José Torres, boxer, 72

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Boxing Champion And Author
	
Saturday, January 24, 2009; Page B05

José Torres, 72, a former light heavyweight world champion and Olympic
silver medalist, died Jan. 19 at his home in Ponce, Puerto Rico, after
a heart attack.

Mr. Torres won the light heavyweight title in 1965 by stopping Willie
Pastrano at Madison Square Garden in New York. He made three title
defenses before losing a close decision to Dick Tiger in 1966. He
finished with a record of 41-3-1, with 29 knockouts.

Mr. Torres, who was born near Ponce, began fighting when he joined the
U.S. Army as a teenager. He won a silver medal as a light middleweight
at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, competing for the United States.

After retiring in 1969, he became a representative of New York's Puerto
Rican community, chaired the New York State Athletic Commission in the
1980s and served as supervisor for the World Boxing Organization.

He wrote boxing biographies of Muhammad Ali ("Sting Like a Bee," 1971,
co-authored with Bert Randolph Sugar) and Mike Tyson ("Fire & Fear,"
1989).

Mr. Torres was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in
1997.

Survivors include his wife, Ramonita Ortiz of Ponce. 

Many thanks to Deathwatch Central for posting this obituary