On This Day In Boxing History!

1967: Johnny "Mi Vida Loca" Tapia Was Born!

John Lee Anthony Tapia (February 13, 1967 – May 27, 2012) was an Albuquerque-born Mexican-American boxer renowned as a five-time world champion across three divisions: unified WBO/IBF super flyweight (1994–98), WBA/WBO bantamweight (1998–2000), and IBF featherweight (2002).

Amateur and Early Pro Rise

An elite amateur (reported 101–21 or 150–12, 65 KOs), Tapia won 1983 National Golden Gloves light flyweight and 1985 flyweight titles.

Professional debut: March 25, 1988 (4-round draw vs. Efren Chavez); raced to 21–0–1, claiming USBA super flyweight title via 11th-round TKO over Roland Gomez (1990).

Title Reigns and Key Fights

After a 3½-year cocaine suspension, Tapia returned in 1994, won NABF super flyweight strap, and claimed vacant WBO super flyweight title (11th-round stoppage of Henry Martinez, Oct. 12).

Defended WBO 12–13 times, unifying with IBF via unanimous decision over local rival Danny Romero ("Battle for Albuquerque," July 18, 1997).

Moved up for WBA bantamweight win over Nana Konadu (Dec. 5, 1998, majority decision); lost it to Paulie Ayala (1999 Fight of the Year), recaptured WBO vs. Jorge Eliecer Julio (2000); Ayala won rematch.

At featherweight, majority decision over Manuel Medina (2002) preceded lopsided loss to Marco Antonio Barrera.

Career Stats

Final record: 59–5–2 (30 KOs) over 1988–2011, with sporadic late wins (e.g., Ilido Julio 2007 "Final Fury," Jorge Reyes 2010).

Life Outside the Ring

Witnessed mother's kidnapping, rape, stabbing (26 times), and murder at age 8; raised in ghetto with heroin-using relatives.

Chronic cocaine/heroin addict (clinically died 4x, 1999 suicide attempt, prison, 2007 overdose coma); manic depression/PTSD diagnoses; wife Teresa (m. 1994) managed him, enforced rehab.

Tattooed "Mi Vida Loca"; born-again Christian; authored 2007 autobiography; ran gym; son Johnny Jr. boxed.

Death and Legacy

Found unresponsive at home May 27, 2012 (age 45); autopsy ruled heart failure (no drugs), from lifelong tolls.

Posthumous International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee (2017).

​

Johnny Tapia

Born: February 13th, 1967

Birth Place: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Residence: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Pro-Debut: March 28th, 1988

