The boxing world is mourning five-time world champion Johnny Tapia, who was found dead at his Albuquerque home on Sunday. The prizefighter, whose career was marked by drug and alcohol addiction, arrests, and depression, was just 45. Police say foul play is not suspected. Tapia's mother was murdered when he was just eight years old, and he said the raw fury he displayed in the ring came from the horrific memory of seeing her kidnapped, the New York Times reports.
Tapia—who Mike Tyson called one of the greatest fighters ever—won 59 fights—30 by knockout. He lost just five fights; two were draws. He was knocked out only once. He had been working as a boxing trainer, and is survived by his wife and three children. "He was such a lovable guy and a terrific fighter,” the vice president of boxing promoters Top Rank tells the Albuquerque Journal. “I’m not shocked by this news, and I guess we all knew it was coming, but he was a wonderful character.” (More Johnny Tapia dead stories.)
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