Johnny Tapia, Five-Time Boxing Champion, Found Dead at Albuquerque Home

Johnny Tapia was an exciting fighter - 'Mi Vida Loca 'or 'My Crazy Life' was one of his tattoos and also the name of his autobiography... that moniker really stuck in my mind whenever his name was mentioned.  Good 'personal branding' they'd say at business school. 

Tapia rose to prominence in the late 80s, and eventually won five world boxing championships in three weight classes: super flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight.

    

His final professional boxing record was 59 wins, five losses, and two draws. Thirty of his wins were knock-outs.

Tapia had an outstanding amateur career, and was the 1983 National Golden Gloves light flyweight champion and the 1985 National Golden Gloves flyweight champion.   He enjoyed a 101-21 (65 KOs) amateur career.

He always fought his heart out and I don't remember seeing a bad fight involving Johnny Tapia. 

He actually called himself a pit bull and definitely fought with that kind of determination and tenacity.

"I was raised as a pit bull," he wrote in the book, which was co-authored by Bettina Gilois. "Raised to fight to the death."

In 2007 he fought a comeback bout against Ilido Julio dubbed "The Final Fury" and a month later he was found unconscious of a cocaine overdose and was eventually taken into custody for violating his parole stemming from a prior cocaine offense.

In a boxing career spanning over two decades, he fought the last of them in June 2011.
He was knocked down just twice in his career, one of those occasions being in his last fight. He outpointed Mauricio Pastrana in an eight-round decision last June, having got up off the canvas to win the fight.

Johnny Tapia fights Manuel Medina in a 2002 IBF featherweight championship bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

 

, 45, won five championships in three weight classes throughout his career, which included a 59-5-2 record with 30 knockouts. The New Mexico native was known just as much for his out-of-the-ring antics as his in-ring success, however, becoming a crowd favorite as a result of his eccentric personality. Tapia had a number of run-ins with the law over the years, while also battling alcohol and cocaine problems and suffering from depression. In fact, Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years during the 1990s for his cocaine addiction. He would, however, obtain championship glory in 1994 after being reinstated, and then eventually captured four more titles while playing an underdog role. His last fight, a victory, came last June. An autopsy will be performed on Tapia's body in the coming days, according to Gibbs. Click here to read about Johnny Tapia's incredible life story >> Photo via Facebook/Johnny Tapia Related Stories Paul Pierce-LeBron James Matchup Contains Key to Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals (Podcast) Ryan Sweeney Rejoins Red Sox in Style After Spending Week on Disabled… Felix Doubront Continues to Progress With 'Pretty Much' Best Start of Year… Vote: Does Major League Baseball Need to Expand Its Use of Instant… Eden Hazard Takes Talents to Twitter to Confirm Chelsea FC Move MLB Power Rankings 50 Greatest MLB Commercials Ever Biggest MLB Draft Steals Ever Why C's Must Keep KG to Compete Next Season The 10 Worst Calls in NBA Postseason History Check Out A-Rod's New Hot Girlfriend, Torrie Wilson Lesnar's Unique WWE Deal WWE Locker Room Unhappy With The Rock Lingerie Football, um, interview... and pics! Is Michelle Vawer The Robin To Kate Upton's Batman? 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Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

The death didn't appear suspicious, an autopsy will be performed in the coming days.   Tapia had lived a very hard life with drug and alcohol problems.

The star’s success was marred by drug addiction, alcohol and depression he was hospitalized for three days in 2007 after an apparent cocaine overdose.
 

Tapia won five championships in three weight classes, and his last fight was almost a year ago, when he defeated Mauricio Pastrana.

 His road to boxing titles, fame and fortune was very hard and interupted by his wild lifestyle
 

Tapia started boxing at age 9 and had his first amateur fight at 11. In 1988, he began is professional career, which was interrupted by bouts outside the ring with substance abuse followed by treatment in rehab centers.  He was banned from boxing for 3 and a half years in 1990. He had just won a $1 million commercial for Pepsi when he "tested dirty and got kicked out," losing his boxing license, said his wife and manager, Teresa Tapia, in the same 2004 interview.

In his autobiography, "Mi Vida Loca: The Crazy Life of Johnny Tapia," the fighter says that his father was murdered before he was born and that he was eight when he saw his mother murdered.

 

Relatives raised him and he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, who had himself been a boxer.

 His life was plagued by drug abuse and near death by overdose: "Four times I was declared dead. Four times they wanted to pull life support. And many more times I came close to dying."

