Keith Tapia (born September 29, 1990) is a Puerto Rican professional
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
. He was born in
Bronx, New York
The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...
, where he lived his childhood as part of the large
Nuyorican
Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, or of their descendants (especially those raised or currently living in the N ...
community; he began boxing there and represented the United States for few international tournaments, in the process winning bronze at the 2006 Cadet World Championships. In 2007, Tapia appealed to his Puerto Rican heritage and ethnicity and changed his Olympic nationality, representing Puerto Rico until his amateur retirement in 2011. Under the Puerto Rican flag, he won gold at the 2007 AIBA Cadet World Championships and other international tournaments, while winning the heavyweight national championship locally. On November 18, 2011, Tapia made his professional debut, now boxing out of
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina (; ) is a city and municipality located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. It lies immediately east of the capital San Juan and Trujillo Alto; north of Gurabo and Juncos; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread ove ...
.
Amateur career
Early life and introduction to boxing
Tapia was introduced to boxing while living in New York, when his parents took him to a gymnasium in order to control his weight and quickly employed his energy excess to establish a high-intensity training regime. He developed an admiration for the boxing styles of
Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez RiveraMuhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
, which influenced his style and created a preference towards technical boxing, instead of brawling and pursuing a knockout punch.
*Gold at the National Silver Gloves in 2006 (81 kg, 178 lbs)
*Gold at the Aliyev Cup in May, 2006 (80 kg) – "Tapia won three bouts en route to his gold medal, beating John Conners of Ireland in the quarterfinals; stopping Akmaljon Rakhmovon of Uzbekistan in the semifinals; and defeating Asim Isgandarov of Azerbaijan in the finals" (Source:USA boxing)
*Gold at the National
AAU Junior Olympic Games
The AAU Junior Olympic Games'' are the pinnacle competitions held annually by the US Amateur Athletic Union.
Overview
The AAU Junior Olympic Games are known as the largest national multi-sport event for youth in the United States. It has become t ...
in 2006 (86 kg, 186 lbs)
*Bronze at the Cadet World Championships in 2006, lost to Russian Vitali Kudukhov 10:15.
Representing Puerto Rico and Cadet World Championship
In 2007, Tapia decided to represent Puerto Rico in AIBA competition based on being a full-blood Puerto Rican despite being born in New York, with both of his parents originating from there. Upon moving to the archipelago from New York, Tapia joined Club Diamante and was trained by Ricardo "Ricky" Márquez, who employed his high energy and developed a six-day-per-week regime, including sparring, motivational conferences and running throughout in panoramic locales such as el Morro in Old San Juan. Tapia's first competition for the Puerto Rico national cadet boxing team was the 2007 AIBA Cadet World Boxing Championships. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Joseph Arguello of the United States by points, 29:11. In the semifinals, Tapia advanced over Adulallev Rashad (30:9) of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
. In the finals, he faced Smolin Segey of Ukraine, defeating his with scores of 17:6 to win the gold medal. At his first major senior class tournament shortly after turning 17 years old, the
2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships
The 2007 AIBA World Boxing Championships were held in Chicago, United States from October 23, 2007 to November 3, 2007. It was held at the UIC Pavilion. It was the biggest World Championships in AIBA history.
The competition is under the super ...
, he was upset early at heavyweight with 201 lbs heavyweight limit by
John M'Bumba
John Mickael M'Bumba (born April 29, 1983) is a French amateur boxer, born in Anderlecht, Belgium, best known for winning a bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships as a heavyweight (up to 91 kg). He also fought in the 2008 S ...
of France, who went on to win the bronze medal. On October 8, 2009, Tapia participated in a youth dual against a selection from Canada, defeating Matt Flynn by abandonment in four rounds. On September 18, 2009, Tapia participated in a double-header against talent from the Ironbound Boxing Club based in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.2010 Central American and Caribbean Games, but he was cut from it after choosing not to participate in morning running sessions and being absent from training. On July 3, 2011, he defeated Santiago (18:8) in a rubber match during the finals of the Copa Olímpica Internacional. Later that month, Tapia entered the ''Torneo Internacional'' José "Cheo" Aponte held in Caguas. In the semifinals, he was paired against Pan American champion Julio Castillo of Ecuador, overwhelming him in the third round and earning a RSC victory. In the finals he faced Santiago in another match, earning a 20:4 decision. Tapia decided to close his amateur career following a resolution where the Amateur Boxing Federation decided not to participate in the 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships, citing an inexperienced team and conflicting dates with the
2011 Pan American Games
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...
, leaving him without a tournament to participate in. His final amateur record was 58 wins and 4 losses.
Professional career
Tapia made his professional debut on November 18, 2011, defeating Andrew Kuilan in the undercard of a Promociones Miguel Cotto card held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Less than three months later, he repeated that performance against Edgardo Salas in a televised Puerto Rico Best Boxing event. Twenty-one days later, Tapia returned in the undercard of a Universal Promotion's Team Puerto Rico event against Ramón Adorno, winning in the first round after his opponent's corner submitted the contest by throwing a towel into the ring. On March 24, 2012, he participated in his second Promociones Miguel Cotto event, finishing the contest in the same manner than those that preceded it.