JOHNNY TAPIA

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 dead by her assailant. Raised thereafter by his grandmother, Tapia turned to boxing at the age of nine.

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.

apia 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.[10]

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 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 ("My Crazy Life"), the nickname he adopted. He wrote an autobiography by that title. He was a born-again Christian.

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