In his 2010 autobiography, "Mi Vida Loca," he sums up his troubled life. 

"My name is Johnny Lee Tapia. I was born on Friday the 13th. A Friday in February of 1967. To this day I don't know if that makes me lucky or unlucky. When I was eight I saw my mother murdered. I never knew my father. He was murdered before I was born. I was raised as a pit bull. Raised to fight to the death. Four times I was declared dead. Four times they wanted to pull life support. And many more times I came close to dying."

All that said,  

Johnny was one hell of a fighter 

always displaying cunning and barely controlled fury!

Johnny TapiaJohnny Tapia, a former boxing champion well-known for his wild

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

, 45, won five championships in three weight classes throughout his career, which included a 59-5-2 record with 30 knockouts. The New Mexico native was known just as much for his out-of-the-ring antics as his in-ring success, however, becoming a crowd favorite as a result of his eccentric personality. Tapia had a number of run-ins with the law over the years, while also battling alcohol and cocaine problems and suffering from depression. In fact, Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years during the 1990s for his cocaine addiction. He would, however, obtain championship glory in 1994 after being reinstated, and then eventually captured four more titles while playing an underdog role. His last fight, a victory, came last June. An autopsy will be performed on Tapia's body in the coming days, according to Gibbs. Click here to read about Johnny Tapia's incredible life story >> Photo via Facebook/Johnny Tapia Related Stories Paul Pierce-LeBron James Matchup Contains Key to Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals (Podcast) Ryan Sweeney Rejoins Red Sox in Style After Spending Week on Disabled… Felix Doubront Continues to Progress With 'Pretty Much' Best Start of Year… Vote: Does Major League Baseball Need to Expand Its Use of Instant… Eden Hazard Takes Talents to Twitter to Confirm Chelsea FC Move MLB Power Rankings 50 Greatest MLB Commercials Ever Biggest MLB Draft Steals Ever Why C's Must Keep KG to Compete Next Season The 10 Worst Calls in NBA Postseason History Check Out A-Rod's New Hot Girlfriend, Torrie Wilson Lesnar's Unique WWE Deal WWE Locker Room Unhappy With The Rock Lingerie Football, um, interview... and pics! Is Michelle Vawer The Robin To Kate Upton's Batman? 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Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

Johnny Tapia, a former boxing champion well-known for his wild lifestyle, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. Police spokesman Robert Gibbs said that authorities responded to a call to Tapia's home at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, and that the death didn't appear to be suspicious. Tapia, 45, won five championships in three weight classes throughout his career, which included a 59-5-2 record with 30 knockouts. The New Mexico native was known just as much for his out-of-the-ring antics as his in-ring success, however, becoming a crowd favorite as a result of his eccentric personality. Tapia had a number of run-ins with the law over the years, while also battling alcohol and cocaine problems and suffering from depression. In fact, Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years during the 1990s for his cocaine addiction.

