Paulie Ayala

Paul Anthony "Paulie" Ayala (born April 22, 1970) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2004. He was a multiple-division World champion who held the WBA bantamweight title, and the IBO super bantamweight title. In 1999 he was voted "Fighter of the Year" by The Ring magazine for his first bout against Johnny Tapia, which also won "Fight of the Year" honors.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Paulie Ayala
Statistics
Real namePaul Anthony Ayala
Weight(s)Featherweight
Super bantamweight
Bantamweight
Height5 ft 5+1⁄2 in (166 cm)
Reach68 in (173 cm)
NationalityAmerican
Born (1970-04-22) April 22, 1970
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights38
Wins35
Wins by KO12
Losses3

Professional career

Ayala began his professional fighting career with a six-round decision win over Jaime Olvera on November 27, 1992. He had seven fights in 1993, including one against future NABO champion and world title challenger Jesse Magana. Ayala won all seven of those bouts, four by knockout. Magana was knocked out in the fourth round, after which Ayala went on to score wins over prospects Evgeny Novoselov and George Acevedo.

In 1994, he won all four of his bouts, including one over veteran Lee Cargle. Cargle was knocked out by Ayala in round three. 1995 was a productive year for Ayala, who won all five of his fights, including his first regional championship bout. By defeating Mike Espinoza by knockout in three rounds at the Fort Worth Convention Center, Ayala claimed the NABF bantamweight title. He defended it twice before the end of the year, beating Mario Diaz and Sergio Millan, both by decision in 12 rounds.

Ayala only had two fights in 1996, both of them successful defenses of his NABF title. In the first, he knocked out Roland Gomez in seven rounds but was forced to take a seven-month layoff due to a broken Hand. Returning to the ring in September, Ayala defeated Ivan Alvarez by a decision in twelve to retain the NABF bantamweight title.

He began 1997 by defeating Cuauhtemoc Gomez by decision in twelve, once again retaining his belt as the headliner at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ayala won three more bouts that year, defeating heavy-handed puncher Nestor Lopez in a co-main event feature on an HBO pay-per-view card, headlining at The Orleans in Paradise, Nevada with a fifth-round knockout over Roberto Lopez to retain the NABF belt. This was followed by another HBO PPV appearance, in which Ayala won a unanimous decision against Ricardo Medina.

At the beginning of 1998, Ayala was very close to a world championship bout. Fighting two more bouts, he received his first chance at a world title by becoming the mandatory contender for the WBC belt. Ayala then traveled to Japan to challenge WBC bantamweight champion Joichiro Tatsuyoshi on August 23. Ayala lost the fight by a sixth-round technical decision when the fight was stopped due to a cut. Tatsuyoshi came out fast in the opening rounds, but Ayala rallied back to win the fifth and sixth rounds unanimously. During the fight, an accidental clash of heads caused a cut and Ayala was docked 2 points. The fight was stopped in round seven due to the severity of the cut, sending the decision to the scorecards and thereby handing victory to Tatsuyoshi.[7]

WBA bantamweight title

After a win against Ivan Salazar, Ayala began 1999 by beating David Vazquez by a decision ten. Unable to secure a rematch with Tatsuyoshi, Ayala nonetheless got his second chance at becoming a world champion, this time against WBA bantamweight champion Johnny Tapia. The fight took place in Las Vegas on June 26.[8] Ayala handed Tapia his first career loss and became world champion by winning a twelve-round unanimous decision, in what turned out to be both Ayala's Showtime debut and The Ring magazine's Fight of the Year for 1999.[9]

Ayala retained his title against WBA #1 contender Sithai Condo before the end of that year, earning The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year honours. In his second title defense, he defeated Johnny Bredahl via a twelve-round decision. On October 7, 2000, Ayala and Tapia met in a rematch for the vacant IBA featherweight title, at a catchweight of 124 lbs. As with the first fight, this took place on Showtime. Due to Tapia being unable to make the bantamweight limit, Ayala's WBA bantamweight title was not at stake. Ayala defeated Tapia once again by a twelve-round unanimous decision, a result which was seen as controversial.[9]

On March 30, 2001, Ayala recovered from a fourth-round knockdown to retain his WBA bantamweight title with a twelve-round decision against Hugo Dianzo in an ESPN telecast bout. Ayala then vacated his title to move up in weight.

