Johnny Tapia


John Lee Anthony Tapia was an American professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2011. 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. His 1999 loss by decision to Paulie Ayala was named the Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine.

Early life

Tapia was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Mexican American parents. His father had reportedly been murdered while his mother was pregnant with him. When he was eight years old, his mother, Virginia, was kidnapped, raped, repeatedly stabbed, and left for dead by her assailant. Raised thereafter by his grandmother, Tapia turned to boxing at the age of nine.

Amateur career

Tapia had an outstanding amateur career, winning the 1983 New Mexico State Golden Gloves, the 1983 and 1985 National Golden Gloves tournaments at light flyweight and flyweight, respectively.

Professional career

Super flyweight

Early years

Tapia's professional boxing career began on March 25, 1988, when he fought Effren Chavez in Irvine, California. After four rounds of boxing the fight was called a draw. 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.
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. Tapia was, by the end of the year, a known boxer, his name often appearing in magazine articles. 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.
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 won three more fights by knockout, and then he faced Oscar Aguilar on the Michael Carbajal-Josue Camacho undercard in Phoenix for the NABF super flyweight title, winning in three rounds. Five days later the Albuquerque Police claimed they found cocaine after the fight in a bag carried by Tapia. Tapia claimed what the police found was only a soap bar, and the charges were eventually dropped.

First world title

On October 12, 1994 at The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tapia defeated Henry Martínez in eleven rounds to win the vacant WBO super flyweight title. He then knocked out former champion Rolando Bohol in the second round. In his first title defense, Tapia defeated Jose Rafael Sosa by decision.
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. After two more wins, he gave Willy Salazar a title shot, knocking him out in nine rounds.
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. By then, a heated rivalry was cooking up between him and IBF champion Danny Romero. Their rivalry had begun many years earlier when Romero's father trained both boxers. Tapia's split with the Romero family had not been on good terms.

Tapia vs Romero unification

1997 saw Tapia fend off a challenge from Jorge Barrera in three rounds. After that, the fight with Romero was set for Las Vegas. The fight took place on July 18. Tapia won by a unanimous twelve-round decision, adding the IBF title to his WBO belt. In his next fight, he defeated Puerto Rico's Andy Agosto via decision. 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.

Bantamweight

On December 5, 1998, Tapia defeated WBA bantamweight champion Nana Konadu by decision to become a two-division world champion.

Tapia vs. Ayala

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." Later that year, Tapia tried to commit suicide with a drug overdose and required hospitalization. Back quickly after that, he was given a shot at the WBO title. He became a two time world bantamweight champion by beating Jorge Eliecer Julio by a decision at Albuquerque on January 8, 2000. After he defended his belt with a decision over Javier Torres, a rematch with Ayala to unify the belt was set up. 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.

Featherweight

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.
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's next bout, for the IBF featherweight title, was versus Manuel Medina. Tapia won a dubious decision, becoming a world title holder in three different divisions. He left the title vacant so he could face Lineal & The Ring champion Marco Antonio Barrera, who beat Tapia by unanimous decision.

Comeback

Tapia returned on the night of October 4, 2003, defeating Carlos Contreras by ten round unanimous decision at Albuquerque.
On April 15, 2005, he sustained an injury to his left eye but was able to continue and win a repeat match-up with Frankie Archuleta. That win came by ten round split decision in Albuquerque.
At 38, Tapia faced little-known Sandro Marcos in Chicago. In the second round, Marcos connected with a left hook to the body. Tapia fell to the canvas, clutching his ribcage, as referee Genaro Rodriguez reached the count of 10.

Later career and problems

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. The bout was being promoted as The Final Fury and Tapia promised he would win. Tapia won the fight by majority decision, 98-92, 96-94, 95-95.
Tapia was found unconscious and not breathing in a hotel room early on the morning of March 12, 2007. Tapia was hospitalized in critical condition from an apparent cocaine overdose at Albuquerque Presbyterian Hospital.
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. That same day, Tapia was upgraded from critical to serious condition.
Tapia was scheduled to make a comeback on May 2, 2008, in El Paso, Texas, but pulled out due to contractual disputes with promoter Ron Weathers.
On February 11, 2009, Tapia was taken into custody in Albuquerque for a violation of parole related to cocaine use.
Tapia beat Jorge Alberto Reyes by a knockout in the 4th round on March 6, 2010, at the Ohkay Casino, San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, United States, in front of a sold-out crowd.

