How good was Hector Camacho?

Macho Camacho was like a more talented and athletic Mayorga. He talked a lot of mess and backed it up big time. Fought legends like JCC, Duran, ODLH, Leonard, Mancini, Pazienza, a Goossen brother and Freddie Roach. What a excellent resume.

 

Macho was a phenomenon before the Rosario fight. He's the fastest fighter you'll ever see on film. His skills, chin and speed were unmatched. He wasn't afraid to take a shot and had flash and charisma.

Once Macho met Chapo in a Puerto Rican showdown, Chapo hit him with some EXTREMELY hard shots. That fight scarred Macho for life and he became a safety first fighter and was never the same fighter again.

 

I read some where that a 18 year old Pernell Whitaker beat the **** out of him in sparring while Macho was a world champ. I remember him being really good though.

[url]http://articles.dailypress.com/1990-02-02/sports/9002010329_1_whitaker-s-promoter-camacho-freddie-pendleton[/url]

 

Saw this fight live. Sad but true! He was the real deal up until that fight.

 

Well Pernell Whitaker is arguably one of the greatest 20 fighters whose ever lived. I wouldn't doubt that a young Pernell gave Macho the business.

 

"It's Macho time!"

I'm from New York (grew up in Manhattan in the 80's,) so I've always been a huge fan of the Macho man. He was a very charismatic guy both inside and outside the ring.

Very flashy, had grandiose ring entrances and he did take on pretty much all comers. I always wonder how great Macho would've been if he a packed a bit more power in his punches.

Very good fighter, I don't know if I'd classify him as being great though. I think his body of work makes him a qualified candidate for getting inducted to the IBHOF (I'm pretty sure he's not in yet???) It's crazy to think a guy like Boom Boom Mancini got in somehow (very undeserving IMO,) and someone like Camacho isn't in yet.

 

I watched his fight against Rafael Solis just the other day. He could be inconsistent even before Rosario took something from him that he never got back but he could be really good. Unbelievable speed. And speed with real punches from different angles, not glorified speedbag work.

 

No offense, but you sound like his publicist here.

Anyone likening the Duran he fought to the earlier Duran has a bit of an agenda or just doesn't know the chronology of it all.

At the end of the day, early on he was very carefully guided, though one must say he was fantastically gifted and yes, probably the fastest you'll ever see on film. Look at his early career and any world class or ex-world class fighter he took on was more the face-first variety and tailor-made for his quick, movement-oriented style. As mentioned before, he took on Rosario in 1986 and that fight fundamentally changed him to much more of a safety-first run-and-grab type.

I will give him this: Later on when the bloom was already off his rose, he did take on some real beasts like a prime DLH, Chavez, and Trinidad, going the distance with each. That takes some doing. He could hang, and was tougher than many give him credit for.

He was just such a head case; a sort of manchild who seemed to perpetually be eight years old but with gobs of natural talent that went largely unharnessed.

Honestly? He should have been more.

 

Interesting, I'm only old enough to remember the safety first fighter. I guess that's why I never liked him.

 

overrated, chavez made him his *****, and his win against SRL was meaningless since srl was balding. he also went life and death with boom boom, who is quite overrated.

 

This post is dead-on accurate and not designed solely to rile people up. Are you feeling alright?

 

I'm not a particular fan, but I can't hate on a dead man who got murdered.

Most people hated Macho for the **** talking he did in the build up for the Chavez fight and not backing it up..

Then there's other **** like Camacho not honoring the bet he made with Oscar, which was if Oscar won then Camacho had to cut off his hair curl. Also the rudeness and disrespect he showed to an ancient Duran, and the fact that he knocked out the corpse of Leonard the original Golden Boy. That **** still rubs people a certain way.

 

Very good, especially in his prime during his 130-135 days. Beat alot of good fighters, like Rosario, Chacon, Mancini, Haugen, and Limon. Really, REALLY wanted to fight his countryman Wilfredo Gomez, called him out many times. Great offensive machine, looked great vs one dimensional fighters like Limon. Like mentioned before, had alot more heart and chin than given credit for, went the distance with a prime Oscar and Tito, his wins with badly faded legends Duran and Leonard should not count.

 

I wasn't born in his prime, I'm just simply recalling my pops and uncles stories who saw him and other greats in their prime and my own research and studying.

Most Puerto Ricans at that time thought Camacho fought like a ***** against Rosario. Rosario was a beloved Puerto Rican fighter at that time and after that performance, most just labeled Camacho a Nuyo Rican. Then there's the build up to the Chavez fight where he didn't back up his **** talking.

But again, nobody should talk ill of a man who passed away from murder. You have to look at his career for what it is, and in his prime, he was something special.