told Playboy in 2004 that Tapia was a five-to-one underdog to survive his own childhood.. They were united by grief, welded with misery. He experienced frequent relapses over the next few years and several overdoses. 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. He worked as producer of KOTV from 2006 until he joined Boxing News in 2010. Tapia was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 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. V roce 1995 se stal dritelem titulu super flyweight WBO Johnny Tapia, ale ztratil vtinov rozhodnut. Raised to fight to the death.. That was his life.. Johnny Tapia was born on the 13th of February, 1967. John Lee Anthony Tapia[2] (February 13, 1967 May 27, 2012) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2011. Tapia continued to fight, even after he was diagnosed as suffering from both manic-depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, but boxing hadceased to be a reliable refuge. One in particularwas his 1997 bout with fellow Albuquerquian Danny Romero. Johnny Tapia looks to get back into title contention following yet another disputed loss to Paulie Ayala, taking on Famosito Gomez in the main event of Showt. He was knocked out only once. Ayala won by unanimous decision in a fight that ring observers largely felt Tapia won; following the fight, Showtime commentators said that Tapia "put on a clinic" and "something's not right," nearly labeling the decision as rigged. Theres times when I look at him and I think to myself, I believe were going to grow old together, I believe were going to see our kids and our grandkids and were going to beat the odds. Johnnys bout ended in a draw by majority decision (MD). He retained the title with a nine-round technical draw with Ricardo Vargas and a decision in twelve against his onetime nemesis in the amateur ranks, Arthur Johnson. He reached 45 before his. Foul play is not suspected; an autopsy and toxicology tests will be carried out, Gibbs said. In his first title defense, Tapia defeated Jose Rafael Sosa by decision. The day after he was admitted, his brother-in-law and nephew were killed in a car accident on their way to visit him. I tried to find him, right before the Paulie Ayala fight. That win came by ten round split decision 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. After the Barrera fight, Tapias problems with drug abuse became more acute. He was born on Feb. 13, 1967, so he will turn 46 in -10 month and -11 day. Two controversial defeats to Paulie Ayala introduced a new dimension to his experience as a professional, that of losing, and it didnt sit well with Tapia, who felt he was robbed in both fights. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Police have made an arrest in the shooting of Johnny Tapia, the son of the boxing legend of the same name. CNN . That same day, Tapia was upgraded from critical to serious condition. He was famous for being a Boxer. Not from a drug overdose, but from heart failure. Then I outlived her after I said I wouldnt. Tapia had recently wed Teresa Chavez, who would exercise a calming and supportive influence in his life, and wins came quickly for the newly married man. The family lived in Albuquerque, NM.[13]. For more information, see our Cookie Policy. According to his wife, no drugs were found in his system. In 1999, Tapia suffered his first loss in his 48-bout career, losing a decision and the WBA title to Paulie Ayala in what The Ring Magazine called its "Fight of the Year." 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. 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. Thats the love of my life. There would be no retributive justice though, as the killer had been run over by a car eight years earlier. He quit the ring several times, but could not seem to give it up. 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.. On February 11, 2009, Tapia was taken into custody in Albuquerque for a violation of parole related to cocaine use. I have been wealthy and lost it all. His life, which ended at just 45, was spent trying not to fall into the abyss. He was 45 years old. 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. 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) V roce 1998 bojoval s Markem Johnsonem o titul IBF mu vhy, . At 38, Tapia faced little-known Sandro Marcos in Chicago. His selfish appetite for destruction fuelled another crime-riddled drug binge, and led to another coma. In 2017 he won the Sam Kellerman Media Award in New York and The Reg Gutteridge Annual Award in London two years later. I couldnt get to the guy to kill him, Johnny offers as the main reason for his perennial agony. A wedding photo showed Teresa Tapia and Jeffrey Padilla joined by Johnny's sons, Johnny Tapia Jr. and Lorenzo Tapia. But lacing the incessant promises not to rekindle his affair with his mistress is uncertainty and fear that hell stray again. I wanted to get him and stab him the same way he did my mom. Mi vida loca, or my crazy life, were the words tattooed on his belly. 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. Tapia spent much of his adult life yearning to meet the man who destroyed her. The fight took place on July 18. He is easily distracted as we all sit together deep inside the mysterious green labyrinth that is the MGM Grand. 