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

Johnny TapiaJohnny Tapia, a former boxing champion well-known for his wild lifestyle, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. Police spokesman Robert Gibbs said that authorities responded to a call to Tapia's home at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, and that the death didn't appear to be suspicious. Tapia, 45, won five championships in three weight classes throughout his career, which included a 59-5-2 record with 30 knockouts. The New Mexico native was known just as much for his out-of-the-ring antics as his in-ring success, however, becoming a crowd favorite as a result of his eccentric personality. Tapia had a number of run-ins with the law over the years, while also battling alcohol and cocaine problems and suffering from depression. In fact, Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years during the 1990s for his cocaine addiction. He would, however, obtain championship glory in 1994 after being reinstated, and then eventually captured four more titles while playing an underdog role. His last fight, a victory, came last June. An autopsy will be performed on Tapia's body in the coming days, according to Gibbs. Click here to read about Johnny Tapia's incredible life story >> Photo via Facebook/Johnny Tapia Related Stories Paul Pierce-LeBron James Matchup Contains Key to Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals (Podcast) Ryan Sweeney Rejoins Red Sox in Style After Spending Week on Disabled… Felix Doubront Continues to Progress With 'Pretty Much' Best Start of Year… Vote: Does Major League Baseball Need to Expand Its Use of Instant… Eden Hazard Takes Talents to Twitter to Confirm Chelsea FC Move MLB Power Rankings 50 Greatest MLB Commercials Ever Biggest MLB Draft Steals Ever Why C's Must Keep KG to Compete Next Season The 10 Worst Calls in NBA Postseason History Check Out A-Rod's New Hot Girlfriend, Torrie Wilson Lesnar's Unique WWE Deal WWE Locker Room Unhappy With The Rock Lingerie Football, um, interview... and pics! Is Michelle Vawer The Robin To Kate Upton's Batman? Comments () inShare More Headlines Felix Doubront Continues to Progress With 'Pretty Much' Best Start of Year (Video)Felix Doubront Continues to Progress With 'Pretty Much' Best Start of Year (Video) Eden Hazard Takes Talents to Twitter to Confirm Chelsea FC MoveEden Hazard Takes Talents to Twitter to Confirm Chelsea FC Move Ryan Sweeney's 'Holiday Helper' Performance Ensures Memorial Day Cookouts Will Taste Better (Video)Ryan Sweeney's 'Holiday Helper' Performance Ensures Memorial Day Cookouts Will Taste Better (Video) Daniel Nava Looks Like Completely Different Player Offensively, Defensively During Current MLB Stint (Video)Daniel Nava Looks Like Completely Different Player Offensively, Defensively During Current MLB Stint (Video) Dustin Pedroia Exits Game Against Tigers With Jammed Right ThumbDustin Pedroia Exits Game Against Tigers With Jammed Right Thumb Jerry Remy, Don Orsillo React Very Differently as Foul Ball Heads Towards NESN Booth (Animation)Jerry Remy, Don Orsillo React Very Differently as Foul Ball Heads Towards NESN Booth (Animation) Fox Sports Tweets News of Lionel Messi's Death, Hoax Blamed on HackersFox Sports Tweets News of Lionel Messi's Death, Hoax Blamed on Hackers Dustin Pedroia Proves Muddy Chicken Can Fly, Must Have Had Too Much Red Bull (Caption Contest)Dustin Pedroia Proves Muddy Chicken Can Fly, Must Have Had Too Much Red Bull (Caption Contest) Dodgers Players A.J. Ellis, Clayton Kershaw Rip Off Zach Galifianakis With 'Between Two Palm Trees' Show (Video)Dodgers Players A.J. Ellis, Clayton Kershaw Rip Off Zach Galifianakis With 'Between Two Palm Trees' Show (Video) Vote: Will Jarrod Saltalamacchia Be an All-Star This Season?Vote: Will Jarrod Saltalamacchia Be an All-Star This Season? Prince Fielder's Recent Hot Streak Further Validation That He's One of Game's Best SluggersPrince Fielder's Recent Hot Streak Further Validation That He's One of Game's Best Sluggers Two Men Brutally Beaten in MetLife Stadium Parking Lot After Mexico-Wales Soccer GameTwo Men Brutally Beaten in MetLife Stadium Parking Lot After Mexico-Wales Soccer Game Red Sox Have Come Long Way Since Early-Season Troubles Against Detroit (Video)Red Sox Have Come Long Way Since Early-Season Troubles Against Detroit (Video) Ricky Rubio Watches NBA Playoffs From Airport Baggage Carousel (Photo)Ricky Rubio Watches NBA Playoffs From Airport Baggage Carousel (Photo) Daniel Nava to Lead Off for Red Sox in Memorial Day Matinee Against TigersDaniel Nava to Lead Off for Red Sox in Memorial Day Matinee Against Tigers Teddy Sheringham Hospitalizes Gordon Ramsay With Tackle in Charity Soccer Game (Video)Teddy Sheringham Hospitalizes Gordon Ramsay With Tackle in Charity Soccer Game (Video) Johnny Tapia, Five-Time Boxing Champion, Found Dead at Albuquerque HomeJohnny Tapia, Five-Time Boxing Champion, Found Dead at Albuquerque Home Celtics Live Blog: Boston Takes on Heat in Opening Game of Eastern Conference FinalsCeltics Live Blog: Boston Takes on Heat in Opening Game of Eastern Conference Finals Yankees Are Florida's Favorite Baseball Team, Poll Shows, With Red Sox, Rays, Marlins Not Far BehindYankees Are Florida's Favorite Baseball Team, Poll Shows, With Red Sox, Rays, Marlins Not Far Behind Green Mountain National Offers Sites, Seclusion at Scenic Course (Video)Green Mountain National Offers Sites, Seclusion at Scenic Course (Video) Charlie Moore Forced to Fish From Kayak with Yankees Fan on 'Charlie Moore Outdoors' (Video)Charlie Moore Forced to Fish From Kayak with Yankees Fan on 'Charlie Moore Outdoors' (Video) Shane Vereen Works With Patriots First Team, Pushing Stevan Ridley for Lead Role in BackfieldShane Vereen Works With Patriots First Team, Pushing Stevan Ridley for Lead Role in Backfield Dominik Hasek Interested in NHL Comeback at Age 47Dominik Hasek Interested in NHL Comeback at Age 47 Adrian Gonzalez Starting to Find Power Stroke, Says He Now Has 'Consistent Feel'Adrian Gonzalez Starting to Find Power Stroke, Says He Now Has 'Consistent Feel' Alfredo Aceves Gives Up Rare Runs in Ninth Inning in Red Sox Loss (Video)Alfredo Aceves Gives Up Rare Runs in Ninth Inning in Red Sox Loss (Video) Hard Rockin' Red Sox Breakfast Celebrates Blend of Baseball and Music (Video)Hard Rockin' Red Sox Breakfast Celebrates Blend of Baseball and Music (Video) Takuma Sato Crash Helps Dario Franchitti Win 2012 Indy 500 (Video)Takuma Sato Crash Helps Dario Franchitti Win 2012 Indy 500 (Video) Los Angeles Kings Continue Comedic Rampage, Burn Conan O'Brien on TwitterLos Angeles Kings Continue Comedic Rampage, Burn Conan O'Brien on Twitter NESN Team Dale Arnold John Beattie Andy Brickley Tom Caron Mike Cole Jamison Coyle Jenny Dell Ricky Doyle Dan Duquette, Jr. Dennis Eckersley Jack Edwards Douglas Flynn Naoko Funayama Peter Gammons John Henry Jeff Howe Luke Hughes Dara McIntosh Charlie Moore Didier Morais Marcus O'Mard Don Orsillo Eric Ortiz Will O'Toole Jayme Parker Jerry Remy Jim Rice Randy Scott Jen Slothower Ben Watanabe Julie Wetherbee NESN Partners Fan Moons Camera During Bryce Harper’s First Hit in the Majors Spain-Serbia, U.S.A.-Scotland Among Top Five FIFA Friendlies to Watch On Memorial Day Weekend

