Tony Ayala Jr., a fierce, gifted and troubled fighter who was a rising middleweight contender before a rape conviction sent him to prison, was found dead on Tuesday at his family’s boxing gym in San Antonio. He was 52.
His brother Mike confirmed the death in an interview on Thursday. The San Antonio police said they had found heroin and a syringe next to his body and suspected that a drug overdose had killed Ayala, The Associated Press reported.
Part of a celebrated San Antonio boxing family — his father was a noted trainer, and his three brothers all found amateur or professional success — Ayala, who was known as el Torito, or the Little Bull, was a blunt puncher and an aggressive stalker in the ring.