AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 26
On this show Neil discusses his heroes – boxers, trainers and coaches – from the ring on TalkinFight Monday to Friday, on YouTube or LIVE at talkinfight.com/live Weekday’s at 7pm EST (6:30 on Fridays) @theofficialjohnnytapia
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#boxer #boxing #boxingtalkshow
Transcribed:
All right, hello, there talking fight fans once again uh another episode of neil a deal featuring neil the deal himself he’s in the house and i believe we got one of my favorite fighters.
Johnny tapia lined up what do you got? Hey, graham? How are you tonight buddy just give me a quick second here.
Why are all these pop-ups coming guys there we go hey how you doing yeah it’s, i don’t know what they are.
You know how it is.
How about you find your computer problems today? Graham, is there something going on here? Is your computer good guys? I don’t know we’re all good on our side.
You’Re good, okay, good! Well, we figured it out here.
We are thanks a lot for coming guys we’re here at the neil of a deal show, and i just got to apologize for yesterday.
I think that was the worst game.
I’Ve ever seen my team ever play and tom brady.
Congratulations.
You whipped our butt.
I couldn’t believe it so anyways.
I was wrong like big time wrong.
I’Ve never been that wrong.
Graham i mean i could see brady winning the game, but not like that.
That was unbelievable, so good for him mahones.
He tried he was trying, but he just they didn’t have it yesterday.
It was really strange game for me man, because i just was not expecting that whatsoever.
They should have been prepared fully prepared and i blame andy reid.
Sorry andy.
Your team wasn’t prepared for that game, so good for aryans.
He did well.
He had his team prepared and brady good for you man, you know so hey.
Let’S talk some boxing with the guys up there.
Okay, guys thanks a lot for coming out eh.
I appreciate all the likes, if you like, always like share if you’re a sharing kind of person share and subscribe and make the comments we we love the comments.
They’Re really they’ve been really good.
Hey, graham recently, they’ve been really good, actually yep, depending on bang on yeah.
You guys are really really setting us up with uh some good, some good questions and comments.
So thanks again for all that, i really appreciate it.
So we’re going to talk about a guy named johnny tapia, all right, so i used to watch johnny tapia fight growing up.
I like all these other guys i watched and he was uh.
He was a lighter guy.
He was uh.
He was in the super featherweight division, the lightweight division, the bantamweight division uh.
You know he was a smaller sort of guy.
I guess you would call it like.
He wasn’t uh a big guy in any means, but he was very, very uh flashy, so to speak.
In the ring he was uh, he was like a built like a rock, you know what i mean.
He had a lot of tattoos, he was a pretty tattooed up guy and he was a.
He was a serious cat in there in the ring.
All the tapia fights that i ever saw were fantastic.
We’Re going to talk about some of those notable ones later on in the show, but we’ll uh, we’ll we’ll start it off with uh with our regulars here so uh he was born.
Johnny lee tapia johnny lee tapping and his his moniker was the babyface assassin because he kind of had a baby face, but he was a cute guy.
You know what i mean like you know the girls liked him and stuff.
You know i thought he was nice and uh anyways.
He was born february 13, 1967 in albuquerque, new mexico, his career spanded, uh, quite long ram 1988-2011.
So what’s that it’s 10 11 to 13 years so 13 years his career, oh no! More than that, i’m sorry! 23 years, yeah, 88, 98.
2008 at 23 years – hello, i’m thinking! Oh 13! No.
I watched him for quite a long time and he was always amazing like really guys if you, if you want to see a lighter, a lightweight, flyweight kind of scotty olsen size.
You know that those lightweights and stuff like that this guy was at the top of his game.
Like all the time and uh he had a pretty tumultuous uh with um life.
His lifestyle was um a little reckless.
Graham, you know what i mean.
Yes, so we’ll get into that a little more as we get into the show here, so he was born again february.
13.
1967.
His career was 88 to 2011.
and unfortunately r.
i.
p he has died.
He died in may 27, 2012 in albuquerque new mexico.
So i did not know he had passed away.
Graham, i did not know that until we i did a little more research on him, but um yeah, so he’s uh he’s uh rest in peace.
There, john, you you’re an amazing fighter.
Man thanks a lot for for everything it was.
It was a fantastic career, so rest in peace, buddy and we’ll just talk a little bit about you.
So everybody remembers it.
You know what i mean.
So he had the four divisions: super flyweight phantom weight, featherweight and lightweight.
He held multiple world championships in three different league classes, graham, so he won world championships and three out of the four, including the unified wba wbo bantamweight title between 98 and 2000.
He was also the unified ibf wbo super featherweight champion between 94 and 98.
.
So, if you put that all together, he was basically a champion from 94 to 2000.
Like that whole stretch of years he held the unified belts and uh he he was.
He was really good, so he went 48-0 in his first 48 fights abraham wow yeah.
He was 48 no and then he lost 1999.