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

Johnny Tapia, a former boxing champion well-known for his wild lifestyle, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. Police spokesman Robert Gibbs said that authorities responded to a call to Tapia's home at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, and that the death didn't appear to be suspicious. Tapia, 45, won five championships in three weight classes throughout his career, which included a 59-5-2 record with 30 knockouts. The New Mexico native was known just as much for his out-of-the-ring antics as his in-ring success, however, becoming a crowd favorite as a result of his eccentric personality. Tapia had a number of run-ins with the law over the years, while also battling alcohol and cocaine problems and suffering from depression. In fact, Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years during the 1990s for his cocaine addiction. He would, however, obtain championship glory in 1994 after being reinstated, and then eventually captured four more titles while playing an underdog role. His last fight, a victory, came last June. An autopsy will be performed on Tapia's body in the coming days, according to Gibbs.

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

Johnny Tapia, a former boxing champion well-known for his wild lifestyle, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. Police spokesman Robert Gibbs said that authorities responded to a call to Tapia's home at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, and that the death didn't appear to be suspicious. Tapia, 45, won five championships in three weight classes throughout his career, which included a 59-5-2 record with 30 knockouts. The New Mexico native was known just as much for his out-of-the-ring antics as his in-ring success, however, becoming a crowd favorite as a result of his eccentric personality. Tapia had a number of run-ins with the law over the years, while also battling alcohol and cocaine problems and suffering from depression. In fact, Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years during the 1990s for his cocaine addiction.

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

Johnny Tapia, a former boxing champion well-known for his wild lifestyle, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. Police spokesman Robert Gibbs said that authorities responded to a call to Tapia's home at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, and that the death didn't appear to be suspicious. Tapia, 45, won five championships in three weight classes throughout his career, which included a 59-5-2 record with 30 knockouts. The New Mexico native was known just as much for his out-of-the-ring antics as his in-ring success, however, becoming a crowd favorite as a result of his eccentric personality. Tapia had a number of run-ins with the law over the years, while also battling alcohol and cocaine problems and suffering from depression. In fact, Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years during the 1990s for his cocaine addiction.

