Super bantamweight great Israel Vazquez dies at 46

Israel Vazquez, one of the most exciting fighters of all time, has passed away.

Multiple outlets report that three-time world champion Israel “Magnifico” Vazquez has died at 46 after a battle with cancer.

Nine years into his professional career, Vazquez picked up his first world title with a 2004 finish of Jose Luis Valbuena for the IBF super bantamweight belt. After two successful defenses, he picked up the WBC belt from Oscar Larios and made another pair, most notably scoring a comeback knockout of Jhonny Gonzalez.

This success led to the defining bouts of his career: a four-fight series with Rafael Marquez that produced two Ring Magazine Fights of the Year, two Rounds of the Year, and earned its own Wikipedia page. Vazquez emerged from the original trilogy with a 2-1 advantage, but suffered a detached retina along the way and was a shell of his former self when they met for a fourth time in 2010, falling in the third round.

He ended his career 44-5 with 32 knockouts.

The WBC recently opened a GoFundMe to cover his treatment for stage four sarcoma, but Mauricio Sulaiman announced his passing earlier this morning.

Vazquez was a fighter’s fighter and left an indelible impression in the history of this sport. Rest in peace, champ.