Legendary boxer and Southern California native Bobby Chacon has died, the World Boxing Council announced Wednesday. He was 64.

"With profound sadness I have learned that our dear champion Bobby Chacon passed away this morning," World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman said on Twitter. "May God have him now. RIP."

It was not immediately clear how and where Chacon died.

A tweet from the account of L.A.'s Olympic Auditorium read: "Rest in Peace Bobby Chacon, former @WBCBoxing featherweight champ and warrior or the Olympic."

During his lengthy career, the boxer compiled a record of 59 wins, seven losses and one draw. Forty-seven of those victories were by knockout.

Chacon turned professional in 1972 and won his first 19 fights, including a win against former champion Jesus Castillo. Fourteen months into his professional career, Chacon faced world champion Rubén Olivares but lost the bout when Olivares scored a ninth-round knock out. On September 7, 1974, Chacon won the vacant WBC Featherweight title by defeating former WBA Junior Lightweight champion Alfredo Marcano in nine rounds at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

In November 1979, Chacon received a shot at the WBC title, versus world champion Alexis Argüello. Arguello defeated him by a devastating knock out after Chacon suffered a bad cut in the seventh round. In 1981, Arguello had left the title vacant and gone up in weight to pursue the world's Lightweight title.

In 1983, Chacon was signed to defend his WBC title in a rematch against Boza Edwards, who was the WBC's mandatory challenger. Even though WBC rules stated the mandatory challenger should receive a shot at the title, the WBC insisted Chacon fight Héctor Camacho in Puerto Rico instead, then stripped him of his title when he refused.

Chacon started 1984 with a move up in weight, to the Lightweight division, where he tried to join the exclusive club of boxing's three division world champions, but was knocked out in three during his challenge against world champion Ray Mancini in Reno.  In 1987 and 1989 he won one fight each year, and then he retired for good.

In 1982, he was named comeback fighter of the year by Ring magazine. His wins over Limon in 1982 and Edwards in 1983, were both named Ring Magazine fights of the year. In 2003, Chacon was included on Ring Magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Punchers of All-Time". In January 2005, Chacon was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.