By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com
They say things happen in 3’s, but in 2009 it happened to be 3 + 3 = 6, in the boxing world .
I will always remember, in the height / peak / and pinnacle in each of their careers, the passing of six outstanding boxers.
Jose Torres / Light Heavyweight Champion,1965-66 (41-3-1 / 29 by KO) .
Fought fighters such as Willie Pastrano, Carl “Bobo” Olson, Eddie Cotton, Don Fullmer, Wayne Thornton, Tom McNeeley, Benny “Kid” Paret, and other top contenders .
Torres was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997.
Date of Death: January 19, 2009
Ingemar Johansson / Heavyweight Champion, 1959-60 (26-2 / 17 by KO) .
Fought fighters such as Floyd Patterson, Henry Cooper, Joe Erskine, Eddie Machen, and Brian London.
Johansson was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1988 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002 .
Date of Death: January 30, 2009
Alexis Arguello / WBA Featherweight Champion 1974-76, WBC Super Featherweight Champion 1978-80, WBC Lightweight Champion 1981-83 (77-8 / 62 by KO).
Fought fighters such as Jose Legra, Ernesto Marcel, Art Hafey, Ruben Olivares, Royal Kobayashi, Godfrey Stevens, Alfredo Escalera, Rey Tam, Vilomar Fernandez, Rafael Limon, Bobby Chacon, Ruben Castillo, Rolando Boza-Edwards, Cornelius Boza-Edwards, Jose Luis Ramirez, Jim Watt, Andrew Ganigan, Aaron Pryor, Claude Noel and other top contenders.
Arguello was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.
Date of Death: July 1, 2009
Arturo Gatti / IBF Junior Lightweight Champion 1995-98, WBC Super Lightweight Champion 2004-05 (40-9 / 31 by KO).
Fought fighters such as Tracy Harris Patterson, Wilson Rodriguez, Calvin Grove, Gabriel Ruelas, Angel Manfredy, Ivan Robinson, Joey Gamache, Oscar De La Hoya, Micky Ward, Gianluca Branco, Jesse James Leija, Floyld Mayweather Jr., Thomas Damgaard, Carlos Baldomir and other top contenders.
Gatti was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.
Date of Death: July 11, 2009
Vernon Forrest / WBC/IBF Welterweight Champion 2002-03, WBC Super Welterweight Champion 2007-09 (41-3 / 29 by KO).
Fought fighters such as Vince Phillips, Raul Frank, Shane Mosley, Ricardo Mayorga, Ike Quartey, Carlos Baldomir, Sergio Mora and other top contenders.
Date of Death: July 25, 2009
Ernie “Indian Red” Lopez / Top Rated Welterweight Contender late 1960’s and early 1970’s (49-11-21 / 25 by KO).
Fought fighters such as Adolph Pruitt, Musashi Nakano, Hedgemon Lewis, Jose Napoles, Emile Griffith, Manuel Fierro, Oscar Albarado, Armando Muniz, John Stracey, and other top opponents.
Lopez was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.
Date of Death: October 3, 2009