Hall of Fame boxer Bobby Chacon dies at 64

Dan Rafael
ESPN Senior Writer

Former two-division world champion and Hall of Famer Bobby Chacon, one of the most exciting and popular fighters of his time, died Wednesday -- 42 years to the day after he won his first world title. He was 64.

Former two-division world champion and Hall of Fame boxer Bobby Chacon died Wednesday -- 42 years to the day after he won his first world title. The Ring Magazine/Getty Images

Chacon, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, had suffered from pugilistic dementia for years, a result of the many brutal fights he participated in during his professional career, which spanned from 1972 to 1988. He died in Lake Elsinore, California, under hospice care while surrounded by family members.

Born Nov. 28, 1951 in Sylmar, California, Chacon (59-7-1, 47 KOs), who was nicknamed "Schoolboy" for his youthful, good looks and the fact he was a student for a time at Cal State Northridge, was a popular ticket seller in Southern California, and it's no wonder given the ferocity of so many of his fights.

Former two-division champion Bobby Chacon dies at 64

By: Bob Velin - usatoday.com

Former two-division world champion and Hall of Fame boxer Bobby Chacon, considered one of the most exciting and tragic fighters of his generation, died Wednesday.

Chacon had suffered for years from pugilistic dementia. He was 64.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed Chacon’s death on twitter Wednesday afternoon.

Chacon, nicknamed “Schoolboy” for his boyish-looking face, was born on Nov. 28, 1951 in Sylmar, Calif.

On Sept. 7, 1974 — 42 years to the day before he died — Chacon, then 22, won his first belt, the vacant WBC featherweight title, by defeating former WBA junior lightweight champion Alfredo Marcano by ninth-round TKO at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

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Hall of Fame Boxer Bobby Chacon Dies at 64

abcnews.go.com

Hall of Fame boxer Bobby Chacon died Wednesday under hospice care for dementia. He was 64.

Riverside County coroner's Sgt. Brent Seacrest said Chacon died at his home "with his family present at his bedside."

Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, the former WBC featherweight and super featherweight champion went 59-7-1 with 47 knockouts in a 16-year pro career. The Southern California native engaged in numerous memorable fights, including victories over rival Rafael "Bazooka" Limon, Cornelius Boza-Edwards, Danny Lopez and Ruben Olivares.

He also beat future trainer Freddie Roach and lost to Alexis Arguello and Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini.

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Bobby Chacon, former two-division boxing champion from Sylmar, dies at 64

By Lance Pugmire - latimes.com

Bobby Chacon, a San Fernando Valley boxer who won world titles in two weight classes, died Wednesday at age 64.

Chacon, who had long suffered from the effects of brain damage, fell and struck his head in a Hemet care facility early Wednesday morning and succumbed to his injuries, said Ricky Farris, president of the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame.

“One of the most exciting fighters in the history of the West Coast, an amazing blood-and-guts brawler who took on the best fighters in three divisions,” Farris said of Chacon, who will be inducted into the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame on Sept. 25..

Chacon was born Nov. 28, 1951, in Sylmar and trained in Pacoima. A San Fernando High graduate and onetime liberal-arts student at Cal State Northridge, Chacon was nicknamed “Schoolboy” by veteran boxing publicist Bill Caplan.

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