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FORMER BOXING CHAMPION JOHNNY TAPIA FOUND DEAD IN HIS HOME By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Mon, 28 May 2012  Johnny Tapia. Former boxing champion Johnny Tapia has been found dead in his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was 45 years old. Tracy Dingmann of KOB.com reported that Channel 4 Eyewitness News was told by police that a family member came home Sunday and found Tapia dead inside the house on the city's northwest side. Police said they didn't know how Tapia died, but indicated they don't suspect foul play. Dingmann said former sportswriter and longtime Tapia friend Dennis Latta told KOB on Sunday that the Tapia's family is "just distraught. He's come so close so often to death, so it's hard to believe that it's finally happened." Latta recalled that there was one time in Las Vegas when Tapia ?was in a coma for days and they didn't think he was going to make it, he was in critical condition. To realize that now he's gone, it's really a surprise, I thought he was just invulnerable, it was water off a duck's back every time he came close to death." The report said that for most of his life, the five-time boxing champ kept Albuquerque spellbound with his spirited and gutsy performances in the ring. But Tapia's story couldn't be told without mentioning his hard-luck upbringing in Albuquerque's Wells Park neighborhood and his struggles with drugs, his suicide attempts and his frequent arrests. Tapia was the National Golden Gloves light flyweight champion in 1983 and the National Golden Gloves flyweight champion in 1985. He turned pro in March, 1988 winning eight fights that year, five by knockout with four ending in the first round. The following year Tapia won seven more fights. In 1990, Tapia won seven bouts and captured the United States Junior Bantamweight title. However, later that year he was suspended from boxing after testing positive for cocaine. He returned to boxing in 1994 and gained a string of victories. However, later that year he faced an embarrassing arrest when Albuquerque Police claimed they found cocaine in a bag was carrying. Tapia claimed what the police found was only a soap bar, and the charges were eventually dropped. Tapia was also known for his bitter rivalry with fellow Albuquerque-bred boxer Danny Romero. The two faced off in a highly-publicized bout in 1997, when Tapia who was who was WBO upper flyweight champion having won the title with an 11th round TKO of Henry Martinez on October 12, 1994 added the IBF title with a unanimous twelve round decision over Romero. On December 8, 1994 Tapia knocked out former Filipino world champion Rolando Bohol in the 2nd round. Tapia won the WBO bantamweight title with a twelve round majority decision over Ghana?s Nana Yaw Konadu on December 5, 1998 but lost the title in his first defense to Paulie Ayala on June 26, 1999. He regained the title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Jorge Eliecer Julio on January 8, 2000 but again lost the crown to Ayala on October 7, 2000. Julio is the same fighter who suffered a 2nd round TKO at the hands of Manny Pacquiao in an IBF super bantamweight title fight on June 8, 2002. In his last fight Tapia won an eight round decision over former world champion Mauricio Pastrana on June 4, 2011 at the Hard Rock Casino near Albuquerque. Dingmann reported that away from the ring, Tapia's personal life was dramatic and often sad. His father was reportedly murdered before he was born, and his mother was murdered when he was a small child. He was raised by his grandparents and struggled with addiction and depression throughout his life. His first known suicide attempt came in 1999, when he attempted to overdose on drugs after a loss in the ring. Tapia also overdosed on drugs in 2007 and came very close to death. He was arrested many times for drug possession, with the last one coming in 2009, when he was taken into custody in Albuquerque for a violation of parole related to cocaine use. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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