In his next fight, he defeated Puerto Rico's Andy Agosto via decision. Wladimir Klitschko (en ukrainien : ; transcription franaise : Volodymyr Volodymyrovytch Klytchko) est un boxeur ukrainien, n le 25 mars 1976 Semipalatinsk (actuel Seme) en RSS kazakhe.. 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. Tapia eventually took these skills to the ring, where he showed himself equally proficient at regulated combat. It is a city of fights and fighters, of hockey and heroes, of broken dreams and immortal glory, a city unlike any other. He was still getting high and was now training under Freddie Roach (whose speech is demonstrably clearer in documentary footage than it is today). Not from a drug overdose, but from heart failure. Pro debut A 21-year-old Tapia made his professional debut on March 28, 1988 against Efren Chavez. This is the documentarys most triumphant moment, and it was probably the apex of Johnny Tapias career. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Teresa loves it when her husband chuckles like that; it means he is in a good place. 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 tragedy of life was venomously harassing the Tapias, and Johnny, more miserable than ever, edged his finger towards the self-destruct button. Tapia spokesman Julian Jiron says the marriage came "out of love, respect, and the preservation of the family and Johnny's legacy." Bohol down twice in Round 2. HOW TALL IS JOHNNY TAPIA? Boxing, he tells the camera, saved my life., Your email address will not be published. After he defended his belt with a decision over Javier Torres, a rematch with Ayala to unify the belt was set up. 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. Johnny Tapia was born in Albuquerque. He drew in his first bout but his career soon exploded, and Johnny wouldnt lose until his forty-ninth prizefight. Johnny Tapia. He had many tattoos, which were prominent when he was fighting. Mike Tyson called Tapia one of the greatest fighters ever. The widow of former world champion Johnny Tapia has remarried. I killed them both.. 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 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. Four times they wanted to pull life support. 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. . After four rounds of boxing the fight was called a draw. Teresa reaches over and squeezes the hands that won four world titles in three divisions super-flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Montreal is The Fight City. Miguel, an amateur boxing champion, taught him pugilistic skills. Tapias body was found Sunday night at his home in Albuquerque. Or stabbing anybody, or fighting anybody, or killing anybody? Thats my queen.. HOW LONG HAS TAPIA BEEN FIGHTING? Johnny Tapia. In boxing, Tapias aggression was rewarded; on the street it brought him to the edge of death. [14] He was a born-again Christian. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. He leaps up, like a puppy dog, and gallops towards the fighters. Cocaine became my mistress. His past regularly came back to haunt him. I felt like my brothers life had been sacrificed for him because, again, everyone was always around Johnny, always there for him and his addiction never ended. On February 11, 2009, Tapia was taken into custody in Albuquerque for a violation of parole related to cocaine use. All of Tapias pain and psychological torment is traced to its source in this one admission. With no father to watch over him, Tapia lived with his grandparents. When he trains she follows him, at his request, to the gym in Albuquerque. Privacy. I want to hug my mama.. He reached 45 before his. 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. Five days later the Albuquerque Police claimed they found cocaine after the fight in a bag carried by Tapia. He suffers from bipolar disorder and it makes it very difficult the highs are very high and the lows are very low. Johnny Tapia had an incredibly tragic early life, the details of which are difficult to transcribe, to say nothing of experiencing them firsthand. Tapia is 5' 6" (5 Foot and 6 inch) which is 168 cm (1 meter and 68 centimeters). John Lee Anthony Tapia[2] (February 13, 1967 May 27, 2012) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2011. In 2010, at age 43, Tapia learned that apparently, his father was alive. Johnnys cocaine habit has caused his heart to stop beating on five separate occasions, he has been in three comas, and he has been in and out of prison. He had to be revived after his heart stopped beating, the first of at least five times this happened. According to his wife, no drugs were found in his system. His laughter is curly and instantly infectious. He held the WBO Super Flyweight Championship from October 12, 1994 to December 5, 1998. She couldnt leave him. Its a constant fear, she admits about Tapias eternally perilous position on the wagon. V roce 1995 se stal dritelem titulu super flyweight WBO Johnny Tapia, ale ztratil vtinov rozhodnut. 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. But he went on with his careerand was paid two million dollars to face legendary champion Marco Antonio Barrera in 2002. 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). 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. 2023 Cable News Network. If there was any time I didnt want to be with him it was in that year, Teresa softly imparts. I dont know how this story is going to end, she said. Teresa Tapia looks at Johnny, her husband of 18 years and the father of her three children, and smiles gently. Tapia started boxing at age 9 and had his first amateur fight at 11. If you change your mind, go to Notifications in the menu to enable browser notifications. He was at his lowest, he was living on the streets. 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. "I was offered a fight against Johnny Tapia (which took place on June 26 of that year) and I was super-excited considering I was called over six months after the loss," Ayala told BoxingScene. Foul play is not suspected. Thats the love of my life. In 2017 he won the Sam Kellerman Media Award in New York and The Reg Gutteridge Annual Award in London two years later. 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. Cops say the death does not appear suspicious, but an official cause has not been determined. In his first title defense, Tapia defeated Jose Rafael Sosa by decision. appreciated. He was knocked out only once. His father had reportedly been murdered while his mother was pregnant with him. She was 32 years old, and from that unthinkable day, Johnny pledged that he would not live beyond that age. Tapia returned on the night of October 4, 2003, defeating Carlos Contreras by ten round unanimous decision at Albuquerque. The Albuquerque police said an autopsy would be done in the next few days. A 21-year-old Tapia made his professional debut on March 28, 1988 against Efren Chavez. Tapia claimed what the police found was only a soap bar, and the charges were eventually dropped. NOTE: Johnny Tapia died one year later, in May 2012, from heart failure. May he rest in peace. 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. Hes like a walking contradiction, Teresa tells me while Johnny is out of earshot. He passed away on May 27, 2012 at the age of 45. He experienced frequent relapses over the next few years and several overdoses. Tapia died at his Albuquerque home in 2012. World Boxing Organisation World Super Flyweight Title, World Boxing Organisation World Super Flyweight Title, vacant World Boxing Organisation World Super Flyweight Title, Caesars Palace, Sports Pavilion, Las Vegas. 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. For more information, see our Cookie Policy. KOB-TV reports representatives for Teresa Tapia confirmed Sunday that she married Johnny Tapia's half-brother, Jeffrey Padilla. 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. Las Vegas is a City of Sin, the best and worst of humankind, mixed together to form a sickly but irresistible trail of destruction. I have my beautiful wife with me, nothing will happen to me if shes here.. 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. Tapia's heart simply stopped beating and, unlike his previous brushes with death, this one was for real. 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. 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