He lost a guy named paulie ayala and uh ring magazine called that fight.
1999 was the fight of the year, even though tapia lost so guys.
If there’s, if we’re going to talk about the normal fights coming up, but that is definitely one of them.
Uh tapia ayala.
The first one 1999 check that one out amazing fight like i’ve, watched it maybe five times, i could watch it six times or ten times it’s it’s really good.
These guys were head-to-head like the whole time was unbelievable, so he was inducted into the international boxing hall of fame in uh 2017.
, which is great for him man i mean he’s passed away, but he’s being recognized in the hall of fame.
So i like that kind of stuff, you know what i mean.
Graham, you need to be recognized for your contribution to the community and the boxing community and uh.
I believe that that’s probably the biggest accolade we all know being in the hall of fame right.
Every sports individual in any sport wants to be in the hall of fame.
That’S basically what you want to do.
You know and not everybody gets to the hall of fame.
So that’s a that’s a big one for him.
Let’S talk a little bit about his amateur career, he didn’t really do a lot of amateur stuff, but he was the 1983 new mexico state golden gloves champion out of new mexico because he’s from albuquerque right and 1983 and 85, he was a national national golden gloves Champion at lightweight uh light, flyweight and flyweight, so both those divisions – he was the national golden gloves champion.
So not only was he the state champion, but he also became the united states champion.
Well, that’s pretty.
Damn good i’d have to say that you know as an amateur right.
Those are those are some big ones.
Hey, graham those are big, yep yeah for sure any golden gloves, as we all know, did he ever go to the olympics.
No, he didn’t.
He didn’t go to the olympics, no um, so, let’s just uh.
Let’S talk a little bit.
That was his amateur thing.
He he basically went from amateur to pro really quick too abraham, like he didn’t, have a four or five year career as an amateur.
He just basically, i think he was more of a street fighter from what i read i basically he started out as basically kind of a rumble tumble kid.
We got into a lot of scuffles in the streets and schools and whatever – and eventually he just figured boxing – was something he could.
Maybe he was good at he enjoyed beating people up.
I guess i don’t know, and he decided if i can make a buck doing this whatever right, so he had a really good uh exactly.
I know it’s like what the heck uh.
He had a really good, really good pro record um.
I didn’t know it was this extensive.
You know i knew he was probably in the 40 50 fights graham, but his totals are bigger than that.
So pro total fights 66 all right, wins.
59 59 wins out of 66 fights pretty good and he had 30 kos out of those 59 wins um, five losses right, five and two draws.
So that’s a good! That’S a you know.
You can’t win them all all right.
Nobody i mean boy mayweather want them all, but that’s disputable too.
I mean, i think he lost some of those fights, but you know it is what it is right.
The the judges decided that he won the fight.
Well, whatever right rocky marciano was 49-0.
That’S about the only guy, you know what i mean like a real guy, so in 1990 he won the uh usba super flyweight title.
So these are some of the titles that that he was getting like the wbos, the ibfs, the wba, the wbc, the usba, the nabf like this guy’s, this guy’s all over them all over these titles.
So he he.
He was having a lot of problem around 89 92.
This is when um it became apparent that he had a substance, abuse problem and he was suspended for three years by all boxing across across the board, almost two and a half three years or something he was suspended.
But he came back and returned to 1994 and instantly won the nabf super featherweight title like instantly like his first fight back.
You know what i mean.
He was not a title fight, so i guess he took his punishment like a man, he came back and he won a title.
97 july 18th july 18th, guys one of my favorite days my father’s birthday july 18th.
So in 1997 he had a big big title fight and i saw this one.
It was against a guy named jorge romero, jorge romero, and i remember watching this one graham and uh.
He he beat romero, which was amazing uh by unanimous decision.
It went all the way and uh and he won the ibf title again and that and his wbo belt right, so he had both belts at that time and the end of 98, he decided to vacate those two titles and move up in a weight class.
So you know when you move up in weight class, you can’t take your titles with you.
You basically have to vacate them and have the number one and two contender fight for the vacated title right.
So, on december 5th 1998 he won the wba bantamweight championship to become a two division world champion right, so that was in 98 in 99 he suffered his first loss graham, and that was that title fight against uh paulie ayala.
That was his first loss, so he was 48-1 after that and again that was fight of the year in 99, so check that one out in 2000 he became uh again he was the two-time world champion and it later on in 2000, he he was robbed.
I watched this fight and he lost a very controversial rematch to uh, unify the belts at that time and uh he lost and the the commentators i remember were saying i remember us distinctly because they were like it was so lopsided, graham, like tapia won that fight.
So easily and yet he lost and remember we were talking to the scoop ray about that, how you can actually win every round and still lose the fight because of a judge right.
You know what i mean like it’s really bizarre.
