Boxing mourns Tapia

Five-time world boxing champion Johnny Tapia has been found dead at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, police have confirmed.

The 45-year-old. whose career was blighted by cocaine addiction, alcohol, depression and time in jail, was found by a family member and police spokesman Robert Gibbs said there did not appear to be any suspicious circumstances. Tapia - who had the Spanish phrase 'mi vida loca' (my crazy life) tattooed on his stomach - turned professional in 1988 and won five championships in three weight classes, including the WBA bantamweight title, the IBF and WBO junior bantamweight titles and the IBF featherweight belt. Away from the bright lights of the ring, Tapia's upbringing was turbulent and his personal life was pockmarked by tragedy. He was orphaned at eight when his mother was kidnapped, raped and left for dead after being stabbed 26 times with a screwdriver. In his 2006 autobiography, Tapia described how he had been declared clinically dead five times. In 2007, his brother-in-law and nephew were killed in a car accident on their way to visit him in hospital for treatment on an apparent cocaine overdose. He last fought in June, outpointing Mauricio Pastrana in an eight-round decision in his home town of Albuquerque. He finished with a 59-5-2 record.