Boxing writer Bert Sugar dies at age 74

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y., March 26 (UPI) -- Hall of Fame boxing writer Bert Sugar, former editor of Boxing Illustrated and editor in chief for The Ring, has died of cardiac arrest in New York. He was 74.

Sugar, a decades-long fixture at ringside of high-profile boxing matches, was readily noticeable at matches in his fedora and ever-present cigar.

The International Boxing Hall of Fame said Sugar died Sunday at a hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y., of cardiac arrest. He also had lung cancer, his family said.

Sugar wrote more than 80 books, including "The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time."

The International Veterans Boxing Association voted Sugar the "Greatest Boxing Writer of the 20th Century." He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.

He also made a mark playing himself in several boxing-related movies, including "Rocky Balboa" and "The Great White Hype." Sugar served as a commentator for many boxing broadcasts.

He was born June 7, 1937, in Washington. He graduated from the University of Maryland and the University of Michigan law school. By the 1970s, however, he turned from the law to boxing when he became editor of Boxing Illustrated.

"Bert Sugar was a truly colorful character in the sport of boxing," Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy said. "His quick wit and amazing knowledge about boxing made him a fan favorite as a writer and as a commentator. As the boxing community mourns his passing, the Hall remembers him and his contributions to the sport."