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

Johnny TapiaJohnny Tapia, a former boxing champion well-known for his wild lifestyle, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. Police spokesman Robert Gibbs said that authorities responded to a call to Tapia's home at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, and that the death didn't appear to be suspicious. Tapia, 45, won five championships in three weight classes throughout his career, which included a 59-5-2 record with 30 knockouts. The New Mexico native was known just as much for his out-of-the-ring antics as his in-ring success, however, becoming a crowd favorite as a result of his eccentric personality. Tapia had a number of run-ins with the law over the years, while also battling alcohol and cocaine problems and suffering from depression. In fact, Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years during the 1990s for his cocaine addiction. He would, however, obtain championship glory in 1994 after being reinstated, and then eventually captured four more titles while playing an underdog role. His last fight, a victory, came last June. An autopsy will be performed on Tapia's body in the coming days, according to Gibbs. Click here to read about Johnny Tapia's incredible life story >>

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

Johnny TapiaJohnny Tapia, a former boxing champion well-known for his wild lifestyle, was found dead Sunday at his Albuquerque home. Police spokesman Robert Gibbs said that authorities responded to a call to Tapia's home at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, and that the death didn't appear to be suspicious. Tapia, 45, won five championships in three weight classes throughout his career, which included a 59-5-2 record with 30 knockouts. The New Mexico native was known just as much for his out-of-the-ring antics as his in-ring success, however, becoming a crowd favorite as a result of his eccentric personality. Tapia had a number of run-ins with the law over the years, while also battling alcohol and cocaine problems and suffering from depression. In fact, Tapia was banned from boxing for 3 1/2 years during the 1990s for his cocaine addiction. He would, however, obtain championship glory in 1994 after being reinstated, and then eventually captured four more titles while playing an underdog role. His last fight, a victory, came last June. An autopsy will be performed on Tapia's body in the coming days, according to Gibbs. Click here to read about Johnny Tapia's incredible life story >>

Read more at: http://www.nesn.com/2012/05/johnny-tapia-five-time-boxing-champion-found-dead-at-albuquerque-home.html

Brain injury victims and their families

This article appeared in a newspaper far from my hometown but the comments are suitable to any similar situations  in the western world involving brain injury.

Nigel Benn vs Gerald McClellan 

This fight left Gerald Mclellan with massive head injuries and left him in a helpless state.  His sisters were his only caregivers long after savings and any insurance money ran out.  They would have welcomed some support.

Groups support brain injury victims, families | The Columbia Daily Tribune - Columbia, Missouri
 

Survivors of traumatic brain injury don't want special favors according to members of
a support group for brain injury survivors at Columbia's Services for Independent Living;
facilitated by a rehabilitation neuropsychologist 
   
Family members often become the primary or sole caretaker for a loved one with a brain injury.

While family members come to terms with their new roles — as well as the brain injury survivor's possible bouts of anger and depression or other changes — parents in particular also discover they need to deal with their own grief and trauma.

Victims might have no memory of their car wreck, fall or other accident, but parents and other family members never forget...

The support groups also are designed to help families learn to cope with behavioral and personality changes of someone with a brain injury and to learn that no two head or brain injuries are exactly alike.
 
The law also requires that school officials develop programs to educate coaches, athletes and parents about the signs of concussion and possible long-term effects.

They would like to see increased awareness of traumatic brain injury within the medical community, too.

Medical staff rarely give information on what to watch for and what to expect with a brain injury to patients when they are discharged from the hospital or emergency room.

Families receive scant information about grief, support groups and long-term expectations.

 
 

This article was published Friday, May 25, 2012 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune with the headline:

"Brain injuries affect families: Event focuses on awareness."  

By Jodie Jackson Jr.

 

Roy Jones Jr. to fight at cruiserweight in June in Poland - ESPN

 Who can explain what motivates Roy Jones, Jr. who left boxing to play basketball when he was in his prime and dominating the game. WHY?  Now he is 43 years old and very beatable by lesser fighters than he was as a young fighter. Why risk the chances of permanent injuries to his brain.  Why destroy a brilliant legacy by turning into a trial horse for younger fighters to build their records?


Roy Jones Jr. to fight at cruiserweight in June in Poland - ESPN

 

Roy Jones Jr., the former pound-for-pound king who won titles in four weight classes from middleweight to heavyweight, will fight in the cruiserweight division at a contract weight of 185 pounds, tny told ESPN.com from Poland.

The one division Jones has never won a title in is cruiserweight. Now, even at 43, years past his best and having lost three of his last four fights (two by brutal knockout), Jones is fighting on in hopes of claiming a title in the division.

