FIGHTLINE BY DOUG FISCHER
Fights only last a matter of minutes, but fighters are connected to each other by chains that extend for decades – even centuries – into the past. Their bond is a lineage built face-to-face: A young prospect struggles with the skills of an aging veteran whose nose was once broken by a fighter now enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In that way, muscle memory carries knowledge and boxers face a piece of everyone their opponent has fought, everyone those people fought, and so on. This month we’re linking two of the best Americans ever to rule the 115-pound division – Johnny Tapia and Jesse Rodriguez. Tapia, a talented but troubled boxer-slugger from Albuquerque, New Mexico, rose to the top of the 115-pound ranks before Rodriguez was born. “Mi Vida Loca” defended the WBO title 13 times between 1994-1998, defeating top contenders Arthur Johnson, Hugo Soto and crosstown rival Danny Romero, whom he outpointed in July 1997 to unify the WBO and IBF belts. Tapia left the 115-pound division in 1998 in search of bigger foes and paydays, winning world titles at bantamweight (twice) and featherweight. As spirited as he was skilled, Tapia was unbeaten in 48 bouts (46-0-2) before he suffered his first loss, a close unanimous decision to Paulie Ayala in The Ring’s 1999 Fight of the Year. Tapia, who passed away at 45 in 2012, finished his pro career with a 59-5-2 (30 KOs) record and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.
TAPIA UD 12 CRUZ NOVEMBER 20, 1996
CRUZ NC 2 MORALES MARCH 1, 1997
Jeddad Knows Age Every Moment Matters Here Jeddah is Different
Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs), the reigning Ring Magazine junior bantamweight champion, is a 25-year-old boxer-puncher from San Antonio. In the span of three and a half years, “Bam” has climbed to the top of the 115-pound division while also rising in the pound-for-pound rankings. Back-to-back victories over former champs Carlos Cuadras (UD 12) and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (TKO 8) commanded instant respect in 2022. After a title-unifying pitstop at flyweight in 2023, Rodriguez returned to junior bantamweight with an elite- level statement against Juan Francisco Estrada in 2024, stopping the future Hall of Famer in seven rounds to win the Ring Magazine and WBC titles. He added the WBO belt to his collection with an impressive 10th-round TKO of Phumelela Cafu this past July. Rodriguez is set to take on unbeaten WBA titleholder Fernando Martinez in November in what could be his toughest fight to date, but, like Tapia, the Texas technician possesses the talent and desire to pursue glory in higher weight classes. Japanese Ring champs Junto Nakatani and Naoya Inoue loom at bantamweight and junior featherweight. There are multiple paths linking the junior bantamweight kings, whose primes are separated by almost 30 years, but we found this five-boxer Fightline. Can you find a faster route? If so, or if you have another Fightline you’d like to submit, send it to comeoutwriting@gmail.com. And remember, some fighters can be linked on paper by jumping forward and backward in time, but to be a true lineage the fights must come in chronological order.
LOPEZ TKO 1 MORALES MAY 14, 2011
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SATO UD 12 LOPEZ JULY 8, 2012
SOR RUNGVISAI TKO 8 SATO MAY 3, 2013
RODRIGUEZ TKO 8 SOR RUNGVISAI JUNE 25, 2022
96 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
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