The Fight You Will Never Win

I recently read in a Yahoo Sports article, that boxing champion Johnny Tapia was found dead in his New Mexico home on Sunday May 28. The first thing the article mentioned was that people were not surprised to find him dead, but rather that he had lived for so long. 

Tapia, who in his prior lifetime had been declared dead four times before but managed to survive. To say that Johnny Tapia had a rough childhood and lifetime is a tremendous understatement, His dad was murdered before he was born, his mom was raped, stabbed to death and was chained up and dragged by a truck. In his infamous "Mi Vida Loca" letter, he explains that he was raised a pit bull and trained to fight to the death. He experienced the murders of multiple friends and spent his life dodging bullets. Drugs were always in his life and he resorted to them when he was not boxing to relieve his stress. 

We have previously read, that in order to attain self worth, pride and "manhood", athletes must have success in their sport field. As long as they are producing results, nothing else matters. Fame, glory and attention is what our readings claim that we crave and seek in order to say we are "successful. Tapia's life is a clear example in which success in the boxing ring never translated to success and triumph in his personal life. The constant battles in the ring, the constant fights with opponents kept his mind occupied from what mattered the most in life, his own life. To some, especially those who have adopted as Elijah Anderson states "The Code of the Street", the only escape from reality and the harsh living conditions is when they are in action, whether its on the boxing ring, baseball field or the octagon. To some individuals, being happy and care free can be found in the most violent places, for Tapia, it was in the ring. 

We spoke about how people have midlife crisis and that the meaning of success changes with age, what once mattered no longer seems relevant. Family becomes more important, the people around you become a greater part of your life. To a certain degree, you become less concerned about your reputation and more concerned about your loved ones. But when you have to deal with the realization that you no longer value what you once did, but you dont have the support system which people in their "midlife crisis" go to, then what? How are you expected to cope with your pain when you no longer have that means of escape from reality, the ring. 

The thing that somewhat bothered me the most, was that the article mentioned that his death was something everyone expected. Whether or not he used drugs until the day of his death, it emphasizes how society only values entertainment and violence. If you are unable to provide it, you serve no purpose in life. Ultimately, individuals have to give it up because you are not providing what the people need, but society does not provide you with a safety blanket, if you dont have it, you are screwed. 

Raul Duran

Kin 577