Boxer Ayala Jr. Shot

Tony Ayala Jr., whose once-promising boxing career was cut short by a rape conviction, was shot early Tuesday after he allegedly broke into the home of a female acquaintance.

Ayala was shot in the left shoulder by the 18-year-old woman, whom he had met at his father's San Antonio gym, police said. He was listed in stable condition at University Health Center.

Police planned to file burglary charges against Ayala, who resumed his boxing career in August 1999 after spending 16 years in prison.

The 37-year-old boxer, once the No. 1-ranked junior middleweight, was to be taken to jail after his release from the hospital, deputy police chief Richard Gleinser said.

Ayala, a registered sex offender, could face up to 99 years in prison if convicted of burglary. He is no longer on parole for his previous conviction.

The woman was staying at the house with another woman and two children when Ayala entered through an unlocked back door at about 3:45 a.m., police said.

The women, armed with a handgun, confronted him and called the police. Ayala was shot when he made a threatening move, police said.

Ayala had been at the house about two months earlier when he gave the teen-ager a ride, said John Hogan, the owner of the house who wasn't home early Tuesday.

The other woman, Hogan's girlfriend, stays at the house with her two children. The teen-ager is a family friend who lives with them.

Ayala's lawyer, Alan Brown, said he was awaiting more details from the police.

"Tony was hurt and no one else was hurt in it," Brown said. "These kind of cases turn on what your intent was."

The woman who shot Ayala probably will not be charged.

"We feel she was right and justified in what she did," Gleinser said.

Ayala, who is from San Antonio, was a ferocious fighter and the top junior middleweight contender at age 19. He became known to hometown fans as "El Torito," or Little Bull.

He was 22-0 with 19 knockouts as a pro and was being mentioned with the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler.

But on Jan. 1, 1983, he got high on drugs and alcohol, broke into a neighbor's apartment, tied her up and raped her. He was released from a New Jersey prison in April 1999, less than halfway through his 35-year sentence.

Ayala returned to San Antonio to resume his career.

He took five easy fights to get back in shape and then faced Yory Boy Campas last July. He lost for the first time as a pro after breaking his hand in the second round.

"I'll be back," Ayala, his eyes closed and dripping tears, said at the time. "It won't be like I thought it would be, but I'll fight somebody in November.

"I had big plans," he said then. "This is a setback, but after spending 16 years in prison, this is petty compared to that."

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