?He was a very intelligent guy…Some people would say too smart for his own good. He had good intentions here. He was certainly one of the greatest ever to come out of this city. He had a lot to offer.? -Henry Rodriguez
The controversial Ayala, 52, was found dead today inside the Zarzamora Street Gym in San Antonio, Texas, where he was once trained by his father, Tony Ayala Sr., who passed away in April 2014. Reportedly, Ayala had been working with local children and hoping to reopen the gym. Police received a call around 7:48 a.m. for a man found dead at the family-owned gym Tuesday morning, a SAPD spokeswoman said.
Henry Rodriguez, a friend of Ayala’s, said “We were trying to get the gym going again. But now we don’t know what the future lies… His dad is gone. He’s gone. I don’t know, after this…He was really trying to do great things but unfortunately, this is it. His life is over.”
Ayala Jr. Nicknamed ?El Torito,? was once a fast rising star in the boxing world and became a top contender for a world title, but was arrested for rape in New Jersey in 1983. He was convicted of the crime and served 16 years in prison. In 2004, he was reincarcarcerated as a result of a parole violation and spent 10 more years in prison.
Ayala?s record was 21-0 (1980-1982) at the time of his first prison term and then, after mounting a comeback, he went 10-2 (1999-2003) for a final record of 31-2 with 27 KO wins.
