The Story of Tapia

The man Johnny Tapia believed to be his  father was killed while Tapia was still in the womb. He’d find out much later in life who his biological father was. At eight-years-old, he witnessed the abduction of his mother, which led to her murder. In adulthood, he became a championship boxer, all while struggling with drug addiction and various stints in prison.

If it sounds like a movie, it is.

While producers Eddie Alcazar and Andrea Monier researched Tapia’s life for a feature film they planed to create, the team realized the fighter’s story needed to be told, in his own words. So with a collection of archival footage and interviews conducted with Tapia and his family, the documentary “Tapia” was born.

“It kind of ended up being an accident,” Monier said. “Because we started to collect footage on Johnny, and spent time shooting him and his family. And when we saw our footage, we thought it was amazing. The way he tells a story inspired us to make a documentary.”

Monier is a 31-year-old actress/ producer who lives in LA and grew up in Tuscon, Arizona. With help from her parents, she became valedictorian in high school, before graduating Cum Lade from the University of Arizona, and subsequently choosing an acting career over her college major, engineering.

“I followed my heart over my brain,” Monier said. “I was always drawn to film and how movies can affect people.”

The road Monier took to success wasn’t an option for Tapia. After his mother’s death, he lived with his Grandmother, and began to box at the age of nine. He excelled in the amateurs before turning pro in 1988. There, he would go on to win five titles and countless hearts with his aggressive style, which brought crowds to their feet.

In between back flips (his post fight celebration), Tapia served time in jail. With every comeback, came a victory, and a new tattoo. Before his career was over, Tapia’s once blank canvas was covered in pictures of Jesus Christ and other biblical symbols. Never one to shy away from his troubles, he bore the words “Mi Vida Loca” (my crazy life) across his stomach.

Monier didn’t know who Tapia was before being approached by Alcazar to help make the film, and producing documentaries wasn’t at the top of her career wish list. But she couldn’t turn down an opportunity to tell a story like Tapia’s.

“I’m not a huge boxing fan, but I’m a fan of people who’ve overcome extraordinary circumstances,” Monier said. “He had such a giant heart and a tortured heart; I think a lot of people can relate to that. The drug struggle and overcoming addiction, having to literally survive every day.”

The boxer’s life was indeed a challenge. In the film, you’ll hear Tapia credit boxing for saving his life, and he would tell Monier, “you guys think I’ve made it, but every day I struggle with it [addiction].”

Tapia died three weeks after his final interview for the film, at the age of 45. His untimely death motivated Alcazar and Monier to get the film released.

“With the timing of his passing, we just felt more determined to share his legacy,” Monier said.

Once the film was complete, it screened at the LA Film Festival, where it had a great reception from critics and fans alike. Boxing scribe Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports reviewed the film as “a tragic story brilliantly and skillfully told.” The plan was to show the documentary for two nights, but after it quickly sold out, a third date was added.

Monier and Alcazar still believed it would be difficult to get a distribution deal for “Tapia”. So they reached out to boxing promoter Lou Dibella and Rap Mogul 50 Cent to come on as executive producers and help push the project.

“Lou Dibella and 50 Cent came on board,” Monier said. “And are helping us get the film distributed on a wider level then we probably would’ve been able to without them.”

Monier isn’t discussing the film’s cost until there’s a final tally, but she says aside from having to pay for editing and the use of footage, the budget costs were low.

“We didn’t have a lot of backing or support, so it’s kind of a grass roots documentary,” Monier said. “This isn’t a documentary where you get everyone’s perspective of Johnny, this one that you get Johnny’s perspective of Johnny.”

The team is in talks with several networks to see if a deal can be reached to get the film released to the general public, with the target date of late 2013, or early 2014.

Monier believes whenever “Tapia” is released, it will have a positive impact on those who’ve followed Tapia’s career and those who want to be moved, the same way the film has had an impact on her.

“I’ve become inspired by what he’s done for people,” Monier said. “His wife told me a story about how he saw a woman carrying groceries on the side of the road, and offered her a ride home. Than two hours later he came back and purchased her a car.”

Tapia’s wife Teresa, the mother of his three children, was an iatrical part of his success and a major contributor to the documentary. She was overcome with emotion when she viewed the final cut at the film festival. Monier says Tapia’s family appreciated the realness of the film.

“They thought it was a beautiful, but honest portrayal of Johnny,” Monier said. “We weren’t painting a perfect picture of him; we were trying to create this story so people can relate to him.”

Alcazar and Monier want to continue with their original plan of turning Tapias life into a feature film, which focuses on his childhood in New Mexico. In the mean time, Monier has returned to acting and producing feature films, with no immediate plans to produce another documentary.

“When you start a documentary, you don’t know what the end result will be,” Monier said. “You have to find your story, you have to find your voice and you have to find your purpose. With a feature film, your script is your map.”

Her hope is that with this film, people can see what Tapia overcame and continued to deal with throughout his life, and learn from it. Everyone can relate to the Tapia story, of falling down and getting back up again.

“I didn’t just want to share this with the boxing world. I wanted this film to help out struggling teens, who are trying to figure out their next step, or dealing with drug addiction,” Monier said. “I’ve also had girlfriends see the film who come from a different world and aren’t boxing fans and were touched by the story.”

“Tapia” will show the boxers fans a side of Tapia they didn’t see during his 66 professional fight career. Johnny Tapia the father, the husband, the son and the friend.

“If you met Johnny he would hug you the first time he met you, he was so full of love,” Monier said. “He had this frenetic energy that made you just want to get up and do something. I hope his film inspires people to follow their dreams.”