Honor for Tapia
Johnny Tapia has been named to the International Boxing Hall of Fame
Albuquerque native Johnny Tapia, in the opinion of many the finest super flyweight boxer of all time, will be inducted posthumously into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The announcement was made Tuesday. The induction ceremony is scheduled for June 11 at the IBHOF grounds in Canastota, N.Y.
There exists more than one boxing hall of fame, but the IBHOF is the most prestigious and the most widely recognized.
“If Johnny were here he would dedicate the honor to his fans,” Teresa Tapia, his wife of some two decades, said in a news release. “So, this award will be dedicated to all of Johnny’s friends and fans for their unwavering support.”
The colorful, charismatic but troubled Tapia, who died in May 2012 from heart disease at the age of 45, compiled a 59-5-2 professional record. He won five world titles in three weight classes. At the 115-pound super flyweight limit, he never lost a fight.
As an Albuquerque teenager, Tapia won two Golden Gloves amateur national titles.
Throughout his adult life, Tapia struggled with cocaine addiction. He spent time in prison, in rehab and was near
death as a result of overdoses on more than one occasion.
But, time after time, he overcame his demons to stage remarkable performances in the ring.
Tapia’s signature victory was his 12-round unanimous decision over fellow Albuquerquean Danny Romero in July 1997 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. He would go undefeated (48-0-2) as a professional until losing by unanimous (though disputed) decision to Paulie Ayala in June 1999.
The popularity of the man nicknamed “Mi Vida Loca” in his hometown was immense. After his death on May 27, 2012, some 6,800 people attended a memorial service at the Pit.
“When I received the call (regarding his selection), it was bittersweet and I cried,” Teresa Tapia said. “This is something Johnny worked for his whole career, but he won’t be here to accept this very prestigious honor.”
Tapia joins a fellow Albuquerquean, the late Bob Foster, as an International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee. Foster, the world light heavyweight champion from 1968-74, was inducted in 1990.
Top Rank, Inc. matchmaker Bruce Trampler, a 2010 IBHOF inductee, played a crucial role in Tapia’s career and eventually became a close friend. He spoke movingly about Tapia at the memorial service at the Pit.
“I’m thrilled for Johnny that he joins the pantheon of great fighters already inducted,” Trampler told the Journal on Tuesday via social media. “He’s finally where he belongs, among the best of the best.”
Joining Tapia in the 2017 induction class are former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Evander Holyfield and former super bantamweight, featherweight and junior lightweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera. All three were inducted in their first year of eligibility.
Elected for induction in the non-participant category were Australian trainer Johnny Lewis, judge Jerry Roth and the late ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr.
In the observer category, Showtime broadcasters Barry Tompkins and Steve Farhood were elected. The late middleweight boxer Eddie Booker, who campaigned 1930s and ‘40s, was elected in the old-timer category.
Tapia turned pro in 1988 and by 1990 had fought his way to contender status. But his cocaine habit kept him out of the ring for 3½ years.
Tapia returned to the ring in March 1994 and just seven months later won his first world title by defeating Henry Martinez via 11th-round TKO at the Pit.
He eventually would win titles awarded by two organizations, the WBO and the IBF, at 115, 118 and 126 pounds.
Tapia’s life and career would become the subject of “Tapia,” an award-winning documentary film by fellow New Mexican Eddie Alcazar. Later, rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and longtime boxing figure Lou DiBella acquired rights to the film and helped engineer the release of a shortened version on HBO.
“Johnny Tapia,” DiBella posted on Twitter, “is smiling down.”