Jailed boxer OK'ed for release program

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Five-time world champion boxer Johnny Tapia is being released from prison to serve the rest of his probation-violation sentence in a monitoring program.

In September Tapia was sentenced to a year behind bars last year for violating his probation when he went to Red River to help look for a missing relative despite an order to stay in Albuquerque.

On Thursday District Judge Kenneth Martinez, who had ordered Tapia to prison, modified Tapia's sentence to serve the remainder in a Metropolitan Detention Center community-corrections program. The ruling means Tapia could train for a fight at the Ohkay Casino in March.

"He will be at home, be allowed to train under very strict conditions," Tapia's attorney Erlinda Johnson said after the hearing. "It's still considered custody, but at least now he has the opportunity to get prepared for his fight."

The Department of Corrections can still appeal Martinez's ruling.