Macho: The Hector Camacho Story — A Story of Triumph and Tragedy
“I’m making it for the people that never made it. I’m making it for people that ain’t gonna make it.” — Hector Camacho.
Showtime’s documentary Macho: The Hector Camacho Story that was directed and narrated by Eric Drath, is a film that goes beyond the squared circle. The film transcends sports as it highlights the story of a beloved sports figure whose talent took him to the top of the boxing world only to be held down by his vices.
The documentary has numerous interviews featuring some of boxing’s most well-known figures such as Teddy Atlas, Steve Farhood, Ray Mancini, Ray Leonard, Vinny Pazienza with a plethora of family and friends.
The film follows a linear structure starting with Hector Camacho’s (79–6–3, 38 KOs) upbringing in New York in the Spanish Harlem section of Manhattan. Some of the best parts in the documentary are stories of Camacho’s mischief as a youngster. From getting kicked out of schools to boosting cars for one-night trips around the town.
Anyone who thought Camacho’s persona was an act would be sorely mistaken as he was just as charismatic out of the ring as in the ring.
The film’s first act highlights Camacho’s early journey in boxing, featuring interviews with his first trainers Robert Lee Velez and Billy Giles.
While boxing was something that Camacho used to escape from the world around him, his idol wasn’t a boxer but instead martial artist, actor, and philosopher Bruce Lee.
“I was always the biggest Bruce Lee fanatic,” Camacho stated in archival footage in the documentary. “That’s where my style comes in. A lot of defense, a lot of movement.”
Throughout the film, it covers some of the most significant fights in the career of Camacho.
From Camacho’s first foray in his native Puerto Rico, where he put on the best performance of his career in a fifth-round stoppage over Mexican legend Rafael “Bazooka” Limon to capture the vacant WBC Junior Lightweight title to his epic showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez in September 1992 are all covered in the documentary.
Before the emergence of Heavyweight Mike Tyson and the retirement of Ray Leonard in 1984, Camacho was arguably the most popular boxer in the world.
“There was something about Camacho that made you look at him,” stated former editor-in-chief for The Ring Magazine and KO Magazine. “And it wasn’t just the flash. It was the boxing ability too.
“In the early 80s, it was a fantastic time in boxing. You had so many superstars. You had Larry Holmes, Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Marvin Hagler, Salvador Sanchez, Wilfredo Gomez. Camacho was a little different from all of them.”
One of the characteristics that made Camacho stand out from the pack in the 1980s were his flamboyant and creative in-ring costumes.
The Puerto Rican was likely an influence beyond just the boxing ring. The different attires worn in every fight was probably an inspiration for professional wrestlers such as the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
“It wasn’t a costume,” childhood friend and bodyguard Rudy Gonzalez stated. “Those were his suits of armor. He became those costumes, this character in the ring.”
Childhood friend Rudy Gonzalez told one of the craziest stories in the documentary highlighting just how unhinged Camacho was at times.
The two were driving through the state of Texas, and when Gonzalez decided to let Camacho drive to catch up on some sleep, they wound up at the border to Mexico with a kilo of cocaine in the trunk of the car.
Luckily, the two turned the almost career-ending moment into a promotional stunt as a way to call out Julio Cesar Chavez to a match.
Much like an actual boxing match, Camacho’s career had its ups and downs, with Camacho’s demons at times impacting his performances in the squared circle.
Camacho may not have understood the process in which his addiction impacted him, but he fell at its mercy.
The film’s third act focuses more on his family and friends and how his behavior outside of the ring affected each of them.
As the years went by in Camacho’s career, he was still able to land big fights against Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, and Ray Leonard; however, the three-division champion was heading down a path to self-destruction.
“The thing with fighters is that we reach the top, and then when our career comes to an end, we search for that ‘And The New,’ there’s nothing greater,” stated Ray Leonard. “There are no better words to hear. I can’t even emphasize enough what it means to us. You beat the odds.
“And when we don’t have that any longer, we go for something else to duplicate it. “
Camacho’s final years and death are covered in the documentary. The ending that came to such a charismatic figure was tragic and sadly almost expected by many.
“The bullet that killed Macho in Puerto Rico started its journey a long time ago,” stated Rudy Gonzalez.
What the film accomplishes more than anything is firmly establishing Camacho as an essential figure in boxing and one that should not be forgotten.
Camacho was an influence for fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr., who would follow in his footsteps in playing the role of a villain.
Fighters with over 80 fights on their record are likely long gone in boxing, let alone one as unique as Camacho.
Hall-of-Famer Trainer Teddy Atlas summed up Camacho’s story best at the beginning of the documentary.
“He was a pioneer. But boxing sometimes can be too damn Shakespearean. It’s got its beautiful stories, but it’s got its share of sad ones, too.”
The story of Hector Camacho is one of triumph and tragedy, but it’s also one that must be seen by all fans of the sweet science.
Published at https://www.thepugilistmag.co.uk/post/macho-the-hector-camacho-story-a-story-of-triumph-and-tragedy-by-hector-franco on December 14, 2020