Punched to Death

This article is interesting in any discussion of head injuries in sports like hockey, football and boxing because it gives medical descriptions of injuries inflicted by hands and feet which extreme examples of fight injuries.

How easy is it to kill a man with your bare hands?
By Brian Palmer

George Zimmerman claims he was fighting for his life. How deadly is an unarmed teenager? - Slate Magazine

A lab report released Thursday showed that Trayvon Martin was shot from close range, probably with the gun pressed against his chest. The new information may bolster George Zimmerman's argument that the two men were locked in combat, and Zimmerman shot the unarmed teenager to protect his own life. How easy is it to kill a man in a fistfight?

It happens more than twice a day, on average. Fists and feet were responsible for 745 murders in 2010, or 5.7 percent of all murders that year, according to FBI statistics. (The data on this have been remarkably stable in recent years. In the five preceding years, the percentage of murders perpetrated by fists or feet fluctuated between 5.6 and 6.1.)

It doesn’t even take an experienced brawler to punch someone to death: An 11-year-old California girl appears to have killed a classmate with her bare hands in a February fistfight.

There are no official statistics on this, but most fistfight deaths are the result of massive internal bleeding from repeated blows, often after the victim has been knocked down or unconscious. Still, under certain circumstances it’s possible to kill a man with a single punch.

In July, for example, a Florida man was arrested for killing someone with a haymaker in a Las Vegas casino.
 

Boxers describing a classic knockout punch talk about snapping their opponent’s head back or turning it around. 

That’s because punching someone unconscious—or killing them—usually results from the rotational forces placed on the head, not from the direct impact of the fist itself. 

A hook to the side of the head, or an uppercut to the chin, can send the head spinning, which breaks blood vessels inside the skull. 

In these cases, victims may die of internal bleeding hours after the fight, with friends and emergency medical personnel never realizing what was going on.

Sometimes the rotational forces on the head leave the blood vessels intact but stress the neurons to the point that they cease to function normally, causing a loss of consciousness. The victim then smashes his head on the concrete, which causes bleeding or other catastrophic brain injury. 

This scenario played out in 2003, when a drunken bar fly in San Diego killed a former Marine with a sucker punch. (Zimmerman’s attorneys will likely emphasize the danger of pavement in a fistfight, as police photos show injuries to the back of his head.)

Biomechanics research shows why these one-punch deaths are rare events.

Automotive and athletic safety experts use a measure called the Head Injury Criterion to determine the lethality of knocks to the head. 

A score of 1,000 indicates that the impact would cause a life-threatening injury to one in six people. Olympic boxers can only punch up to around 164 on the scale, according to a study from 2005. The element of surprise is a major factor. A person who knows he’s going to be punched braces himself and tenses his neck muscles, preventing rapid rotation. (That’s why boxers work hard to develop their neck strength.)

Body blows can also kill under some circumstances. A punch aimed directly at the heart, delivered at a particular moment in the heart’s beating sequence, can cause it to go into a deadly arrhythmia. The condition, known as commotio cordis, usually occurs during sporting events but has also been seen in fistfights.

Zimmerman would not need to demonstrate that his life was in danger in order to gain protection under Florida law. According to the state's “stand your ground” statute, a defendant doesn't need to be at risk of death, but rather at risk of “death or great bodily harm.” The legislature has not defined "great bodily harm," and Florida courts have said only that it “does not include mere bruises as are likely to be inflicted in a simple assault and battery.”

Got a question about today’s news? Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Cynthia Bir of Wayne State University.

Carlos Monzon KNOCKED DOWN by Rodrigo Valdez - YouTube

Carlos Monzon KNOCKED DOWN by Rodrigo Valdez - YouTube





 May 14, 2012 by sweetfights

Carlos Monzon KNOCKED DOWN by Rodrigo Valdez
This is their second meeting
Notice how King Carlos bounces right back up!

 

 We predicted this fight was going to go ahead because the promotion is sure to be a winner.  The public loves grudge matches and Frank Warren clearly saw the opportunity for a bigf payday.  

There is an out cry that Chisora did not deserve to get his boxing license renewed because of his disgraceful behavior in Germany after his fight with Vitali K.  

Who cares about decorum in the fight game?  

This might be a really competitive fight between two young heavy weights better matched against each other than they were against the Klitschko brothers.  David Haye may find Chisora a much more aggressive opponent than  any of his other heavyweight opponents.  The 7 foot Circus Act, the frightened string bean who fainted after a phantom punch or the too cautious Wladimir.

