I am saddened by the recent passing of Johnny Tapia, who won world championships in three weight divisions; super flyweight, bantamweight and featherweight. He was a colorful fighter in the ring, with a troubled life outside the ring. As an amateur he won over 100 bouts, winning five New Mexico Golden Glove titles and two national Golden Glove championships. As a professional, his ring record was 59 wins, 5 losses, 2 draws, with 30 knockouts. He was 45 years of age.  Johnny will be missed. May his soul rest in heaven with the Lord.

On May 20, 2012, former WBA featherweight champion Raul Rojas passed away. In the sixties, Raul was one of the top fighters from the Los Angeles area.  On May 7, 1965,  in his first bid for a world title, he went 15 rounds before losing by knockout to Mexican great Vicente Saldivar. As a professional, his ring record was 38-7-2 (24 by KO), with four of his losses coming at the end of his career while  fighting in a higher weight division against bigger opponents. Funeral services for Raul are being held on Friday, June 1, 2012 at All Souls Mortuary, 4400 Cherry Ave, Long Beach, California at 10am. My prayers are with he and his family. Raul was 70 years old.