The Australian boxing community has lost one of this country's greatest fighters following the death of the legendary Hector Thompson in a Brisbane nursing home following complications from diabetes. He was 70.

Thompson, who fought for two world titles and put the great Roberto Duran in hospital with a broken rib despite losing to the Panamanian World champion in a brutal eight rounder back in 1973, passed away early Wednesday morning.

His second world title fight was against Venezuelan Antonio Cervantes in 1975 with the fight stopped at the end of the seventh round after Thompson suffered a cut eye.

During a professional career that spanned more than a decade, he fought 87 times before retiring in 1980 with a 73-12-2 record.

Along the way, he won Australian and Commonwealth light-welterweight titles and was inducted into the Australian Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.

Born in Kempsey, Thompson was living in Newcastle when he turned pro in 1970 as a 19-year-old and had 16 fights in his first year.

His son Warwick, who was born in Newcastle and still lives locally, said his father had fights at the Cardiff Workers Club and Newcastle Workers Club back in the early 70's and may have also fought at Kurri before moving to Brisbane in 1972.

"We were hoping to get up to see him but because of the restrictions, he passed before we could get there," Warwick told the Newcastle Herald. "He was in his nursing home in Brisbane when he passed at 2.30 this morning. I couldn't be prouder of what he achieved during his life."