“I refuse to lose.” – Johnny Tapia
December 29th, 2014: Sometimes numbers do tell the story. “Weighing in at 115 pounds, with 42 wins, no loses, 2 draws with 24 wins coming by way of knockouts; defending his title for the 13th time here is the undefeated IBF & WBO Junior Bantamweight Champion of the World, introducing the Baby Face Assassin . . . Johnny Tapia.” And the story these numbers told was one of perseverance, composure and above all heart. Still this was not enough to quench the deepening mystery that created a tipping point into a lifelong obsession for revenge. This was the type of childhood Norman Rockwell dare not paint or a life Ernest Hemingway fear not live. From public triumphs to personal tragedies, this 5-time World Boxing Champion ascended to the highest heights but he paid a terrible price along the way.
“God has a story for everybody,” Tapia said and Filmmaker Eddie Alcazar captures the many sides of the Tapia experience as seen through the prism of The Sweet Science. From personal loss to hunger, addiction to incarceration and his unending struggles with mental illness, Johnny Tapia was a life in perpetual torment. We see his youthful exuberance transforming into the seasoned champion as Alcazar frames this dimly lit boxer facing the twilight of his career in “Tapia.”
As a child of the 60’s who was fiercely proud of his Mexican-American heritage, Tapia’s early years on the rough and tumble streets of Albuquerque New Mexico meant he grew up in a hurry. Raised by his grandparents after the vicious rape and ice-pike murder of his mother Virginia Tapia Gallegos, eight year old Johnny suffered a crippling loss from which he never really recovered. Was this the trigger that leads to so much misery? The anchor he needed was gone and in its wake resided a youthful angst and emotional frenzy that could not be harnessed, even by him. To the detriment of his unsuspecting opponents this rage was tested early and often and the efficiency with which he dispatched these opponents would bode well in his newly chosen career.
Director Eddie Alcazar had a burden of a different kind. Alcazar and Jacob Kindberg gracefully edited a wealth of captivating and provocative film and news footage into a cohesive yet nimble narrative. This was by no means straightforward given that Tapia’s career could easily fill 5 ESPN highlight reels. With leading man good looks reminiscent of a young Bobby DeNiro in Raging Bull, Alcazar has fashioned a narrative built on poignant reflection, euphoric title bout sequences and the destructive scourge of mental illness. Kurt Oldman’s gothic almost spiritual organ requiems shadow Tapia’s brooding narration beautifully. Starting with a storied amateur career that saw him capture 5 Golden Gloves, 2 National Championships and ranked #1 in the world for 6 consecutive years, the business of boxing was on the verge of ushering in its next big superstar, or so it seemed. This early success only served as kindling for the fire that would ignite a professional career which showed just as many knockouts outside the ropes as in.
“Nobody ever touches my Mama, I don’t care who you are, what you are, how you are . . . nobody puts their hands on my Mama. That’s my Mama, that’s the love of my life, that’s my queen.” – Johnny Tapia
It would be too easy to lay total career derailment at the hands of his mother’s death and yet Alcazar bakes this into the narrative with morbid regularity. This is in stark contrast to the cursory screen time given to Tapia’s MIA father Jerry Padilla who miraculously appears after 43 years as if by smoke and mirrors and just as quickly recedes into the night without uttering a single word. At some point we and those around him realize Johnny is his own worst enemy. Psychological setbacks notwithstanding, Tapia’s weakness to the myriad of vices within reach meant he was fighting two wars. And the war outside the ring was winning. With each ascending step up the ranks further validating the Tapia brand, he managed to make three career limiting moves backwards starting with his first arrest for threatening to kill a witness in the murder trial of his cousin. Further backslides came at the hands of the State Athletic Commissioner who gave him a two year suspension for failing yet another drug test. In those intervening years Cocaine became Johnny’s mistress which he never denied. Halfway houses and mental wards were increasingly becoming the flipside of boxing’s glittering exterior and the coping mechanisms and intervention options one would expect to see after this litany of offences were absent.
“I never lost to the fighter I lost to the promoter.” – Johnny Tapia
Lifelong battles with addiction, depression and suicide are nothing new in the world of professional sports. Tragic sports figures seeking redemption pave the way for epic comebacks and in 1993 that path was laid for Tapia. One question still remained, after a 4 year hiatus does he have what it takes to be a champion? In 94′ with his long time trainer Paul Chavez in his corner Tapia mounted his comeback with the first of many titles by becoming the WBO Super Flyweight Champion over Henry Martinez. Love him or hate him, Johnny Tapia was always a boxer for the people and the people in his corner were his loyal homegrown fans of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
VERDICT: 4.0 / 5 You will find no saints here. Alcazar reveals a faltering tragic figure with a fervor and religious determination to succeed. Punching far above his weight in life, the Tapia story is etched in moody tones of regret and fateful observations which completely envelope the message. Still a hero to many one can see how the softer sides of this conflicted demeanor could still illicit compassion given all his failings. Alcazar found a way to humanize a fighter who was difficult to love especially when he didn’t love himself. We see Johnny as we want to see him, the husband, the father, the trainer . . . the addict, the felon or the fighter on the cusp of greatness. Johnny’s life was all of these and more.
FINAL THOUGHT: His biggest fights happened outside the ring – Tapia Film Review
TITLES:
1983 National Golden Gloves Light Flyweight Champion.
1984 United States Olympic Western Trials Light Flyweight Finalist.
1985 National Golden Gloves Flyweight Champion.
1990 United States Boxing Association Junior Bantamweight Title
1994 North American Boxing Federation Super Flyweight Title
WBO Super Flyweight Champion (October 1994 – December 1998).
IBF Super Flyweight Champion (July 1997 – December 1998).
WBA Bantamweight Champion (December 1998 – June 1999).
WBO Junior Bantamweight Champion (January 2000 – September 2000).
IBF Featherweight Champion (April 2002- November 2002).
IBC Americas Lightweight Title 2010
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Sports
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Language: English
Director: Eddie Alcazar
Producer(s): Eddie Alcazar, Andrea Monier,
Executive Producer(s): Curtis 50 Cent Jackson, Lou DiBella, Brendan Kiernan, Adam Silvestri, Justin Moore-Lewy, Eric Drath
Editor: Eddie Alcazar, Jacob Kindberg
Director of Photography: Matthias Koenigswieser
Music: Kurt Oldman
Production Company: Synthetic Creatures
Footage Provided Courtesy of: HBO, ESPN, Showtime, KRQE
Runtime: 82 Minutes
Premiere: Canadian Premiere (Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival)
Cast: Johnny Tapia
