Ayala Takes Tapia’s Title

They came for comic relief and wound up watching high drama.

Challenger Paulie Ayala’s unanimous decision over World Boxing Assn. bantamweight champion Johnny Tapia regained the spotlight Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Hotel from the Butterbean-Peter McNeeley novelty act that had drawn much of the attention this past week.

Fighting toe to toe with Tapia for the entire 12 rounds, Ayala pulled out a tough, hard-won victory that left an incensed Tapia so angry, he said he was through fighting for promoter Bob Arum.

“You know what happened,” Tapia said. “Everybody knows what happened. I have fought my last fight for Top Rank [Arum’s organization].”

The loss was the first for Tapia (46-1-2, 25 knockouts) while Ayala improved to 28-1 with 12 knockouts.

Judges Fernando Viso of Venezuela and Duane Ford of Las Vegas each scored it 116-113. Judge Guy Jutras of Canada gave Ayala the decision, 115-114.

The Times scored it 115-114 for Tapia.

It was a tough fight to score because so many rounds were close. In a battle in which there were no knockdowns, and no pauses to catch a breath, the two fighters locked heads most of the night and exchanged vicious combinations.

Tapia tried to gain the emotional edge before the opening bell, shoving Ayala during the prefight introductions.

“I did a lot more slugging than boxing,” Ayala said. “That’s unusual for me. But [Tapia] gets so emotional that I thought slugging would work better.

“I did it. I’m the best.”

In the semi-main event, a scheduled four-round match for the International Boxing Assn. super heavyweight title, McNeeley didn’t fold against Eric “Butterbean” Esch the way he did against Mike Tyson in 1995 in their heavyweight match. No, against Butterbean, McNeeley lasted an additional 90 seconds.

Other than that, there wasn’t much difference in McNeeley’s performance Saturday and his match against Tyson, the two-time former champion. Tyson stopped McNeeley in 89 seconds. Butterbean stopped him in 179 seconds, referee Jay Nady stepping in to stop the fight with a second remaining in the first round.

While the fight paled in comparison to the thunderous main event, it was an important victory for Butterbean (45-1-1, 34 knockouts). This was no carnival sideshow opponent, the kind Butterbean has made a career of. McNeeley (45-5, 34 knockouts), while no threat to anyone’s title, is at least a genuine heavyweight, if not a good one.

Against him, Butterbean had to be at his best. And he was, throwing more combinations and a better variety of punches than he has shown in any of his previous bouts.

Although he did little to defend himself, was taking one punch after another and protested little when the fight was ended, McNeeley objected strenuously to the quick end after Butterbean was safely out of reach.

“It was a weak stoppage,” McNeeley said. “We got unfinished business, baby. I deserve a rematch.”

Don’t hold your breath waiting for that.

In a fight lacking in both action and drama because of the defensive tactics of the challenger, World Boxing Council lightweight champion Stevie Johnston (27-1, 14 knockouts) retained his title with a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Aldo Rios (20-1, four knockouts) of Argentina.

“He just came to survive,” Johnston said. “He didn’t take the title. The dude just ran. I couldn’t catch him.”

In a battle of former junior middleweight champions, Yory Boy Campas (73-3, 62 knockouts) of Mexico, who held the International Boxing Federation title, won a unanimous decision over Ron Weaver (23-5, 18 knockouts), who was the IBA champion. Although there was no question Campas was the winner, Weaver didn’t make it easy, staying in Campas’ face and trading body blows and uppercuts through the entire fight.

And finally, Mia St. John remained unbeaten (12-0, seven knockouts) by winning a unanimous decision over Mary Ann Haik (5-6, two knockouts) in a four-round bout.