Personal life

Tapia was married to Teresa Tapia in 1994 and had three boys. The family lived in Albuquerque, NM.
He had many tattoos, which were prominent when he was fighting. One of them said Mi Vida Loca, the nickname he adopted. He wrote an autobiography by that title. He was a born-again Christian.
In 2010, at age 43, Tapia learned that his father was alive. Jerry Padilla, who Tapia already knew, was intrigued by the similarities in their mannerisms, and the two decided to submit to a DNA test, which proved they were father and son. After Tapia died in 2012, his widow briefly married his half-brother, Jeffrey Padilla, in 2014. 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.

Death

On May 27, 2012, Tapia was found dead in his Albuquerque home. He was 45 years old. Tapia died of heart failure.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
66Win59–5–2Mauricio PastranaUD8Jun 4, 2011Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
65Win58–5–2Jose AlonsoTKO4, 1:43Sep 24, 2010Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.Won vacant IBC Americas lightweight title
64Win57–5–2Jorge Alberto ReyesTKO4, 1:09Mar 6, 2010Hotel Casino, Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico, U.S.
63Win56–5–2Evaristo PrimeroMD10Feb 23, 2007Isleta Resort & Casino, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
62Loss55–5–2Sandro MarcosKO2, 2:59Sep 16, 2005Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
61Win55–4–2Frankie ArchuletaUD10Apr 15, 2005Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
60Win54–4–2Nicky BentzSD10Jan 22, 2005Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, Texas, U.S.
59Loss53–4–2Frankie ArchuletaSD10Mar 5, 2004Highlands University, Las Vegas, New Mexico, U.S.
58Win53–3–2Carlos ContrerasUD10Sep 26, 2003Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
57Loss52–3–2Marco Antonio BarreraUD12Nov 2, 2002MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.For The Ring and lineal featherweight titles
56Win52–2–2Manuel MedinaMD12Apr 27, 2002Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Won IBF featherweight title
55Win51–2–2Eduardo Enrique AlvarezTKO1, 1:22Jan 19, 2002York Hall, London, England
54Win50–2–2César SotoKO3, 2:47Jun 30, 2001Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
53Win49–2–2Cuauhtemoc GomezRTD6, 3:00Mar 17, 2001Convention Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
52Loss48–2–2Paulie AyalaUD12Oct 7, 2000MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
51Win48–1–2Pedro Javier TorresUD12May 6, 2000Pan American Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S.Retained WBO bantamweight title
50Win47–1–2Jorge Eliécer JulioUD12Jan 8, 2000The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.Won WBO bantamweight title
49Loss46–1–2Paulie AyalaUD12Jun 26, 1999Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBA bantamweight title
48Win46–0–2Alberto MartinezKO1, 1:43Apr 24, 1999Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
47Win45–0–2Nana KonaduMD12Dec 5, 1998Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Won WBA bantamweight title
46Win44–0–2Carlos Francis HernandezUD10Aug 29, 1998Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
45Win43–0–2Rodolfo BlancoUD12Feb 13, 1998The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.Retained IBF and WBO super flyweight titles
44Win42–0–2Andy AgostoUD12Dec 13, 1997Amphitheater, Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S.Retained IBF and WBO super flyweight titles
43Win41–0–2Danny RomeroUD12Jul 18, 1997Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title;
Won IBF super flyweight title
42Win40–0–2Jorge BarreraTKO3, 1:58Mar 8, 1997Convention Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title
41Win39–0–2Adonis CruzUD12Nov 30, 1996Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title
40Win38–0–2Sammy StewartTKO7, 1:44Oct 11, 1996Texas Station, North Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title
39Win37–0–2Hugo Rafael SotoUD12Aug 17, 1996Sports Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title
38Win36–0–2Ivan AlvarezTKO8, 1:31Jun 7, 1996Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title
