Johnny Tapia RIP

[osugrad21]

I loved watching this guy fight...RIP

Link

Death finally catches up to the elusive former world champ Johnny Tapia

By Kevin Iole

Nobody who knew Johnny Tapia can be remotely surprised that he was found dead inside his Albuquerque, N.M., home on Sunday.
The only surprise, perhaps, is that he survived the first four times he was declared dead.

Johnny Tapia celebrates after defeating Eduardo Alvarez during an international featherweight contest. (AP)Tapia won major world championships in three weight classes and was one of the elite fighters of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Despite his brilliance in the ring, he was far better known for a life story that was far stranger than any fiction novel could ever be.
An 89-word passage from his 2010 autobiography, "Mi Vida Loca," probably best sums up the sad life of this small, troubled and talented man.
"My name is Johnny Lee Tapia. I was born on Friday the 13th. A Friday in February of 1967. To this day I don't know if that makes me lucky or unlucky. When I was eight I saw my mother murdered. I never knew my father. He was murdered before I was born. I was raised as a pit bull. Raised to fight to the death. Four times I was declared dead. Four times they wanted to pull life support. And many more times I came close to dying." Cont....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QxjmnsEf0M"]Johnny Tapia - Mi Vida Loca - YouTube[/ame]

 

[BUCKYLE]

Damn. I had forgotten all about him. Thinking it was HBO when we had illegal cable, but I remember watching him.

 

[HorseshoeFetish]

RIP Johnny. This dude was a gamer for sure..and maybe one of the most tormented people in sport. I wouldn't even wish his life on a scUM fan.

Godspeed you poor bastard.

 

[BuckTwenty]

Johnny was a legend. For all the hurt and pain he's been through, he finally gets peace.

RIP Johnny. You were fun to watch.