José Legrá passes away at the age of 83.
There are those who argue that there are too many belts in boxing. Too many belts means too many champions, and too many champions means watering down what it means to be a champion in the first place.
That’s the logic, at least. And regardless of whether or not you agree, it’s undeniable that not only does every world champion deserve respect, but every boxer in general does, as well.
And so, let’s now pay our respects to a boxer who wasn’t just a world champion, but a two-time one.
A Cuban-born Spaniard, José Legrá fought from 1960 to 1973, and in that time, he became the WBC featherweight world champion twice. The first of his title reigns came after a stoppage win over Howard Winstone, one of Wales’s best fighters.
A few fights later, Legrá would lose the belt to Johnny Famechon, and then he would be defeated by the legendary Vicente Saldivar just a few bouts after that.
Three years later, Legrá became WBC featherweight champion for a second time with a stoppage of Clemente Sanchez. But unfortunately, he would lose the strap in his very next fight to Éder Jofre, the all-time great from Brazil.
He would then defeat Jimmy Bell after that, but finished his career on a defeat to the immortal Alexis Arguello.
Once he hung up the gloves, Legrá had amassed a record of 129-11-4 (49 KOs), which makes for a total of 144 fights. Those are the type of numbers you just don’t see from a world-level fighter nowadays.
Yesterday, José Legrá passed away at the age of 83 after a long battle with dementia. Rest in peace to a man who rose to the top and rumbled with the very best.
Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this very difficult time.
Jose Legra, former WBC featherweight champion, passed away Wednesday at the age of 83 in Madrid, Spain. pic.twitter.com/bPyKoGmQaa
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) July 16, 2026
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