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By Thomas Gerbasi - I’ve seen the word “legend” tossed about more than a few times when discussing the death of former junior middleweight contender Tony Ayala Jr. Tuesday at the age of 52.
According to Merriam-Webster.com, “legend” is defined as “a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well.”
I guess by that definition, Ayala Jr. was a legend from 1981 to 1982, when he terrorized the 154-pound weight class and seemed destined for greatness. Unfortunately, he was a terror to women as well, in particular a New Jersey woman he raped in 1983. It wasn’t his first assault, as he had also beat and raped a teenager in the bathroom of a San Antonio drive-in theater when he was only 15 himself. Tried as an adult, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. An alleged $40,000 payment to the victim encouraged her to plead for leniency for him. He was granted probation.
That’s unfortunately what happens when you can tame an animal to the point where he can perform for the masses, entertain them, and make those around him enough money for them to turn their heads when he takes his behavior outside of society’s accepted norms. A harsh assessment? Absolutely, but what else would you call the Texas native, who was most certainly entertaining and on the verge of making a lot of people a lot of money as the mandatory challenger for WBA champion Davey Moore’s title.
But eventually, the blinders had to come off, and after the 1983 rape, the 19-year-old Ayala was found guilty and sentenced to 35 years in jail, 15 to be served before being eligible for parole. [Click Here To Read More]
According to Merriam-Webster.com, “legend” is defined as “a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well.”
I guess by that definition, Ayala Jr. was a legend from 1981 to 1982, when he terrorized the 154-pound weight class and seemed destined for greatness. Unfortunately, he was a terror to women as well, in particular a New Jersey woman he raped in 1983. It wasn’t his first assault, as he had also beat and raped a teenager in the bathroom of a San Antonio drive-in theater when he was only 15 himself. Tried as an adult, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. An alleged $40,000 payment to the victim encouraged her to plead for leniency for him. He was granted probation.
That’s unfortunately what happens when you can tame an animal to the point where he can perform for the masses, entertain them, and make those around him enough money for them to turn their heads when he takes his behavior outside of society’s accepted norms. A harsh assessment? Absolutely, but what else would you call the Texas native, who was most certainly entertaining and on the verge of making a lot of people a lot of money as the mandatory challenger for WBA champion Davey Moore’s title.
But eventually, the blinders had to come off, and after the 1983 rape, the 19-year-old Ayala was found guilty and sentenced to 35 years in jail, 15 to be served before being eligible for parole. [Click Here To Read More]
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