International Boxing Hall of Famer Aaron Pryor Dies at Age 60

Former WBA Junior Welterweight Champion and International and World Hall of Fame boxer Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor died on Sunday at the age of 60.

As WCPO reported, Pryor died after a lengthy battle with heart disease. Sugar Ray Leonard mourned the passing of his friend, saying: "I have great love, respect and admiration for my long-time friend. He will be greatly missed by so many."

The Hawk retired with a 39-1 record, including 35 knockouts, and was known as a brawler who always took the fight to his opponent. His 1982 bout with Alexis Arguello won The Ring Fight of the Decade honours and is still regarded as one of the greatest fights of all time.   

Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole was shocked by the news of his death:

Pryor turned professional in 1976 and quickly rose up the junior welterweight ranks, in large part thanks to an impressive 26-fight knockout streak. He took the WBA belt by knocking out Antonio Cervantes in 1980 and wouldn't lose another fight until he faced Bobby Joe Young seven years later.

Anonymous/Associated Press

Lucrative bouts with Leonard or Roberto Duran never materialised for the Cincinnati native, but he more than made up for it with two fantastic bouts with Arguello. The first, dubbed "The Battle of the Champions," took all of 14 rounds and is still fondly remembered by boxing fans to this day.

Showtime's Steve Farhood was there:

The two met for a rematch in 1983, when Pryor knocked out Arguello again in the 10th round. Both retired from the sport after the fight, but Pryor returned the next year and didn't stop competing until 1990.

According to WCPO, he struggled with drug abuse for the majority of his career and worked to steer people away from drugs after his retirement. 

Per BoxRec, he was voted the greatest junior welterweight of the 20th century by the Associated Press in 1999.