Johnny gets his guns
Tapia returns to ring warfare after a short retirement

Story & photos by Chris Cozzone

For Johnny Tapia, there’s no high like banging it out in the ring.

And there’s no low like the crash that comes afterwards.

“Once a fight is over, it’s the biggest crash—the crash of all crashes,” says the former world champions, whose achievements in the ring and world title belts are outnumbered only by the number of times he’s escaped death.

“The crash that happened last time, that’s why I’m coming back. I don’t like how it played out.”

In what was supposed to be his farewell fight, last February 2007, Tapia duked it out with Juarez’s Evaristo Primero, 14-10-1 at the time, in front of a packed house in his hometown, edging the, literally, last-minute opponent, for a majority ten-round decision.

While the fight was a thriller, not lacking action, it was marred by last-minute substitutions and a less-than-best performance by the 40-year-old, former champion who was on the receiving end of the leather, just as often as was his opponent.

“I don’t like what happened last year,” says Tapia. “There were problems with promotions and there were late pullouts. I just don’t want to go out like that.”

On Friday, in El Paso at the County Coliseum, Tapia, now 41, will climb back into the ring for the first fight of what will be a final trilogy. The card, promoted by  Browning Boxing and billed as “Quest for Glory,” headlines Tapia, 56-5-2, 28 KOs, in a ten-rounder against 33-year-old Mexican veteran Jose Alonso (Moreno), 32-13-2, 15 KOs.

Alonso last fought in El Paso last summer, losing by TKO in the fifth to Juarez’s Miguel Roman, after a series of body shots took him out.

“They wanted to match me up with someone who was like 15-13, but I said I’d rather retire. This guy, Alonso, is a legit fighter. He’s no pushover. He’ll be there in front of me all night.

“I know I’ll have to fight smart, but I still have big things ahead of me.”

The plan is to end the trilogy with a sixth and final world title shot.

“I want to fight for a title at 122,” says Tapia. “I’ve won belts at 115, 118 and 126, but not at ’22.”

The five-time world champ last held the IBF featherweight title, in 2002, by defeating Manuel Medina; he gave it up later that year, opting to fight Marco Antonio Barrera rather than defend his title against a lesser opponent.

“I only want to fight the best, like I’ve always done,” says Tapia. “We were already offered a shot against one of the 122-pound champions—Israel Vazquez—so we’ll be ready for that by the end of the year.”

Tapia says he’s already lined up Comeback Fight No. 2 for June 20 in Denver, Colo.

“First, I want to look sharp next week. Then, we’ll see.”

Tapia also plans to fight in his home state again, and will apply for a New Mexico license when his plans solidify.

“They have no reason not to give me one,” says Tapia, who was granted a license to fight in Texas after an “endless” battery of tests, that included an MRI.

“I’m healthy and I’m clean,” affirms Tapia. “Life is good—and not many people can come back from a coma.”

Last year, Tapia nearly died, lapsing into a coma after a cocaine overdose. On Friday, he was sentenced to 14 months of supervised probation in Dona Ana County, where he lives in Las Cruces.

“I’m sick of the ups and downs, but I’ve been clean,” says Tapia. “I also have a good team and I’ve been on a good diet.”

Tapia is being trained by former El Paso heavyweight Herman Delgado, and he is putting in work at the Las Cruces PAL gym, sparring with local fighters Ricky Vasquez, Sammy DiPace and Antonio Escalante, of El Paso.

“I’ve been blessed, and have a good opportunity here,” says Tapia. “I’m looking forward to packing in the Coliseum, and to putting on a good, high-action fight.

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