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Category: Coming Soon

Published: Sunday, 26 February 2012 12:43

ABOUT HÉCTOR "MACHO" CAMACHO

Héctor Camacho (born May 24, 1962), nicknamed "Macho Camacho," is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. He is the first fighter to ever win in seven different boxing divisions. Camacho began his career at a very young age. Born in PR, but raised in Spanish Harlem, NY. His son, Héctor Camacho Jr., is also a boxer. In 2011 he became a TV personality,participating in Univision Hispanic #1 TV Network shows “Mira Quien Baila” and as a reporter for their morning and celebrity entertainment shows “Despierta América” and “El Gordo y la Flaca.” As a Hispanic entertainment icon his phrases “Macho Time” and “Segudo” are part of his trademark.

In November 2011 he was honored at the Annual Convention of the World Boxing Council (WBC) in its 49th edition.

Early life and career:

Camacho was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, but his family moved to New York when he was a little kid. From a very young age he became interested in contact sports, at the beginning he practiced karate and then boxing, a sport that he loved and adopted as a lifestyle.

After a brilliant amateur career, Camacho began a rapid ascent through the professional ranking, first in the featherweight and then in the lightweight division.

On August 7, 1983, he faced Rafael Limón for the vacant WBC featherweight title, an unforgettable night in which he conquered the crown in the fifth round.

By 1985, Hector had set a new goal: to win the WBC lightweight title against José Luis Ramírez in the luminous city of Las Vegas. After a thrillingmatch, "Macho" Camacho was crowned king of the division.

Let's not forget that victory in 1997, when he knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard in five rounds. Or the mesmerizing fight he held against one of the best boxers ever, Julio Cesar Chávez.

His last fight was in Florida, in the year 2010 against Saúl Durán. Since the beginning until the end of his days as a boxer, Héctor "Macho" Camacho demonstrated his passion, commitment and dedication to boxing.

He learned boxing and karate as a teenager, and since he was talented as a boxer, he chose that sport as a career.

It has been said that Camacho's flamboyant but good-hearted style brought a lot of fun to the sport of boxing, but it also made him garner the hate of the same critics who, ironically, had loved Ali just a few years before. Ali and Camacho's style was adopted by Roy Jones Jr., Jorge Paez and Naseem Hamed, just to name a few, and it brings a lot of excitement to their events.

After a stellar amateur career, Camacho began a quick rise through the professional rankings, first in the featherweight and then in the junior lightweight division. He felt so good from the start that the young fellow was sure he could beat world featherweight champions Salvador Sánchez and Eusebio Pedroza. However,Sanchez died when Camacho was still coming up in the ranks.

Up at junior lightweight, he defeated top contenders Irleis Cubanito Perez, Melvin Paul, John Montes and Refugio Rojas (Both Montes and Rojas lasted one round, and Rojas would later last seven in a world title challenge from Julio Cesar Chavez.)

World Junior Lightweight championship:

When world junior lightweight champion Bobby Chacon refused to go to Puerto Rico to defend his title against Camacho, the WBC declared the world championship vacant, and the man Chacon had taken the title from, Rafael Bazooka Limon, filled in for Chacon. It was the first time Camacho was in a ring with a former world champion, and he didn't show any lack of experience, dropping Limon in rounds one and three before the referee put a stop to the fight in round five.

His first defense also came in San Juan where he met fellow Puerto Rican RafaelSolis, whose family included former world bantamweight champion Julian Solis. Camacho got tested in this fight for the first time, shaken in round three by a Solis uppercut, but he flattened Solis with a right to the chin in round five, knocking him out to retain the title.

Next came a move to lightweight, where he won the United States title with a twelve round decision of overmatched Roque Montoya. By then Camacho was appearing on the covers of all the boxing magazines and making quite a few fans among teenaged girls.

His next fight made him a two-time world champion. Fought on HBO, thechannel that loved him for his display of power, speed and skills vs. Solis, Camacho thoroughly out- boxed the Mexican defending world champion, Jose Luis Ramirez in Las Vegas to win the world lightweight championship. Camacho dropped Ramirez in round three and virtually swept the whole fight, the only round in doubt being round eleven.

What could have been a blessing may have started Camacho's downfall instead. The two other reigning world champions in his division at that time, Livingstone Bramble and Jimmy Paul were reluctant to unify the crown with Camacho, and so he had to settle for a decision win over Freddie Roach before his next fight of importance came along, ten months after beating Ramirez.

He met Edwin Rosario at the Madison Square Garden in New York, once again on HBO. In a wild slugfest, Camacho dominated rounds one to four, but had to hang on for dear life in rounds five and six. He swept the middle rounds with his skill and savvy, but Rosario came back during the eleventh and twelfth. It was a close decision, but Camacho's experience made the difference, and he retained the title with a split decision.


Personal troubles and the start of decline:

Camacho's personal life ran into trouble after the fight, being charged with possession of drugs. However, the charges were later lifted and Camacho could resume his boxing career.

Camacho then retained his title vs. former world junior lightweight champion Cornelius Boza Edwards in Miami on a unanimous decision before going up in weight again. After a several fights there, he met former world lightweight champion Ray Boom Boom Mancini, who had a record of 29-3 with 23 knockouts, for the vacant WBO version of the world junior welterweight title. Camacho was the fresher of the two and ended up winning a unanimous twelve round decision, joining that exclusive group of world champion boxers who have become three time world champions.

Camacho next met Vinny Paz, winning on points again, then the tough challenger Tony Baltazar, from Phoenix. Baltazar was another points victim on an HBO televised bout, but then Camacho lost his undefeated record and world championship to the former world lightweight champion Greg Haugen. However, as an unidentified substance was found on Haugen's urine, a rematch was ordered and Camacho regained the title, beating Haugen on a close but unanimous decision.

This set the table for his showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez, in Las Vegas in theyear 1992. Camacho, dressed as Captain America coming into the bout, lost aunanimous decision on HBO's Pay Per View leg that night.

Camacho has spent the last few years winning a handful of smaller organization titles, while getting a couple of shots at World titles. Among his notable wins since 1992 there are two over the legendary possible future hall of famer RobertoDuran, beaten on points twice, once in Atlantic City and another time in Denver. He lost title tries for the world welterweight championship vs. Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya, both by unanimous decisions. Aftereach of those fights, he kept fighting and winning but seeing as title shotsare now hard to come by for him, he seems to be currently semi-retired.

Camacho hasn't officially announced his retirement, but nowadays, he is more visible as a trainer of his son, junior welterweight prospect Hector Machito Camacho Jr.

On December 5, 2003, and in preparation for a possible rematch with Chavez, Camacho recovered from a first round knockdown (the third against him in his career) to defeat Craig Houk by a knockout in round three.

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