Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho died Saturday morning after his family pulled him off life support in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Camacho and a friend were shot while they sat in a car outside of a bar in San Juan. The friend died at the scene and Camacho suffered gunshot to the face from which he never recovered.
While his personal life was messy and volatile, his time in the ring was Hall of Fame worthy. Below, NewsOne has listed some quick, noteworthy facts about the boxing legend.
1) Camacho is indeed a Harlem boxing great, but he was actually born in Bayamon, just outside of San Juan. He moved from Puerto Rico with his family as a small child. [Associated Press]
2) As is the case with many fighters, Camacho’s fighting career began on the streets during his years as a misguided youth. As explained by the Los Angeles Times: His career launched after he admitted to stealing cars in Spanish Harlem as a youth, with one transgression forcing him to jail in Rikers Island, N.Y. There, he boxed other inmates and was so good, one asked a question that stuck with him: “What are you doing here?” [Los Angeles Times]
3) He won three New York Golden Gloves Championships during his amateur career: “Camacho won the 1978 112 lb Sub-Novice Championship, 1979 118 lb Open Championship and 1980 119 lb Open Championship. In 1979 Camacho defeated Paul DeVorce of the Yonkers Police Athletic League in the finals to win the title, and in 1980 Camacho defeated Tyrone Jackson in the finals to win the Championship.” [Wikipedia]
4) During his professional career, Camacho fought boxing giants such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray Mancini, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya and Roberto Duran. [Associated Press]
5) In 1997, Camacho knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard during the fifth round of the fighter’s ill-fated comeback to boxing. It was arguably Camacho’s last notable victory.
6) Papa Camacho and his son, Hector Camacho Jr., also a professional middleweight boxer, shared the same fight card on Feb. 3, 2001. They were the first father and son tandem to do so since 1975. [CNN]
7) Camacho’s last bout was back in 2010 against Sal Duran in Kissimmee, Florida. The bout took place 10 days before his 48 birthday. [USA Today]
8) One of Camacho’s nicknames was the “Harlem Heckler.” [Associated Press]
9) He suffered from substance abuse for much of his adult life and had numerous run-ins with the law that include attempting to take an M-16 through customs. This year he turned himself in to authorities after a warrant was issued charging him for beating one of his sons. At the time of his death, a trial was pending in connection to that case. [New York Times]
10) His professional record was 79-6-3, with 38 knockouts. [New York Times]