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. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. Tapia himself never thought he would live past the age of 40. Tapia went to jail, struggled with depression, and attempted suicide. His emotional transparency popularized him but he was doomed by his lack of control. But he insists the best of him is still to come, writes Declan Taylor. Everybody has their faults, I have them, and I could move on and find somebody else, and you know, they might not have an addiction but how do I know they wont be a womaniser, they wont be an abuser? His smile guarantees reciprocation, his handshake is to a hug what a caterpillar is to a butterfly. Its my fault, Tapia said. Tapia was hospitalized in critical condition from an apparent cocaine overdose at Albuquerque Presbyterian Hospital. 2012527 () . She got me where she wanted me and she gave me everything. She survives him, along with their three children. I have a reputation, I can just make a phone call. Teresa nearly walked away from her man in 2007. Tapia was the 1983 National Golden Gloves light flyweight champion, and the 1985 Golden Gloves flyweight champion. He held the WBO Super Flyweight Championship from October 12, 1994 to December 5, 1998. His father had reportedly been murdered while his mother was pregnant with him. The striking advertisement for sobriety in this land of the wasted is Johnny Tapia, perhaps the most infamous substance-abusing boxer of all time. But I found out hed been killed, hed been run over twice. But despite his early success, his life was anything but ordered, as he escaped the streets only when physically in the ring. Tapia's split with the Romero family had not been on good terms. Data may be incomplete and inaccurate. Tapia spokesman Julian Jiron says the marriage came "out of love, respect, and the preservation of the family and Johnny's legacy." The intoxicant was perhaps the only thing capable of ordering his thoughts. Tapia won by unanimous decision (UD). NOTE: Johnny Tapia died one year later, in May 2012, from heart failure. With no father to watch over him, Tapia lived with his grandparents. That is to say, he possessed the rare medley of talent, charisma, and recklessness that leaped through the screen to seize the viewer's heart. 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. Tapia claimed two Golden Gloves awards in addition to professional titles in several weight classes. [16] However, she felt it wrong that the senior Padilla had jokingly mingled his DNA swabs with Tapia in 2010, getting a court order to compare a new and controlled swab with some of Tapia's tissue, proving in 2017 that they were not father and son.[15]. Tapia was inducted during 2017, posthumously, to the Internation It was a cruel blow for wife Terese to take. . Champinon.info 2018-2023. Jesse Pearson editor et scriptor Americanus est. Johnny Tapia, left, in 2007 during one of his comebacks. He may or may not have considered this a good thing, his wife told Playboy. Las Vegas is a City of Sin, the best and worst of humankind, mixed together to form a sickly but irresistible trail of destruction. It is a city of fights and fighters, of hockey and heroes, of broken dreams and immortal glory, a city unlike any other. Tapia was admitted to the hospital in 2007 in critical condition from a cocaine OD. Johnny Tapia fights Manuel Medina in a 2002 IBF featherweight championship bout at Madison Square Garden in New York. 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. I hurt, Im old, Im done, he says, almost poetically. Tapia down in round 6, Pastrana down in round 8. Tapia was married to Teresa Tapia in 1994 and had three boys. 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.. Tapia won by a unanimous twelve-round decision, adding the IBF title to his WBO belt. The bout was being promoted as The Final Fury and Tapia promised he would win. His father was murdered before he was born. In 1988, he began is professional career, which was interrupted by bouts outside the ring with substance abuse followed by treatment in rehab centers. 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. Tapia's heart simply stopped beating and, unlike his previous brushes with death, this one was for real. He was still getting high and was now training under Freddie Roach (whose speech is demonstrably clearer in documentary footage than it is today). If I didnt have her Id be dead in a heartbeat.. Johnny Tapia lands a punch against Antonio Ruiz during the fight at the Olympic Auditorium, in May 5,1994 in Los Angeles, California. Teresa Tapia looks at Johnny, her husband of 18 years and the father of her three children, and smiles gently. He won eight fights that year, five by knockout, of which four were in the first round. Get TMZ breaking news sent right to your browser. The camera pans across the yellow landscape and settles on a solitary man, walking with his head down as though ruminating on a dark memory. Or killing anybody his adult life yearning to meet the man who destroyed her love to think that in years..., clear-eyed and full of life, were the words tattooed on his.... 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