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Despite warnings after his overdose, Tapia not charged

By Iliana Limón
Thursday, March 29, 2007

Albuquerque boxing star Johnny Tapia may not face drug charges for months.

Tapia's case is caught in a legal limbo.

Tapia, 40, was hospitalized for a drug overdose early March 12. The five-time world boxing champion has a lengthy history of substance abuse, at one point calling cocaine his mistress during an national television interview on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.

This time, Albuquerque police warned there would be legal consequences for Tapia's overdose.

Police reported finding a white, powdery substance in his Northeast Albuquerque hotel room later identified as cocaine. Tapia's wife, Teresa, told 911 operators the couple was in Albuquerque on business but Johnny had disappeared for a few days. When he returned, he smelled of alcohol. Early the next morning, he was unconscious and she called emergency crews for help.

Tapia was in critical condition but pulled out of a coma and checked himself out of Presbyterian Hospital on March 16 against doctors orders.

Now Tapia is recovering and no one is rushing to press charges against him.

"It's still pending, and, as far as I know, we're sending it over to the District Attorney's Office," said Trish Hoffman, an Albuquerque police spokeswoman. "It's up to them to decide whether they want to pursue charges."

Hoffman said it was routine not to immediately charge Tapia with a crime, instead letting the District Attorney's Office decide whether it wanted to pursue a grand jury indictment.

"He wasn't a flight risk, he wasn't a violent felon, and with his medical condition, we decided it wasn't urgent to detain and charge him immediately," Hoffman said.

A representative from the District Attorney's Office said it has not received any police reports about Tapia's drug charges.

Teresa Tapia did not return phone calls seeking comment about her husband's current condition.

Johnny Tapia's latest drug overdose came about two weeks after he won a majority decision over Evaristo Primero of El Paso. Tapia's record is 56-5-2, and he pledged he would retire after the bout.

Albuquerque fans gave him a warm farewell reception after, honoring Tapia's legendary boxing record. Tapia has won five titles in three weight classes, winning the WBA bantamweight title, the IBF and WBO junior bantamweight titles, and the IBF featherweight belt.

The retirement news, however, made boxing observers question whether Tapia could handle life away from the ring. He has struggled to obey the law between training for fights.

In 2003, Tapia spent six months in rehab after a drug overdose. He has been arrested numerous times throughout his career, once serving 45 days in jail for repeated drunken driving arrests.

Tapia grew up in the Wells Park neighborhood in northwest Albuquerque. He said he turned to drugs in the early 1990s to cope with his mother's murder and violence he was exposed to all his life.

Tapia's plan after his February farewell fight was to work on a film about his life and train boxers at his Farmington home.

He said in an interview with the Tribune on Feb. 21 he could handle retirement.

"You know my history," Tapia said. "I've had my negatives, but there are a lot more positives now. I got so much working for me now. I'm still Johnny, but I've got God's blessings, and he has given me so much.

"Everyone knows my troubles. Now, I wake up to kids that tell me they love me, and it's a beautiful thing."