SAN ANTONIO (AP) β Tony Ayala Jr., a rising star in boxing before a 1983 rape conviction that led to the first of two prison terms, has died in his hometown of San Antonio. He was 52.
Bexar County medical examiner records indicate Ayala died Tuesday at a family-owned gym where he was trying to build a career as a trainer. There was no immediate cause of death.
Ayala was 19 when he was arrested and convicted of raping a schoolteacher in New Jersey. He was undefeated and set to fight Davey Moore for a junior middleweight title before the arrest.
After serving 16 years of a 35-year term for rape, Ayala spent 10 more years in prison in Texas on a parole violation in another case. He was released last year.
