Legendary Puerto Rican boxer Jose Torres died at his home in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was 72 years old. El Diario gives the man known to many as "Chegüí" a lovely tribute. Here's an excerpt:A tribute to a giantLinks:
Tomorrow, Jose "Chegüí" Torres will be laid to rest in his hometown of Ponce, Puerto Rico. But his triumphs in and beyond the boxing ring will serve as inspiration for generations to come.
Torres was a hero—in every sense of the word. He was a boxing legend, an accomplished journalist and author, an Army veteran, and gave his all for the causes and community he loved.
Chegüí, as he was affectionately known among his family, friends and the Puerto Rican community, rose to fame as an Olympic star. A middleweight boxer, he won a silver medal for the United States in 1956. His record setting did not stop there.
José Torres - Wikipedia
Jose Torres - BoxRec
Jose "Chegui" Torres 1936-2009
It's interesting that I came across this site. Upon learning early this week that Chegui had passed, I started "Googling" him today to get more info.
ReplyDeleteWhy? Primarily because I did not see any mention of his passing in the mainstream media at all. I thought that was a shame and another example of how little coverage Puerto Rico and Puertoricans get in the media.
As a teenager in the 60's growing up in Puerto Rico, we were all big fans of "Chegui". He was a hero. During the late 60's & early 70's, as a student at the University of Puerto Rico (Rio Piedras campus), there were times when "Chegui" was there and gave speeches to us students.
Mohammed Ali was there once also, giving a speech.
In the early to mid 70's, "Chegui" used to write articles for the "San Juan Star". We used to read them consistently.
In late 1979, I was on Manhattan's lower West Side visiting a bookstore with my wife and we ran into Chegui at the bookstore. He owned the store so we stayed and chatted for awhile. A great guy.
Adios amigo y compatriota!
One of the all time greats. One of Muhammad Ali's closest friends. he will be missed
ReplyDeleteI have just found out of this lost, I personally met Chegui when he came to Springfield, Massachusetts. He came to our Veterans office where I was a Case Manager and at the time I was studying for my Masters Degree and I wrote a paper for my writing class which was in his presence...........He corrected it before I went to class that night....Guess what I told my professor he had corrected it and I got an A+ and passed that class...I am left speechless after so many months I find out I lost A friend, a brother in arms, and a hell of a mentor...Chegui may the lord have you at his side...Cause you definitly earned it. I love you my brother REST IN PEACE....Your brother Jenaro
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