Super bantamweight

On August 4, 2001, Ayala challenged world champion Clarence Adams, who had vacated his WBA super bantamweight title to face Ayala for the vacant IBO title. Ayala defeated Adams via split decision. In a rematch of their closely contested bout, Ayala successfully defended his IBO title by defeating Adams in a wide unanimous decision. Both bouts were featured on HBO telecasts.

Featherweight

Continuing his rise in weight, on November 16, 2002 Ayala met world champion Érik Morales for the vacant WBC featherweight title, this time winding up on the losing end of a twelve-round unanimous decision.[10]

Ayala returned to the ring on November 15, 2003, dropping back down to super bantamweight and defeating Edel Ruiz in a ten-round unanimous decision in Fort Worth, Texas. On June 19, 2004 in Los Angeles, Ayala once again ventured into the featherweight division. In a losing effort against fellow former world champion Marco Antonio Barrera, Ayala was knocked out in ten rounds.[11] In September of that year, Ayala surprised many of his boxing fans by announcing his retirement from the sport.[12]

Punching Out Parkinson's

Following retirement, Ayala has contributed to helping those who suffer from Parkinson's disease. In Fort Worth, Texas at his University of Hard Knocks gym, Ayala started a program to help Parkinson's patients.[13] Using his expertise, he teaches non-contact boxing techniques to regain coordination, strength and balance to improve the quality of life for his students and create an environment of camaraderie.[14]


Professional boxing record
38 fights 35 wins 3 losses
By knockout 12 1
By decision 23 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
38 Loss 35–3 Marco Antonio Barrera TKO 10 (12), 2:34 Jun 19, 2004 Home Depot Center, Carson, California, US
37 Win 35–2 Edel Ruiz UD 10 Nov 14, 2003 Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, US
36 Loss 34–2 Érik Morales UD 12 Nov 16, 2002 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US For vacant WBC featherweight title
35 Win 34–1 Clarence Adams UD 12 Feb 23, 2002 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US Retained IBO super bantamweight title;
Won vacant The Ring super bantamweight title
34 Win 33–1 Clarence Adams SD 12 Aug 4, 2001 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US Won vacant IBO super bantamweight title
33 Win 32–1 Hugo Dianzo UD 12 Mar 30, 2001 Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, US Retained WBA bantamweight title
32 Win 31–1 Johnny Tapia UD 12 Oct 7, 2000 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, US
31 Win 30–1 Johnny Bredahl MD 12 Mar 4, 2000 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US Retained WBA bantamweight title
30 Win 29–1 Anupong Saohin Srisuk UD 12 Oct 23, 1999 Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, US Retained WBA bantamweight title
29 Win 28–1 Johnny Tapia UD 12 Jun 26, 1999 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US Won WBA bantamweight title
28 Win 27–1 David Vazquez UD 10 Feb 20, 1999 John Justin Arena, Fort Worth, Texas, US
27 Win 26–1 Ivan Salazar KO 4 (8) Nov 14, 1998 County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, US
26 Loss 25–1 Joichiro Tatsuyoshi TD 6 (12), 3:00 Aug 23, 1998 Arena, Yokohama, Japan For WBC bantamweight title
25 Win 25–0 Antonio Ramirez TKO 7 (10) May 16, 1998 Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, US
24 Win 24–0 Elias Paulin KO 4 (10), 0:47 Feb 11, 1998 Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, US
23 Win 23–0 Ricardo Medina UD 10 Sep 13, 1997 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, US
22 Win 22–0 Roberto Lopez TKO 5 (12), 2:43 Aug 8, 1997 Orleans Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US Retained NABF bantamweight title
21 Win 21–0 Nestor Lopez UD 10 Apr 12, 1997 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, US
20 Win 20–0 Cuauhtemoc Gomez UD 12 Jan 11, 1997 Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, US Retained NABF bantamweight title
19 Win 19–0 Ivan Alvarez UD 12 Sep 28, 1996 Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, US Retained NABF bantamweight title
18 Win 18–0 Roland Gomez TKO 7 (12), 1:00 Feb 22, 1996 Corpus Christi, Texas, US Retained NABF bantamweight title
17 Win 17–0 Jose Rangel TKO 3 (10) Dec 6, 1995 Tarrant Co Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, US
16 Win 16–0 Sergio Millan UD 12 Sep 9, 1995 Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, US Retained NABF bantamweight title
15 Win 15–0 Mario Diaz UD 12 Jun 20, 1995 Will Rogers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, US Retained NABF bantamweight title
14 Win 14–0 Miguel Espinoza TKO 3 (12), 2:27 Mar 10, 1995 Tarrant Co Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, US Won vacant NABF bantamweight title
13 Win 13–0 Juan Mendoza UD 10 Jan 26, 1995 Expo Hall, Shreveport, Louisiana, US
12 Win 12–0 Juan Francisco Soto UD 10 Dec 2, 1994 Tarrant Co Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, US
11 Win 11–0 Julian Flores UD 10 Aug 23, 1994 Cowtown Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, US
10 Win 10–0 Lee Cargle TKO 3 (8), 1:52 Apr 16, 1994 Country Palace, Moore, Oklahoma, US
9 Win 9–0 Javier Diaz UD 8 Feb 17, 1994 Tarrant Co Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, US
8 Win 8–0 George Acevedo PTS 6 Dec 9, 1993 Paramount Theatre, New York City, New York, US
7 Win 7–0 Enrique Gomez TKO 1 (8) Nov 11, 1993 Tarrant Co Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas, US
6 Win 6–0 Arturo Estrada UD 6 Oct 13, 1993 Marriott Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas, US
5 Win 5–0 Marcos Flores KO 1 (4) Aug 28, 1993 Gorman's Super Pro Gym, Fort Worth, Texas, US
4 Win 4–0 Evgeny Novoselov UD 6 Jun 24, 1993 Villa Roma Resort, Callicoon, New York, US
3 Win 3–0 Manuel Robles TKO 2 (?) Apr 2, 1993 Dallas, Texas, US
2 Win 2–0 Armando Morado TKO 4 (6) Mar 5, 1993 Rocket Fiesta Palace, Dallas, Texas, US
1 Win 1–0 Jaime Olvera PTS 6 Nov 27, 1992 Dallas, Texas, US

