Sugar, who was known for his trademark fedora and ever-present cigar, passed away after a cardiac arrest, but he also had been battling lung cancer.

He served as the editor of Ring and Boxing Illustrated magazines and wrote more than 80 books, including 'The 100 Greatest Boxers Of All Time.'

Sugar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, and was named the winner of the 'Nat Fleischer Award' in 1990 - the most prestigious honour for a boxing writer.

"Around ringside, it's not going to be the same with Bert not there," said Jack Hirsch, the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

"Bert was obviously a showman in the way he did things outwardly, very flamboyant, but in quiet moments I found him to be an extremely modest individual."