Israel Vazquez, three-time world boxing champion, has died at the age of 46

Israel Vazquez, Mexico’s three-time junior featherweight world champion, has died after a battle with cancer, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said on Tuesday. He was 46.

Known for his punching power and hand speed, Vazquez was one of Mexico’s most famous boxers and shared a rivalry with his compatriot Rafael Marquez, against whom he fought four times.

The boxer nicknamed “El Magnifico” announced on November 10th that he was suffering from sarcoma, a form of cancer.

“Israel finally rests in peace. May God give strength to his family, we support his wife Laura, children, family and friends during this difficult time,” Sulaiman said on social media. “Thank you, Champion, for leaving a special footprint. You will always be El Magnifico.”

Vazquez, who debuted in 1995, split his four fights against Marquez. The 2007 and 2008 fights were named Fight of the Year.

After winning in 2008, Vazquez suffered a detached retina and eventually lost his right eye after his retirement. He stopped fighting in May 2010 after the fourth fight against Marquez, who won by knockout.

Vazquez won the vacant IBF super bantamweight title against Jose Luis Valbuena in 2004 and successfully defended it twice. He then took the WBC belt from defending champion Oscar Larios in 2005 when he was stopped in the third round.

He held the WBC belt until his first meeting with Marquez, against whom he was knocked out in the seventh round after struggling to breathe due to a broken nose. In a rematch five months later, Vazquez regained the title by knocking out Marquez in the sixth round, despite cuts to both eyes.

Vazquez won his third fight in early 2008 by a split decision after being knocked down himself. But the eye injury meant he didn’t fight for the rest of the year and was stripped of the WBC title.

After three surgeries, he was cleared to fight and fought Marquez a fourth time in Los Angeles, suffering a third-round knockout.

Vazquez finished the match with a record of 44-5 and 32 knockouts.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.