Let's hope David Haye does not get cold feet at the prospect of facing a real, aggressive opponent who would love to KO Mr. Haye.

 

Haye, Chisora set for London showdown

May 8 2012 at 12:14pm
By SAPA 

---

REUTERS

David Haye and Dereck Chisora will fight in London on July 14, five months after the brawl between the British heavyweights that led authorities to strip Chisora of his boxing license.

London – David Haye and Dereck Chisora will fight in London on July 14, five months after the brawl between the British heavyweights that led authorities to strip Chisora of his boxing license.

The fight at West Ham football club will be sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation since the British Boxing Board of Control refused involvement because neither fighter has a license.

Haye relinquished his last year to retire following the loss of his WBA title to Wladimir Klitschko.

Chisora's manager, Frank Warren, says his fighter “will be out of action for six months and will lose money. Why should he not make a living?”

Chisora brawled with Haye during the news conference after losing to WBC champion Vitali Klitschko in Munich on Feb 19. – Sapa-AP 

 Link to Source:

Haye, Chisora set for London showdown - Boxing | IOL.co.za

Junior Seau Case Shines a spotlight on Football Violence

This blog is mostly concerned with the sport of boxing.  Many years ago(1966?), I wrote an essay defending boxing against criticism of its risks for head trauma.  At the time my thesis stated "Boxing is no more dangerous than hockey, rugby or football and those sports were tolerated in public schools.  Why not boxing?"

The argument was that boxers deliberately set out to injure their opponents and this is not the case in the other contact sports.  The reality of hockey 'goons' and football players being told to tackle to injure opponents disproves that argument.

Ironically, Muhammad Ali was the World's Heavyweight Champion at that time and he suffers from a type of Parkinson's disease associated with head trauma.  Freddie Roach is another high profile name in the boxing business who "stayed for a few too many fights" and is paying a similar price as Ali.  

When I wrote about boxing's nemesis it was named  dementia pugilistica or Boxers’ Encephalopathy.* More crudely sufferers of the condition were said to be "punch drunk".  The symptoms are the same as is being described in the following article.

 

Football, hockey and boxing have similar risks judging by the evidence given by neurologists.  My essay was not an early warning about sports injuries causing cumulative damage.   My goal was to see boxing given a fair shake.  It was an argument,as it turns out, for equal opportunity head trauma was being defended.  Crystal ball malfunction is my excuse.   But with the evidence mounting almost daily, it would be reckless for overseers and participants to ignore the facts any longer.

Sports Safety is a growth industry with all the governing bodies of these sports under pressure to end dangerous practices.  Safety is a matter of enlightened self-interest when the profitability of a sports franchise comes under threat of class action suits, like the NFL faces now.

 

 

Junior Seau Dead: Case Highlights Questions of NFL Violence, Brain Injury, Possible Link to Depression, Suicide - ABC News

By MIKAELA CONLEY

May 2, 2012

Seau was found dead from a gunshot wound to the chest at his home in Oceanside, Calif. Wednesday morning.

If Seau did indeed commit suicide, his death would bear a resemblance to that of other athletes in hard-hitting sports, including Chicago Bears football player Dave Duerson. Duerson shot himself in the chest in February of last year. He left a note requesting his brain be sent to the "NFL brain bank" for study.

Several former NFL players have committed suicide in recent years, and many experts believe the deaths could be related to repeated blows to the head. 

 

Some doctors see as a growing link between head trauma, mental illness and suicide, a connection that has come to the forefront of sports safety research in the last decade. 

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative and progressive disease found in people who have experienced multiple blows to the head, has shown up in the brains of several former athletes who committed suicide, including Duerson. 

CTE has similar brain features to that of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease. 

Last May, Dr. Ann McKee, co-director of

 Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, 

a research center that studied Deurson's brain after his death, told reporters that 

Duerson "had classic pathology of CTE and no evidence of any other disease," 

ESPN reported at the time. 

"Exactly how the brain damage causes mood disturbance is not clear," said Dr. John Whyte, director of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute in Philadelphia,  "There could be biological changes going on, or changes in the neurotransmitters that affect mood, or it could be a psychological factor that this brain injury has disrupted work and family life so much that it has really changed your life." 

Until more research has been done, Whyte said the public should not jump to conclude a definitive link between concussions that Seau may have experienced in his career and death. But repeated blows to the head may also damage parts of the brain that have to do with impulse control and the ability to weigh the long-term consequences of decisions. 

