Live on HBO, Camacho dropped Ramírez in round three en route to a unanimous twelve-round decision. He wasn’t made to wait long before getting a shot at another world title, squaring off against WBC champion, José Luis Ramírez, from Mexico. He returned to the States and posted two routine victories over Rafael Williams and Louis Burke, before winning the NABF lightweight strap against Roque Montoya in New York. Despite being rocked by a solid uppercut in the third, he weathered the storm and knocked out Solis with a devastating left, right combination in round five.īoiling down to the 130-pound limit increasingly became a struggle, prompting a decision to move up to lightweight. He remained in Puerto Rico to make the first defence of his belt, against fellow countryman, Rafael Solis. After scoring knockdowns in the first and third rounds, the action was halted in the fifth, with Camacho crowned WBC super featherweight champion. The Californian was an all-action fighter, who had claimed the throne following a memorable victory over Rafael Limón in their dramatic fourth meeting.ĭespite being renowned for his bravery, Chacon refused to travel to Puerto Rico to face Camacho, relinquishing his belt and triggering a match-up between Camacho and Limón for the vacant title.
EDWIN ROSARIO VS HECTOR CAMACHO PROFESSIONAL
His father, Héctor Sr, claimed that he was first to coin the nickname, the New York Times reported that it had been his school mentor, Flannery, whilst the man himself attributes it to former factory co-workers.Ī meteoric rise in his first three years as a professional saw him made mandatory challenger for the prestigious green and gold belt, then held by Bobby “The Schoolboy” Chacon. The provenance of the nickname “Macho” is somewhat clouded by contradictory versions. That same year, he made the switch to the paid ranks and debuted in the featherweight division, before quickly moving up to super featherweight and winning the NABF title, defeating top contenders: Irleis Cubanito Perez, Melvin Paul, John Montes, and Refugio Rojas along the way. Under his tutelage, Camacho displayed an inherent aptitude for the noble art and was soon thrust into the local Golden Gloves tournaments, winning three New York Golden Gloves and two Intercity Golden Gloves Championships from 1978 to 1980.įollowing his success at the 1980 Intercity Golden Gloves, Camacho concluded his amateur career with a hundred fights under his belt, securing 96 wins and just 4 losses. He pushed the mischievous teenager towards boxing and karate in an attempt to focus the negative energy into a productive outlet.
Attempting to address the downward spiral, his high school language teacher, Pat Flannery, intervened and took young Héctor under his wing.
Growing up in a volatile environment, Camacho unsurprisingly encountered conflict during his adolescent years, scrapping on the streets and landing himself in jail at fifteen.
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