Hector Camacho: It’s Macho Time!

Hector Camacho: It’s Macho Time!

By Simon Graham

For me the 80’s going into the early 90s was a fantastic time to be alive, I was leaving school, starting my apprenticeship, the music was awesome and sporting events were epic and in abundance the 80’s was truly a decade of many faces.

On the boxing front the 80’s was dominated by the Fab Four Leonard, Duran, Hearns and Hagler the dominant heavyweight was Larry Holmes however a young heavyweight brooding in the Catskill mountains was about to step into the mix and reignite the dwindling heavyweight division, the lighter weights had the likes of Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini, Wilfredo Gomez and Julio César Chávez battling away in their respective divisions.

Héctor Luís Camacho Matías was born in Puerto Rico at the age of 3 his mother moved him and his siblings to the projects in what was known as Spanish Harlem New York, as a teen Camacho and trouble went hand in hand, running the streets committing petty crime and getting into fights finally landing himself a short spell in jail. It was in jail that Camacho learnt to read and write and also discovered boxing, upon leaving prison he knew what he wanted to do as a career.

After a stellar amateur career Camacho won three New York Golden Gloves Championships he quickly moved up the pro ranks in the super featherweight division culminating in a 5 round TKO of Rafael Limon in 1983 to become champion, in 1985 he added the WBC lightweight title.

Camacho was a fast and slick southpaw with a flamboyant personality and style to match, his ring entrances and outfits were legendary he was a great entertainer and electric showman who generated fan excitement in the ring and out, the self-proclaimed ‘Macho Man’ lived a film star lifestyle outside the ring always the centre of attention with a cheeky personality that lit up any room he entered.

Inside the ring and ever the hard training pro the Macho Man had the tools he could talk the talk and walk the walk, a world champion in three weight classes lightning-quick hands, fast reflexes and the ability to finish off hurt opponents, to many he was the complete fighter.

Camacho had epic battles with Mancini, Greg Haugen, Edwin Rosario, Felix Trinidad, Roberto Duran controversial losses to Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya, and notably ending the career of Sugar Ray Leonard who finally retired for good following his fight with Camacho.

During the peak of his career, Camacho became an icon in popular culture his impressive stats read 88 Fights with 79 wins 38 by knock out, he was adored in his native Puerto Rico, loved by his USA fans and respected by the boxing world.

Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho was shot on November 20, 2012 he died 3 days later his murder was never solved