Brazil`s greatest world champion and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Eder Jofre, has died at the age of 86.
A former bantamweight and featherweight champion of the world, Jofre`s record of 72-2-4 and 50 KO`s, made him a legend. He`s part of the knockout brotherhood with 50 or more stoppages, denoting sheer might but also uncanny timing.
Jofre died from complications due to pneumonia in the Clinic Embu de Artes.
Jofre started his fabled career on March 23, 1957 with a KO of Raul Lopez in five torrid rounds. In his entire career he was only dropped once to the canvas by Jose Smecca in round one. Jofre got up and with sheer will plus patience, wore Smecca down to knock him out in seven. Rising up the ranks, he KO`d Jose Medel in the tenth of a veritable slugfest. He would become the WBA bantamweight champion with a sixth round knockout of Eloy Sanchez and went on to become undisputed champion with a string of defenses from 1960 to 1965.
He lost his bantamweight title by split decision to Fighting Harada and lost by unanimous decision in the rematch. Harada was the only man to ever defeat him. Jofre made a comeback at featherweight, winning thirteen fights in a row and then challenged for the title, defeating Jose Legra by majority decision for the WBC and lineal championship in 1973. His last great flourish was a knockout win in four rounds over former bantamweight champion and fellow all-time great Vicente Salivar.
Jofre stayed fit in retirement. He fought an exhibition against Alexis Arguello. A vegetarian from the age of twenty, he was a lifelong keep fit enthusiast, releasing a calisthenics video at the age of seventy-four.
He participated in the 1956 Olympic Games in Australia, where he reached the quarterfinals.