Aussie boxing mourns passing of Hector Thompson who once put legend Roberto Duran in hospital

Hector Thompson was a mighty body puncher who gave Roberto Duran one of the toughest nights of his career. One of the most exciting fighters Australia has produced, his death ‘a very sad day for the sport’.

SPORT - BCM - 15.7.2012 - L to R, Dale Artango with Hector Thompson, are going into the Boxing Hall of Fame, Showman's Club Yatala - Photo Adam Armstrong

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The Aussie boxing community is in mourning after the death of one of the country’s greatest-ever fighters, Hector Thompson, in Brisbane on Wednesday morning at the age of 70.

The two-time world title challenger had battled diabetes for many years.

Thompson, a member of the Australian Boxing Hall of Fame, was a mighty body puncher who gave all-time great, world champ Roberto Duran, one of the toughest nights of his career and left the Panamanian legend in hospital.

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Hector Thompson (right) was one of the dominant Aussie boxers of the 1970s

Trained for his biggest fights by Brisbane boxing icon Reg Layton and based at Brisbane’s Festival Hall, Thompson, along with Tony Mundine, dominated the Australian fight scene in the 1970s.

Thompson also suffered the ultimate boxing tragedy of a fatal victory, not once but twice, with two of his opponents dying from injuries.

Born in Kempsey, NSW in 1949 and raised in a boys home, Thompson turned professional in 1970 and had 16 fights in his first year, one of them a 10th round stoppage of Croatian-born Melbourne fighter Roko Spanja, who died the following day.

Thompson was to become a crowd favourite in Brisbane after relocating to Queensland in 1972.

He outpointed Brisbane’s Jeff White over 15 rounds to win the Australian light-welterweight title that year and then outpointed Kiwi Manny Santos for the Australasian belt.

A 15-round decision over Ghana’s Joe Tetteh followed for the Commonwealth crown.

Thompson was inducted into Aussie boxing’s Hall of Fame in 2012.

Thompson then challenged Duran for the world lightweight (61kg) title in Panama but was stopped in eight rounds of a fierce brawl that put Duran into hospital with damaged ribs.

Back in Australia, Thompson scored big wins over Argentina’s Carlos Maria Giminez, American Jimmy Heair and former world light-welterweight (63.5kg) champ Alfonso ‘Peppermint’ Frazer but suffered a shock KO in three rounds to Mexican Javier Ayala when the Australian sustained a torn cartilage in his knee.

Thompson hit back hard, beating Japan’s world title contender Lion Furuyama and Samoan Ali Afakasi by 10th round KO to retain his Commonwealth crown in Brisbane.

At the end of 1975 Thompson challenged Antonio Cervantes, of Venezuela, for the WBA light-welterweight title in Panama but was stopped in eight rounds on a cut eye.

He suffered even worse pain when he beat American Chuck Wilburn in 10 brutal rounds at Blacktown in Sydney and Wilburn died soon after amid calls to ban boxing around the country.

Roberto Duran ended up in the World Boxing Hall of Fame. But an Aussie almost beat him.

It was all downhill for Thompson after that.

The next year Lawrence “Baby Cassius’’ Austin took Thompson’s Commonwealth crown.

In 1978 Thompson was outpointed by American Greg Stephens in Brisbane. In 1979 he was stopped on a cut eye by Sakaria Ve in Fiji and in 1980 his career finished with back-to-back KO losses in Brisbane against Frank Ropis and Steve Dennis.

In his last interview with News Corp Australia, Thompson said that fighting Duran was a career highlight and felt that if the fight had been held in Brisbane he could have beaten the man regarded as perhaps the greatest lightweight of all time.

Phil Cooke, from the Queensland Boxing Hall of Fame and one of Thompson’s long-time friends, said the great boxer’s death ended an era in Australian boxing.

“Hector was one of the most exciting fighters this country has produced,’’ Cooke said.

Thompson had an enviable record when he eventually called it quits..

“He rose from very humble beginnings to become one of the most admired sportsmen in the country in the 1970s. He packed out Festival Hall in some huge fights. It’s a very sad day for the sport.’’