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| gibsonstylepstudio |
Boxing is not renowned for shrinking violets, but the Puerto Rican Camacho
displayed a monstrous ego, prompting one seasoned fight observer to remark:
“Hector Camacho’s great dream is to some day die in his own arms.” When
asked which champion of the past he most closely resembled, Camacho replied:
“I’m all of them rolled into one.” On another occasion he declared: “I am
the 'Macho Man’. I am the one that turns the public on. They hear about me,
but they want to see more.” He was the first boxer to appear in the ring
clad in loincloths.
His well-publicised drug and alcohol problems, spectacular ring-walks and
occasionally chaotic private life should not, however, disguise the fact
that he was an enormously gifted athlete whose longevity in the sport
indicated that he was more dedicated than his popular image might suggest.
He won his first title — the North American Boxing Federation
super-featherweight crown — in 1982, and was still around to capture the
lightly-regarded World Boxing Federation crown 26 years later.
Hector Camacho was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on May 24 1962. As a troubled
teenager, he found solace in boxing, and following a top-class amateur
career he rose rapidly through the professional rankings, capturing the
vacant World Boxing Council super-featherweight crown with a fifth-round
stoppage of Mexico’s Rafael Limon on August 7 1983. Weight problems caused
him to relinquish the title after only one defence, and the lightweight
crown – which he secured by outpointing the Mexican Jose Luis Ramirez in Las
Vegas on August 10 1985 – after only two.
There followed a low-key couple of years, after which Camacho re-emerged in
the 140lb light-welter division, outpointing his American rival Ray “Boom
Boom” Mancini in Reno, Nevada, on March 6 1989. In the build-up, Mancini had
dismissed Camacho as “a street punk” with no class. “A street punk will
bother you if he thinks he can get over on you,” replied Camacho. “If you
stand up to him, he’ll run – I never run from anything.”
Seemingly now in his prime, Camacho saw off challenges from the Panamanian
Vinny Pazienza before surrendering his undefeated record, on a split
decision, against the American Greg Haugen at Las Vegas on February 23 1991
— a defeat that he avenged with a similar narrow victory three months later.
Camacho earned widespread admiration for the way he endured a savage beating at the hands of the Mexican fighter Julio Cesar Chavez in the following year. A move up to welterweight saw Camacho lose on points to the unbeaten Felix Trinidad in January 1994, a defeat which suggested that his best days were behind him.
He fought on, however, winning the minor International Boxing Council welterweight title and achieving the distinction of ending the careers of the ageing greats Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran before a loss to Oscar De La Hoya — who was very much at the vanguard of a new generation of fighters — ended his winning streak.
Camacho’s name and reputation saw him fight on into the new century at increasingly obscure locations. He beat the 50-year-old Duran again in July 2001 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, and had his last bout — a defeat against the Mexican Saul Duran — in Florida on May 14 2010. Over the course of his career he had won 79 fights (45 by knockout), with six losses and three draws.
During the final phase of his career, Camacho increasingly fell foul of the law. He was arrested on burglary and drugs charges, serving a short spell in jail. In February 2011 he received gunshot wounds in what he claimed was an attempted carjacking; then he was charged after an alleged assault on his teenage son.
Camacho was being driven in a car in Puerto Rico when he was hit in the neck by a bullet fired from a passing vehicle.
He is survived by four children, including Hector Camacho Jnr, who followed his father into the ring and has had a long career without achieving the success of his father.
Camacho earned widespread admiration for the way he endured a savage beating at the hands of the Mexican fighter Julio Cesar Chavez in the following year. A move up to welterweight saw Camacho lose on points to the unbeaten Felix Trinidad in January 1994, a defeat which suggested that his best days were behind him.
He fought on, however, winning the minor International Boxing Council welterweight title and achieving the distinction of ending the careers of the ageing greats Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran before a loss to Oscar De La Hoya — who was very much at the vanguard of a new generation of fighters — ended his winning streak.
Camacho’s name and reputation saw him fight on into the new century at increasingly obscure locations. He beat the 50-year-old Duran again in July 2001 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, and had his last bout — a defeat against the Mexican Saul Duran — in Florida on May 14 2010. Over the course of his career he had won 79 fights (45 by knockout), with six losses and three draws.
During the final phase of his career, Camacho increasingly fell foul of the law. He was arrested on burglary and drugs charges, serving a short spell in jail. In February 2011 he received gunshot wounds in what he claimed was an attempted carjacking; then he was charged after an alleged assault on his teenage son.
Camacho was being driven in a car in Puerto Rico when he was hit in the neck by a bullet fired from a passing vehicle.
He is survived by four children, including Hector Camacho Jnr, who followed his father into the ring and has had a long career without achieving the success of his father.
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