Mi VIda Loca

The first time I saw Johnny Tapia fight I was 10 years old.  I was watching one of the Julio Cesar Chavez fights on PPV or I forget who.   All I remember is that I was  ten and Johnny Tapias opponent had the virgin mary tattooed in his chest.
My uncle kept screaming that Johnny wouldn't hit the Virgin, but  Mid way through the second round BAM! Johnny connected to his opponents chest.
"The Son of a Bitch hit her!" my uncle screamed and the audience laughed.
Personally I hated Johnny.  He looked like every thug that hung out in the park  a low life gangster.  I wanted him to lose bad.  I wanted the clean cut Mexican guy with the Virgin Mary Tattoo in his chest to knock him out cold  because he stood for everything that is right religion, boxing, Mexico, family, tradition and not being a  gangster.
Johnny won the fight and I took it personal just like in my life the gangsters win again.  In the post fight interview I I found out something even worse the Johnny didn't even speak Spanish! He wasn't a true Mexican!
I kept running into Johnny Tapia fights in undercards. Every time I cheered against him and every time  he won.  I was too young to appreciate his heart and could not look past his thuggish exterior.
As I got older I started to appreciate Johnny I don't know if its because the thugs in the park were no longer intimidating or that he won me over with his style of fight.
He was a brawler in the same light of Arturo Gatti and Rocky Balboa. I found myself cheering for Johnny"Mi Vida Loca" Tapia.  He didn't give a fuck.  Not about his style, his health, his look, or what people thought of him he came to fight and boy did he give fight fans a fight.
I wish I could go back in time and tell that ten year old kid to wise up and enjoy Johnny while you can that in a less than 10 years fighters will start not giving a fuck either, but not in a good way.
Fighters would care about their health, their looks, their wallet but not care much for their fans their fights or their legacy.  Promoters would put up fights the equivalent of someone taking a crap on film for 36 minutes.
Fighters like Johnny are once in a life time and a dying breed.
Sadly May 26, 2012 Johnny Tapia was found dead at the age of 45.
  His troubled life is written in better detail in this article.
I made my peace with him a long time ago, but today I thank him for being who he was.
 Johnny Tapia was a big reason I got into boxing he kept me watching under cards in hopes that he would lose and he won and kept on winning.
I truly hope Johnny finds peace.