Boxer Aaron Pryor dies at age 60
“No, de esa botella no, de la otra, de la que yo preparé” dijo Panamá Lewis el entrenador de Aaron Pryor antes del asalto #14 ante Argüello. pic.twitter.com/5YI6I4uMFH
— RICARDO ORDÓÑEZ S. (@reporterillo) October 10, 2016
The boxing world has lost an adored and enthralling fighter.
Aaron Pryor lost a lengthy battle with heart disease on Sunday. According to a family statement, he died in his Cincinnati home. He was 60 years old.
A hard-nosed knockout artist, "The Hawk" is perhaps best known for sweeping his classic two-fight series with Nicaragua's Alexis Arguello in the early eighties. Pryor took their November 1982 bout - anointed Fight of the Decade by The Ring magazine - by TKO in the 14th round, and won the rematch less than a year later via 10th-round knockout.
Pryor retained the WBA super lightweight belt with his victories over Arguello, just two of nine successful title defenses. The Cincinnati native handed Antonio Cervantes a fourth-round KO to win the strap in 1980.
"The Hawk" vacated the title when he briefly stepped away from the ring after his second fight with Arguello, only to announce his return in March of 1984. Unfortunately, substance abuse problems prevented him from replicating his former glory, as Bobby Joe Young ended his 11-year unbeaten streak in 1987. His last three fights - all knockout victories - came against unheralded opponents.
His otherwise enviable career earned him a spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996. He retired in 1990 with a 39-1 record. 35 of his victories came by knockout.
Pryor managed to vanquish his drug addiction in the early nineties and remained sober until his death.
He is survived by his wife Frankie, three children, and three grandchildren.