So if you watch that fight you’ll notice that it was, the commentators actually said, i’ve never heard this before they said this has got to be rigged like for a commentator to say this has got to be rigged, he’s basically saying uh, something guys he’s saying like Uh, when do you want to fire me? You know, like you, don’t tell them that they’re rigging fights on the air right like this is rigged, because it was that bad.
It was really that bad and i felt bad for tapia.
I remember i was like he was looking around what like, he was all confused, but everybody was confused, even i think even the ref, if i remember he read he kind of, went and read it two or three times to make sure it was right because he Couldn’T believe that that he lost so anyways there we go so in 2002 he won the ibf featherweight title to become a three-time world of div uh world title in division.
Three time so he’s got the bottom weight, the featherweight and the uh and the uh lightweight.
So he’s he’s basically running the gamut there.
In 2007 he um stated he was going to have his last fight uh, and that was um, that was in 2010 and uh, but he did he didn’t he he didn’t retire.
At that point, he decided to keep fighting.
He really didn’t have anything majorly happening in the last few fights.
Graham, you know the last few of his career and he just retired.
He died at 45 years old from heart failure.
So i believe that that was probably caused by the abuse that he was doing to his body all those years, and i don’t like getting into this kind of stuff, because it’s all personal, that’s your personal business, your business, not my business! What you do your personal time is your business.
So i’m really sad to hear that he passed away from heart failure.
You know, but he really he he lived hard like he.
He lived fast and he was like that.
Guy you don’t even groom, live hard, live fast and enjoy it.
While you got it play with it.
I ass right so guys, thanks again for coming out the notable fights we’re gon na we’re gon na uh.
We’Ll talk about the last little bit here on the segment tonight was uh tapia versus marco antonio barrera.
Remember him! Graham, we talked about him a couple days ago, one week ago, pereira uh.
That was a great fight, the uh again that paulie ayala fight, tapia versus paulie ayala june 26 1999.
He did lose the fight, but he really didn’t lose the fight and then uh and that top danny romero fight uh.
He won unanimous decision 97 to take the the titles from romero so guys if you get a chance and you’re just hanging out at home, you’re on lockdown uh, yeah, um, they’re, all they’re, all really good uh.
The guy was amazing in the ring he had all the speed, the punching power, everything else, blah blah blah blah blah.
Like he’s he’s, he was a real good one, so johnny tapia rest in peace.
Buddy thanks a lot and we’re going to talk about leon, [ __ ], something about leon spinks.
Graham, we were thinking about what i i don’t know alzheimer’s.
What was it was i well.
I think that, sadly, i had like you mentioned in your profile report last week of leon, spinks and then four days later he dies.
I mean that’s pretty sad, but uh uh.
He did he had.
Yes, it was something in his brain.
I can’t i i can’t remember leon yeah yeah yeah, i don’t know exactly right, but um, like i say, growing up, watching these guys like like spanx and tapia, and all these guys and there’s just they just there’s lots and lots of them that were just amazing And fun to watch and stuff, and unfortunately they’re not with us anymore and and all we can do, is remember them through their fights and watch them and and enjoy them.
You know what i mean, i mean aaron pryor is another one like these guys were all amazing.
It was prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer, that’s correct! Well, i don’t think he’s died of prostate, i’m not sure, graham guys, that might be a question for you guys.
I don’t know if he passed away, but he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
I believe that’s what it is and he’s had it for a few years like this was in 90, 2016 or 17 or something so, let’s hope leon, you’re you’re kicking too.
You know what i mean like leon: if you’re out there buddy god bless, you take care of yourself, you know so thanks again guys graham or it’s our johnny happy episode tonight.
So how do you examine that? How do you like johnny tapia, you like him, yeah? No, he uh he’s one of my favorites, oh wow.
We just got a comment from a fan here.
Graham there you go so yes, leon, spinks, passed away this weekend, wow so rest in peace leon, r.
i.
p for leon, guys, pray for leon, thanks leon for all the great fights.
It’S amazing.
We just talked about this yeah and then all of a sudden, you get this news.
It’S like wow.
Oh my gosh, sad news, guys sad news because losing icons like these guys is really sad right.
You know, and one of the few guys to beat muhammad ali.
That’S correct he’s, actually, the only guy, i think i said that beat ali in a title fight when ali was the champion like ali, was the challenger when he took the titles and stuff like that.
But nobody took the title from ali except leon.
Apparently, you know what i mean in ali’s whole career, so i mean sonny liston.
He was a challenger remember.
He was always the challenger.
He wasn’t the holder.
He was always taking the belt right.
So that’s really sad news about leon, but thanks a lot guys for giving us the uh the scoop on that uh rest in peace, buddy i’ll get a little prayer for him and thanks a lot guys.
We’Ll see you tomorrow, night, seven o’clock, uh, we’re gon na have some pretty fun stuff coming up tomorrow.
So thanks again for coming out.
Graham thanks for having me take care of yourselves guys be safe out there and stay warm.
Thank you.
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