What do you think?
Rate this book
Mi Vida Loca: The Crazy Life of Johnny Tapia
Mi Vida Loca( The Crazy Life of Johnny Tapia) <> Hardcover <> JohnnyTapia <> VoltPress
220 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2005
12 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 29, 2012
"Almost everything I do wrong they explain with the bipolar disorder, all the compulsive behavior, ideas that I am invincible. Though I will still argue with you that I am, actually invincible. Look at how many times I have died, and tried to die, and I'm still here. If anybody's invincible it's got to be me."
R.I.P. Johnny. Boxing may at times be vicious but you made it look beautiful.
this is a really good read- good on so many levels. You do not have to be a fight fan to enjoy. Story of the vicious murder of his mother witnessed by him when he was 9 years old,Post traumatic stress, drug addiction, prison, the support of a great woman (Teresa),the heart of a fighter and the love of the sport of boxing.
R.I.P. Johnny. Boxing may at times be vicious but you made it look beautiful.
this is a really good read- good on so many levels. You do not have to be a fight fan to enjoy. Story of the vicious murder of his mother witnessed by him when he was 9 years old,Post traumatic stress, drug addiction, prison, the support of a great woman (Teresa),the heart of a fighter and the love of the sport of boxing.
June 10, 2013
"I have risen and fallen more times than a lot of civilizations" - Johnny Tapia
That pretty much sums it up. Fantastic book that details the life of a troubled Prizefighter. You don't have to be a Boxing fan to enjoy this book though. It is a brutal and honest tale of the most tragic life you will ever hear of. Thankfully he also had moments of peace and joy.
A great fight who is greatly missed. RIP Champ.
That pretty much sums it up. Fantastic book that details the life of a troubled Prizefighter. You don't have to be a Boxing fan to enjoy this book though. It is a brutal and honest tale of the most tragic life you will ever hear of. Thankfully he also had moments of peace and joy.
A great fight who is greatly missed. RIP Champ.
May 16, 2012
Enjoyed the book despite some grammatical errors and pedantic writing style. Incredible story orhterwise
June 28, 2014
Very interesting read, this man lived through a messed up childhood, only to continue on to more pain.
April 25, 2016
I rate this book a 4 star because the story is good but it doesn't hit me to rate it a 5 star. and it shows you how some people's life was hard but still manege to overcome life and still success.
December 18, 2021
It might sound counterintuitive to non-boxing fans, but believe it or not, very few boxers fight with uncontained rage. You have to pace yourself in a fight, and generally be cognizant of the return fire coming from the other guy, so you can't just go in there blindly charging, fueled as much by your demons as your skill.
There's an exception to every rule, and Johnny "Mi Vida Loca" Tapia is it here. The only other fighter who had the same level of whirling dervish intensity in the ring was maybe Aaron "the Hawk" Pryor. And Pryor, like Tapia, had a closetful of demons and a bloodstream choked with dope, which both curtailed his prime and made it that much more memorable.
"Mi Vida Loca" focuses more on the demons than the boxing, but oh, what demons they are. Tapia takes the reader from his hardscrabble origins in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his mother was murdered at age eight, on to his several overdoses and paranoid psychotic episodes. Some of these ended with him in prison. One actually ended with him on the coroner's table, the death certificate being filled out, when he sat up from the cold steel slab and announced he wasn't quite dead yet.
It's an insane, true story, about a man who had as many lives as a cat, but somehow, through the love of a woman and the grace of God, stopped after squandering his eighth incarnation. Recommended, both for fight fans and those struggling with the demons of addiction, or the loss of a loved one. With photos.
There's an exception to every rule, and Johnny "Mi Vida Loca" Tapia is it here. The only other fighter who had the same level of whirling dervish intensity in the ring was maybe Aaron "the Hawk" Pryor. And Pryor, like Tapia, had a closetful of demons and a bloodstream choked with dope, which both curtailed his prime and made it that much more memorable.
"Mi Vida Loca" focuses more on the demons than the boxing, but oh, what demons they are. Tapia takes the reader from his hardscrabble origins in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his mother was murdered at age eight, on to his several overdoses and paranoid psychotic episodes. Some of these ended with him in prison. One actually ended with him on the coroner's table, the death certificate being filled out, when he sat up from the cold steel slab and announced he wasn't quite dead yet.
It's an insane, true story, about a man who had as many lives as a cat, but somehow, through the love of a woman and the grace of God, stopped after squandering his eighth incarnation. Recommended, both for fight fans and those struggling with the demons of addiction, or the loss of a loved one. With photos.
