Hector Camacho-Oscar De La Hoya
LIFE & DEATH OF THE “MACHO MAN”
San Francisco, CA– Looking back at the career of Hector Camacho, you can see that he fought of a lot of fringe contenders. Guys like Freddie Roach, Sal Lopez, Pat Lawlor, names such as that make up the majority of Hector’s prizefighting resume. In 1985, August to be exact, Hector was set to battle WBC champion Jose Luis Ramirez in Las Vegas at the Riviera Hotel. The Mexican mauler Ramirez had knocked out Edwin Rosario one year prior in a knockdown fest that saw both men in the horizontal position. The two telling points about Ramirez was that he was tough and left-handed. Outside of that, José was the slowest fighter in the 135 pound division. As both fighters were being introduced I knew from working with Ramirez in a San Jose, CA gym for a couple of rounds that this fight was a mismatch.
HECTOR BREEZES PAST RUGGED CHAMPION
The fight lived up to everybody’s predictions as Camacho won a shut out all my card, and a near shutout on the official cards. It was as pretty a display of boxing, pure boxing, as anyone will ever witness. This battle of left-handers was over before it started. That being said, Hector Camacho was not recognized not only as the lightweight champion of the world, but as the best fighter pound for pound boxing.
TABLOID TV AND THE RAGS ALL OVER HECTOR
With more critics then Carter has pills, Camacho although admired for his skill was a favorite of the tabloid news outlets. When Camacho showed up the post fight press conference, the most lively I’ve had attended to that point, Hector was in a zone. And I don’t mean a drug zone. The kid from Spanish Harlem had just went 12 rounds without taking a serious punch from the man who knocked out Puerto Rican rival Edwin Rosario.
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN HAD SPLIT HOUSE
It was fitting that the fight take place in the Mecca of boxing Madison Square Garden in front of and nearly all Puerto Rican crowd that was split down the middle. The younger Puerto Ricans, many of those born here in the United States for the macho man. Old-school Puerto Ricans and those living on the island were back in Rosario.
HECTOR’S PEAK WAS LIKE SAND GOING THROUGH THE HOUR GLASS
Camacho was flying high at the time and I don’t know whether it was cocaine or him enjoying his status as certainly one of the best boxers in the world at the time. Rosario had been exposed by Ramirez, who he turned his back in a form of pugilistic resignation. He was slow and predictable, the perfect foil for the “Harlem Heckler.” Hector had been calling him a coward. Combine that with the pro Camacho weigh-in crowd and Rosario was steamed.
THE LEFT HOOK THAT CHANGED HECTOR FOREVER!
With the late great Arthur Mercante being the referee, the judges were Tony Castellano, Stuart Kirschenbaum and Luis Rivera as the Garden was packed with not an empty seat in the house. Camacho openings up boxing beautifully. Rosario with his hands held high style was looking for the opportunity to check Hector’s chin. When he got his opportunity and landed a left hook, one that shook Hector all the way down to his boxing boots, Camacho was hurt for the very first time as a professional fighter. Although Hector would never admit it, the real macho man was retired that night in the Garden. Even though he won a split decision in a close fight, Camacho would never outlive his being shaken by Rosario.
CAMACHO WAS CANDID YET BLIND ROSARIO CLASH
When I talked with Hector about a month and a half after the fight and asked him whether or not his stock value had dropped due to his performance against Rosario and he laughed. ” Look, I won the fight. Did Rosario case really good punch? Yes, but so what this is boxing and even on vacation, although I don’t want it to happen too often, the macho man has to take a punch. If Rosario wants a rematch we can do it again and I don’t care if it is San Juan or the garden, I will beat him again and again. (Ray) Mancini, (Livingstone) Bramble, Pernell Whitaker, line ‘em up.”
The title defense against then then 28-1 Rosario would be Hector’s second to last as he closed out his lightweight phase of his boxing career with a UD 12 over Cornelius Boza-Edwards three months later. After Edwards it was jr. welterweight (140) clash with 1976 Olympic champ Howard Davis Jr. winning that contest convincingly across the board. Three fights and two and a half years later, Camacho meets ex-champ Ray Mancini in Reno, NV.
HECTOR & “BOOM-BOOM” LIKE FLOYD MAYWEATHER-MANNY PACQUIAO TODAY!
Had this fight occurred in 1985 or 1986, preferably before Mancini lost a pair of fights to Livingstone Bramble, this clash would have been one of the biggest sporting events of the decade of the 80′s. Instead, it lacked the “pop” that people expected and after 12 rounds, no surprise, Hector Camacho had out worked and boxed Ray Mancini.
THE EARLY ZENITH OF THE MACHO MAN!
Even though some of his biggest fights were still in front of him, Camacho at the age of 27 had already hit his peak. I noticed his slipping in the Reyes Cruz fight. Camacho’s promoter Mike Acri was well aware that Hector skills were beginning to elude him. But not Acri or anyone else confronted Camacho with the truths, the cold hard facts that drugs in the fast lane of life had reduced Hector to a mere shell of what he was.
TOMORROW PART 4 ON THE LEONARD FIGHT & MORE!
We will finish this series up with two more installments on Thursday and Friday here at RingTalk.com Cocaine will be discussed at length as we close out “My Time With Hector Camacho.”
DID YOU MISS PART 1 OR 2?
Look for part 4 of 5 tomorrow here at RingTalk.com If you’d like to read Part 1 Click For Part 1 Of Camacho Story
Click For Part 2 of Camacho Series
Pedro Fernandez