Dec-2-2008

Tapia On Title Fight With Torres: ‘It’s Going To Be A War’

By Frank Curreri

Before his fights, hours before he enters the cage, Manny Tapia tears up. Afterward, regardless of the outcome, he cries again.

“I’m a very emotional fighter,” the 27-year-old Californian explained. “So many people have such high expectations for me and I don’t want to let anybody down. I just get teary eyed – it’s more of a happy cry. I start thinking about my past. I think about my family and friends. I think about my parents.”

Beyond the arm and back tattoos, and a flair for flamboyance that includes dying his hair three different hair colors at once, Tapia - who will challenge WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres in tonight’s main event (VERSUS network, 8 p.m. EST, 5 PST) - is a thoughtful and articulate young man who learned early on in life to not take anything for granted. He still remembers, just “like it was yesterday,” being at home 19 years ago waiting for his mother to return home from the hospital, where she had recently given birth to a baby boy.

“I was at home and we had prepared a coming home party,” said Tapia, 10-0-1. “I remember my dad picked me up and said, ‘Your mom is not coming home.’ He told me she was in the sky with God. I didn’t know what that meant. I ran and started bawling.”

Months later, little Manny’s father became ill. The elder Tapia had passed out a several times at work and had visited the hospital for evaluation. Doctors wanted Mr. Tapia to go home and rest; instead the father had a habit of immediately returning to work.

“He had to put food on the table,” Manny said. “He was a super hard worker. It got to the point where he went to the hospital and they had to strap him down so he couldn’t leave.”

Roughly one year after labor complications claimed Manny’s mother, leukemia claimed his father’s life. Manny and his siblings moved from Riverside, Calif., to Chino, Calif. Their grandmother, now 86 years old, and aunts and uncles became the backbone of their upbringing.

“She’s a strong woman, man. She had stronger legs than I do and she’s 86,” Tapia said of his grandmother. “Living here in Chino they taught me how to read English. It’s kind of like a ghetto where I live. Even if you live on the corner of 6th and C Street, it’s not too good. Everybody here knows me. I ran with the local guys for awhile. I was heading on a bad route … but I knew my parents didn’t want that for me. I saw 40 year old guys asking their mom and dad for beer money. My parents had always stressed for me to go to school and be my own boss, which I am now. I learned to be happy with what I’ve got – my sister, my two brothers, my nieces and nephews. I know things could be a lot worse. I know people with much worse situations than me.”

With fighting, as in life, Tapia has been equally adept at handling adversity, though he will likely need to elevate his game to another stratosphere if he is to dethrone the machine-like Torres. Officially, Torres’ record is 34-1, though he contends he actually has 40-plus wins (some of those fights simply being unsanctioned). Torres suffered his lone loss five years ago during his return to the ring after ACL surgery. Interestingly, Tapia has had surgery on the meniscus ligament in both of his knees. He was supposed to fight Torres for the title last June, but the meniscus in his right leg was too damaged and made it difficult to walk let alone train, prompting him to undergo surgery. Doctors had told Tapia he should not fight again until next year on the surgically repaired right knee, but he recovered from the procedure ahead of schedule.

“The first surgery they saved the meniscus, but this last one was pretty bad, they had to completely remove everything,” Tapia said. “They didn’t think I’d be fighting yet. They didn’t think I’d be able to fight until sometime next year. They told me just to cycle and hit the bike. Man, I got fat, because I like to go out and have a few drinks. I’m human. That was the heaviest I’ve ever been. I was sad because I saw my buddies getting ready for fights and I was sidelined and unable to help them out. It took about two months to heal but once I was able to walk better I started picking it up. I was wrestling and doing other stuff and it didn’t feel that bad. So I just listened to my body.

“I wasn’t even thinking they were going to give me Miguel for my next fight, but they gave me the offer and I said, ‘Heck yeah I’ll fight that fool. I‘ll fight anybody.’ I’m glad they gave me the chance to fight Miguel again.

It is an intriguing matchup, and not just because both men sport near-perfect records, speak Spanish and share Mexican ancestry. Torres, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Carlson Gracie, Jr., is one of the best in the business at converting his jiu-jitsu to MMA and finishing opponents. Tapia is the fearless type who charges like a bull for the entire fight. He trains with Olympic boxers regularly, and with jiu-jitsu ace Javier Vazquez, and has earned a reputation for being difficult to tap or submit. Tapia was also a high school wrestler and it wouldn’t be surprising if he had an edge over Torres in that department. If so, Tapia could have the power to dictate whether this fight is predominantly a standup affair or a ground battle. Tapia said he is friendly with Torres and that even before this fight was scheduled each man sensed they were on a collision course. Their heritages add even more sizzle to this bout.

“I had the chance to be with Miguel for a week in Mexico City and he’s a real cool guy, I got nothing bad to say about him,” Tapia said. “He’s also very family-oriented. He told me he had a feeling we will fight more than once. We’re going to put on a show. I’m going to try and give the crowd a knockout. I’m a proud Mexican-American and I know he is, too. And actually our families are from the same town in Mexico – Michoacan. Him being Mexican-American means he’s going to be stubborn. I know it’s going to be a war, a fun fight. I can see the warrior in his eyes; I’ve got the same look. I just know I’m not going to give up.

“I think I’m a bad matchup for Miguel and for anybody. I can adjust to any style. I don’t think Miguel has ever faced anybody that pressures the way I pressure. He actually impressed me with his standup, I didn’t think it was that good until he fought (Yoshiro) Maeda. It turns out Miguel is a well-rounded fighter who brings everything to the table. But I am a heck of a scrambler, I’m hard to handle and I’m very hard to submit. And if I need to change up and adjust my game plan in between rounds I’ve very good at doing that.”

Tapia has been able to practice hard for the past three months and has been sparring for five, five-minute rounds (the full length of a title fight should it go the distance) and feeling strong throughout. He intends to enter the cage to the sound of “Song De Caliente,” a Mariachi style song sung by Mexican icon Vicente Fernandez. The essence of the song means “My Blood is Boiling.”

“The song talks about roosters, but really it’s talking about the person who is going to fight in a cage, pretty much,” Tapia said. “It’s the perfect song because the guy talks about how he’s not afraid of anybody and how his parents were the finest. It’s the perfect fight song for me. It’s awesome …

“I have not lost yet. I train very hard not to lose. Ten and O is just a record. 11 and O is a lot better. Once we’re 11 and O and people see that WEC belt around my waist then people can think whatever they want to think. As long as the 0 stays there, that’s all I want. It’s going to be a great fight and I know that I’m that going to be bruised for like a week afterward. It’s going to be one of those.”