37Win35–0–2Ramon GonzalesTKO2, 0:45Apr 30, 1996San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
36Win34–0–2Giovanni AndradeTKO2, 2:26Feb 3, 1996Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title
35Win33–0–2Willy Salazar9, 3:00Dec 1, 1995Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title
34Win32–0–2Raul RiosUD10Oct 19, 1995Boulder Station Hotel Casino, Sunrise Manor, Nevada, U.S.
33Win31–0–2Jesse MirandaUD10Sep 9, 1995Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
32Win30–0–2Arthur Johnson12Jul 2, 1995Johnson Gymnasium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title
31Draw29–0–2Ricardo Vargas8 May 6, 1995Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title;
Majority TD after Vargas was cut from an accidental head clash
30Win29–0–1Jose Rafael SosaUD12Feb 10, 1995The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.Retained WBO super flyweight title
29Win28–0–1Rolando BoholKO2, 2:21Dec 8, 1994Convention Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
28Win27–0–1Henry MartínezTKO11, 1:23Oct 12, 1994The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.Won vacant WBO super flyweight title
27Win26–0–1Oscar AguilarTKO3 Jul 15, 1994America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.Won vacant NABF super flyweight title
26Win25–0–1Rafael GranilloTKO9, 2:15Jun 24, 1994Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
25Win24–0–1Antonio RuizUD10May 5, 1994Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
24Win23–0–1Arturo EstradaTKO2, 1:45Apr 15, 1994Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
23Win22–0–1Jaime OlveraKO4, 1:08Mar 27, 1994Expo Square Pavilion, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
22Win21–0–1Santiago Caballero7 Oct 26, 1990Bally's Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained USBA super flyweight title;
Unanimous TD after Tapia was accidentally thumbed in the eye
21Win20–0–1Luigi CamputaroUD12Sep 20, 1990Bally's Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained USBA super flyweight title
20Win19–0–1Jose MontielTKO9, 2:07Jul 27, 1990Bally's Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained USBA super flyweight title
19Win18–0–1Pablo ValenzuelaKO5, 2:36Jun 21, 1990La Mancha Athletic Club, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.Retained USBA super flyweight title
18Win17–0–1Roland GomezTKO11, 1:27May 10, 1990Harrah's Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.Won vacant USBA super flyweight title
17Win16–0–1Abraham GarciaTKO1 Mar 16, 1990Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
16Win15–0–1Jesus ChongUD8Feb 16, 1990Hacienda, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
15Win14–0–1Martin Perez RamirezUD8Dec 1, 1989Hacienda, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
14Win13–0–1Prudencio De JesusTKO1Nov 17, 1989Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
13Win12–0–1John Michael JohnsonUD8Oct 17, 1989State Fair, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
12Win11–0–1Hugo PartidaKO2 Aug 19, 1989State Fairgrounds, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
11Win10–0–1Josefino SuarezUD8Jun 17, 1989Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
10Win9–0–1Fred HernandezUD8Mar 23, 1989Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.
9Win8–0–1Abner BarajasTKO2 Feb 17, 1989State Fair Pavilion, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
8Win7–0–1Simon ContrerasUD8Dec 1, 1988Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.
7Win6–0–1Jorge SalinasTKO1, 2:35Oct 14, 1988Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
6Win5–0–1Manuel MartinezKO1 Sep 29, 1988Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.
5Win4–0–1Miguel MartinezKO1, 2:02Sep 16, 1988Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
4Win3–0–1Martin Perez Ramirez1, 1:51Jun 30, 1988Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.
3Win2–0–1Norberto Ayala4 May 16, 1988Centre Plaza Holiday Inn, Fresno, California, U.S.
2Win1–0–1James Dean6Apr 11, 1988Centre Plaza Holiday Inn, Fresno, California, U.S.
1Draw0–0–1Efren Chavez4Mar 28, 1988Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, U.S.