May 18, 2025
there's something about books about boxers that grabs me. boxers have a truth and directness about them when they're telling their story its like your hanging out with them in their living room.
tapia is one of those rare people who are blessed and cursed, his mother is brutally murdered when he was a kid and they had such a strong bond he could never get over it. he's raised by this grandparents sort of harshly, and is beaten by them and his uncles, but that makes him tough, and turns into a prize fighter, like other troubled fighters his peace is in the ring, but life gets in the way. with success Johnny gets into drugs and many near death experiences, the only thing that saves him is his wife teresa, she's his earth angel, him mom is his angel from above. though he's a champ there's no happily lived ever after story her, Johnnys torment runs deep. but thru it all hes a guy with a pure heart that will help anyone in need, his momma taught him that. I think we all need a figure like Johnny tapia in our corner, who knows what we're going thru, and tells us to never give up.
tapia is one of those rare people who are blessed and cursed, his mother is brutally murdered when he was a kid and they had such a strong bond he could never get over it. he's raised by this grandparents sort of harshly, and is beaten by them and his uncles, but that makes him tough, and turns into a prize fighter, like other troubled fighters his peace is in the ring, but life gets in the way. with success Johnny gets into drugs and many near death experiences, the only thing that saves him is his wife teresa, she's his earth angel, him mom is his angel from above. though he's a champ there's no happily lived ever after story her, Johnnys torment runs deep. but thru it all hes a guy with a pure heart that will help anyone in need, his momma taught him that. I think we all need a figure like Johnny tapia in our corner, who knows what we're going thru, and tells us to never give up.
August 9, 2024
What a book! It is my @jays favourite book and he has always said - I want you to read it. I bought him a copy and in Turkey we went chapter by chapter through it together. Imagine sitting by the pool, living your best life sobbing, chapter by chapter sobbing. This book did something to me. It might be his stark honestly and his good nature. It might be that he was dragged up and in the face of adversity he said no, I'm going to be better, no matter how many times he was knocked down physically and emotionally. It might be that in a world of indifference he loved, he really loved. But I think more than anything that it breaks my heart that a little boy, in this world went through all he went through and nobody loved him enough to take him into their arms and say, it will be alright Johnny.
If I could choose one thing this book taught me it would be that the phoenix does indeed rise from the ashes and the work you need to do in your life does, always, inherently... Start with you. XOXO
If I could choose one thing this book taught me it would be that the phoenix does indeed rise from the ashes and the work you need to do in your life does, always, inherently... Start with you. XOXO
April 2, 2024
As someone who grew up in (obviously not the exact same) a similar culture/environment to the one written in the book, it reads like a crime novel you would find at your local bookstores fiction section. But, then you realize that the death of Virginia Tapia sounds like the death of a girl all your friends were talking about, or his standoff with the police is just like the one that put a friend of yours in jail, or that the systemic issues described in the book are very much real. It adds a level of sadness to the book that accentuates its reading.
March 21, 2019
I'm a big fight fan but this book barely goes into any interesting details about his boxing career apart from the mention of his opponents names.
It did get a bit tiresome reading about his addiction and constant erratic life.
Not as readable as I expected.
It did get a bit tiresome reading about his addiction and constant erratic life.
Not as readable as I expected.
August 27, 2017
Everybody should read this. I am now going to watch Tapia fights on youtube for three hours.
March 28, 2022
Brilliant 👏 to achieve what he did with the life he's had is incredible. RIP Johnny
June 7, 2025
awesome
Awesome book. He overcame a lot. His wife went through a lot with him. Hope his kids are ok. He kept his faith
Awesome book. He overcame a lot. His wife went through a lot with him. Hope his kids are ok. He kept his faith
December 29, 2012
A powerful and tragic story of a tormented soul who struggled with demons, external and internal. I was always a fan of Johnny Tapia for his boxing greatness. I never knew what a victim he was. Rest in peace Johnny Tapia.
Want to read
August 11, 2009I live a half a block from where Johnny grew up. I've never met him, but I'm interested to read about his life.
Read
March 15, 2010This book pretty much talks about the gangs in los angeles, california. the violence, drugs, and sex.
December 10, 2013
I loved this book so much. Johnny went through a hell of a lot in his life, and then again Teresa did too. I so wish I could have met him. RIP Johnny Tapia
August 3, 2015
Excellent. Simply put a truly amazing life story of one of the sports greatest characters. A must read read for all boxing fans.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews