Council to Honor Tapia with Gym Naming

Albuquerque city councilors voted 8-1 late Monday to honor boxing great Johnny Tapia by naming a Wells Park gym after him.

Councilor Ken Sanchez had originally wanted to name the whole Wells Park Community Center after Tapia but changed his mind after hearing from the family of the original namesake. In any case, his bill calls for naming the gym at the center for Tapia and for accepting the donation of a 6 foot statue in his honor.

Trudy Jones was the lone “no” vote. She said, “I truly feel for his family. I think there are some who deserve high honors and there are others who we need to think carefully about … whether they deserve this type of honor.”

I’ll have more in tomorrow’s paper. Here’s the last piece I wrote before tonight’s meeting on the issue.

Young boxers and others who knew Tapia shared tears and stories about the late boxing great before the vote.