Former three-time world titlist Greg Haugen has died of cancer at the age of 64.

Haugen won the IBF lightweight belt in 1986, four years after turning pro, with a majority decision over Jimmy Paul. He lost it in his first defense against Vinny Pazienza before regaining it in a 1988 rematch. 

The following year, he dropped the belt again, this time to Pernell Whitaker, before rebounding to claim the WBO junior welterweight strap in 1991 via split decision over Hector Camacho, handing the “Macho Man” his first defeat (although Camacho gained revenge in the rematch).

In his 50-fight professional career, Haugen went 1-2 against Pazienza, 1-1 against Camacho, lost to Whitaker and defeated Ray Mancini. He also was stopped by Tony “The Tiger” Lopez and defeated Freddie Roach.

His most famous outing, however, came when he faced Julio Cesar Chavez for the WBC 140lbs title on February 20, 1993. The fight took place at Azteca Stadium in Mexico in front of a record 132,247 spectators, virtually every one of whom was bitterly against him because of derogatory remarks he had made about Chavez's career in the buildup.

Chavez's record at the time was 84-0; when asked if he was intimidated by that, Haugen replied that the Mexican’s record was padded.

Many of the wins, he said, “came against Tijuana cab drivers that my mom could whip.”

Chavez dropped Haugen in the opening seconds of the bout, but instead of pushing for an early finish, dialed back his offense enough to dole out extra punishment before securing the stoppage in the fifth.

Asked afterward about his pre-fight taunt, Haugen offered: “They must have been very tough taxi drivers.”

Haugen did not challenge for a world title again. He retired in 1999 with a record of 39-10-1 (19 KOs).

In 2023, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with renal cancer. That cancer took his life on Saturday night at a care facility outside Seattle.

Haugen is survived by four children. His daughter Cassandra Haugen told writer Kevin Iole, who had been the first to report the news of Haugen's passing, that her father “definitely was a fighter. He's one of the toughest men I know and he fought hard. His spirits were good, and he had his wits about him. He was my dad right up until the end. He fought so hard, but unfortunately [on Saturday], the champ fought his final round.”

Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcast about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He presently co-hosts the “Fighter Health Podcast” with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com.