"Some people may feel really bad one day, but they can say, 'OK, this thought is out of proportion with reality,'" said Whyte, "whereas, if you're acting on impulse to certain emotions, you may feel bad one day and that can lead you to take action." 

A concussion is caused when the brain is shaken so hard that it hits the inside of the skull, resulting in brain trauma. Studies have contributed to the growing concern over head injuries, particularly concussions, in football and other contact sports. 

For reasons that remain unclear to experts, having one concussion makes a person more prone to further concussions. According to a study published in Neurosurgery last year, American football players who sustained three or more concussions were significantly more likely to develop depression and had were five times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. 

According to statistics from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, about 47 percent of high school football players sustain at least one concussion each season. And 35 percent of those who reportedly suffered from a concussion actually sustained two or more in the same season. 

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 2 million brain injuries are suffered by teenage players every year. 

While there is more concern over players and suicide, Whyte said sports are likely becoming less dangerous because of all the research being devoted to safety guidelines, proper equipment and the aftermath of a career of brain injuries. 

In 2009, the NFL instituted new rules that require clearance from independent neurologists to allow players who suffered concussions to return to the field. The league also imposed stricter guidelines to reduce the number of helmet-to-helmet hits. 

"The focus on sports safety has become much more vigilant about brain injuries and more strict with return-to-play guidelines," said Whyte. "But we certainly need more research to confirm whether these athletic-related injuries are leading to suicides." 

 

 
 Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/junior-seau-dead-case-highlights-questions-nfl-violence

*note:

 

Boxers’ encephalopathy refers to the constellation of major neuropsychologic defects in amateur and career boxers—affecting 10–20% of the latter group—and is the cumulative result of recurrent brain damage and progressive communicating hydrocephalus due to extrapyramidal and cerebellar lesions. 

 

Wechsler and Bender Gestalt testing reveals variable organic mental disease and impaired short-term memory, dysarthria, nystagmus, reasoning ability, and motor skills. Acute boxing injuries include cerebral oedema, ischemia, and temporal or uncal herniation

 

Source: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Dementia+pugilistica

Dereck Chisora lodges appeal

The Blog Post about no fight hype involved in the Chisora-Haye brawl in Germany may not be wrong.   But a great promoter like Frank Warren is not going to ignore the obvious public interest in grudge matches.   The tussle set-up or not did Warren's work for him and now he wants to be able to accept his opportunity.  It is only good business and Boxing needs some excitement with the MMA getting all the fight fans attention right now.  It is just a matter of getting the boxers licensed and terms negotiated.  It might be a very exciting fight. BOXING FANS DESERVE A COMPETITIVE FIGHT BETWEEN TWO TOP FIGHTERS. 

Dereck Chisora lodges appeal against revoked license as Frank Warren talks up David Haye fight - Telegraph

Dereck Chisora has lodged an appeal against the removal of his license

while his promoter
 
Frank Warren believes a heavyweight grudge match against David Haye will take place.

Telegraph Sport understands that Haye was offered the fight by Warren and has expressed an interest in taking it. 

The British Boxing Board of Control indefinitely removed Chisora's licence on March 14 as punishment for his conduct before and after last month's WBC world heavyweight clash with Vitali Klitschko. 

Among the 28-year-old's indiscretions was his brawl with Haye at the post-fight press conference, and Warren believes the simmering feud between the two must be settled in the ring. 
 

For Chisora and Haye to meet in the ring, both boxers would require a Boxing Board licence. Haye let his licence lapse last year after announcing his retirement in October. 

Shameful scenes tarnish British boxing

This event happened on February 18, 2012 and there was lots of press coverage just as predicted.  It does not appear to have been a set-up for Haye and Chisora to fight at the first possible opportunity.

David Haye is probably still angling to fight Vladimir for a big payday...

Shameful scenes tarnish British boxing » Inside Ireland   
 http://insideireland.ie/2012/02/20/haye-and-chisora-face-bans-after-brawl-56466/
Inside Ireland News
 By David Richardson

 

As the melee ensued between David Haye and Dereck Chisora, Vitali and Wladamir Klitschko both stood on the media podium completely dumbfounded as to the events that were unfolding.

In what was a dark, dark day for British boxing, the fallout is set to dominate the headlines for the days to come.

Chisora was detained by German police the following day but released without charge, while Haye left the country before authorities were able to question him regarding the melee.

David is still retired, he has no plans to fight again,” Booth told Radio Five Live.