Alias: Mi Vida Loca

Division: Super Flyweight

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 5′ 6″  

Reach: 65″  

Bouts: 66

Rounds: 473

Kos: 45%

Record: 59-5-2, 30Ko’s

Died: Age 45, May 27th, 2012

International Boxing Hall of Fame - Class of 2017

WBO Super Flyweight Champion: 1994 Oct 12 – 1998 Dec 5

IBF Super Flyweight Champion: 1997 Jul 8 – 1998 Dec 5

WBA Bantamweight Champion: 1998 Dec 5 – 1999 Jun 26   

WBO Bantamweight Champion: 2000 Jan 8 – 2000 Sep

IBF Featherweight Champion: 2002 Apr 27 – 2002 Sep 30

February 13th

1917: Jim Flynn KO1 Jack Dempsey

1942: Billy Conn W12 Tony Zale

Charley Burley RTD6 Shorty Hogue

1950: Sugar Ray Robinson TKO6 Al Mobley 

1952: Rocky Marciano KO6 Lee Savold

1956: Matt Jackson TKO4 Tommy Harrison

Sandy Saddler TKO3 George

1957: Joe Brown KO11 Wallace Smith

1967: Johnny Tapia was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico

1977: Dong Kyun Yum W15 Jose Cervantes

1982: Osvaldo Ocasio W15 Robbie Williams

Michael Spinks KO6 Mustapha Wassaja

Alexis Arguello KO6 Bubba Busceme

1983: World Boxing Council becomes 1st to cut boxing from 15 to 12 rounds - Exactly three months after a WBA Lightweight title bout ended with the death of boxer Duk Koo Kim in a fight against Ray Mancini, the World Boxing Council reduced the number of their championship fights to 12 rounds. The World Boxing Association even stripped a fighter of his championship in 1983 because the fight had been a 15-round bout, shortly after the rule was changed to 12 rounds. By 1988, to the displeasure of many boxing purists, all fights had been reduced to a maximum of 12 rounds only, partially for safety, and partially for television, as a 12-round bout could take one hour to broadcast, while a 15-round bout could require 90 minutes to broadcast.

Donald Curry W15 Jun Sok Hwang

Leroy Haley W12 Saoul Mamby

Wilford Scypion W12 Frank Fletcher

1987: Fidel Bassa W15 Hilario Zapata

1989: John Riel Casimero is born in Merida, Leyte, Philippines

1993: James Toney KO9 Iran Barkley

Roy Jones Jr. KO1 Glenn Wolfe

John-John Molina KO8 Francisco Segura

1994: Jake Rodriguez W12 Charles Murray

Saensor Ploenchit W12 David Griman

1997: Former World Welterweight champion Don Jordan, 62, dies in a San Pedro, California, nursing home. He’d been in a coma since September 1996 when he was brutally beaten and robbed in a Los Angeles parking lot.

1998: Laurent Boudouani D12 Guillermo Jones

Johnny Tapia W12 Rodolfo Blanco

Will Grigsby W12 Javier Cintron

1999: Richie Woodhall KO6 Vincenzo Nardiello

Oscar De La Hoya W12 Ike Quartey

Takanori Hatakeyama D12 Saul Duran

Erik Morales KO2 Angel Chacon

Joe Calzaghe W12 Robin Reid

2001: Daisuke Naito KO5 Jun Carola

2002: Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym KO4 Pederito Laurente

Chana Porpaoin KO6 Jack Comen

2003: Kid Gavilán passes at the age of 77

2004: Mzonke Fana KO6 Cristian Sebastian Paz

Brian Viloria W12 Juan Alfonso Keb Baas

Jose Luis Castillo KO2 Derrick Parks

Steve Luevano W8 Armando Cordoba

2005: Colin Lynes W12 Juaquin Gallardo

Robin Reid W6 Ramdane Serdjane

2006: Daisuke Naito W10 Daigo Nakahiro

2008: Jun Talape W 12 Roel Laguna

Eric Barcelona W10 Danila Pena

2009: Jezreel Corrales pro-debut age 18 W4 Johnatan Calderon

Jun Talape W12 Roel Laguna

Carlos Molina W10 Alexis Camacho

Nathan Cleverly KO1 Samson Onyango

Petch Sor Jongchareon (AKA Petch Kokietgym) W10 Jason Butar Butar

Ratanachai Sor Vorapin (AKA Ratanachai Singwancha) W6 Falazona Fidal

2010: Eric Morel WSD12 Gerry Penalosa          

Fernando Montiel TKO1 Ciso Morales   

Nonito Donaire KO3 Manuel Vargas

Nathan Cleverly KO5 Antonio Brancalion

Kevin Mitchell KO2 Ignacio Mendoza

Ramon Garcia (Ramon Garcia Hirales) KO2 Michael Arango

Juan Carlos Reveco KO5 Emerson Santos Carvalho.

Jonathan Victor Barros W6 Lazaro Santos de Jesus

2011: Tepparith Singwancha (AKA Tepparith Kokietgym) W12 Michael Rodriguez

2013: Oleydong Sithsamerchai W6 Falazona Fidal

2021: Mauricio Lara KO9 Josh Warrington

Leigh Wood TKO9 Reece Mould

Joseph "JoJo" Diaz MD12 Shavkat Rakhimov

2024: Reymart Gaballo TKO1 Phai Pharob