References
  1. Tim Graham, ESPN.com, Good guy Ayala gets overlooked, Accessed June 9, 2014
  2. Jeff Zimmerman, Fight News, Paulie Ayala's Punching Out Parkinson's Biggest Fundraiser to Date: Hall of Famer Terry Norris and Dewey Bozella will be guest speakers Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed June 9, 2014,
  3. Rodger Mallison, August 6, 2013, Star-Telegram, Former Boxing Champ Paulie Ayala, Accessed June 9, 2014
  4. Mac Engel, Star-Telegram, January 13, 2013, Former boxing champion Paulie Ayala stays busy in retirement, Accessed June 9, 2014
  5. James Slater, June 6, 2014, Eastside Boxing, Erik Morales: an appreciation, Accessed June 9, 2014
  6. Emily White Youree and Joan Kurkowski-Gillen, May. 18, 2014, in the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram, a book entitled Legendary Locals of Fort Worth, New & Notable: Fort Worth in the spotlight, Accessed June 9, 2014
  7. "The Japanese Jinx".
  8. "Paulie Ayala, from Champion to Boxing Promoter! - Interview".
  9. Ayala-Tapia Rematch Seeks Same Flair as the Original – Los Angeles Times
  10. Erik Morales Vs. Paulie Ayala: Morales too strong for gallant Ayala Archived 2006-02-13 at the Wayback Machine eastsideboxing.com
  11. Marco Antonio Barrera Floors Paulie Ayala Archived 2007-08-05 at the Wayback Machine infiniteboxing.com
  12. Rafael, Dan (2004-06-20). "Barrera knocks out Ayala in ninth round". USA Today.
  13. Former Boxing Champ Takes On Parkinson's
  14. Punching Out Parkinsons UHK Boxing Program
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