SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Former world boxing champion Hector "Macho" Camacho was shot in the face as he sat in a car outside the Puerto Rican capital Tuesday, and doctors said he was in serious condition but expected to survive.
Another man in the car, whose relationship to the 50-year-old Camacho wasn't immediately known, died in the attack in which at least one gunman opened fire on their vehicle in the city of Bayamon, according to a statement from police.
Camacho was rushed to Centro Medico, the trauma center in San Juan, where he was in critical but stable condition, Dr. Ernesto Torres, the hospital director, told reporters.
The bullet apparently struck him in the jaw but exited his head and lodged in his right shoulder and fractured two vertebrae, Torres said. The doctor said the boxer, who was trailed by drug and alcohol problems during a career that included some high-profile bouts, could be paralyzed from the shooting.
"Camacho's condition is extremely delicate," he told Telenoticias. "His physical condition will help him but we will see."
No arrests have been made in the shooting, police said.
Camacho representative Steve Tannenbaum said he was told by friends at the hospital that the boxer would make it.
"This guy is a cat with nine lives. He's been through so much," he said. "If anybody can pull through it will be him."
The fighter's last title bout came against then-welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, a loss by unanimous decision. Tannenbaum said he was going to fight two years ago in Denmark until his opponent pulled out and that they were looking at a possible bout in 2013.
"We were talking comeback even though he is 50," he said. "I felt he was capable of it."
Camacho was born in Bayamon, one of the cities that make up the San Juan metropolitan area. He won super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s.
Camacho has fought other high-profile bouts in his career against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho knocked out Leonard in 1997, ending what was that former champ's final comeback attempt.
Camacho has a career record of 79-5-3, with his most recent fight coming in 2009.
Drug, alcohol and other problems have trailed Camacho since the prime of his boxing career. He was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.
A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He wound up serving two weeks in jail, though, after violating that probation.
Twice his wife filed domestic abuse complaints against him, and she filed for divorce several years ago.
Update:
‘Macho’ Camacho “Clinically Brain Dead” After Being Shot In The Face
Another man in the car, whose relationship to the 50-year-old Camacho wasn't immediately known, died in the attack in which at least one gunman opened fire on their vehicle in the city of Bayamon, according to a statement from police.
Camacho was rushed to Centro Medico, the trauma center in San Juan, where he was in critical but stable condition, Dr. Ernesto Torres, the hospital director, told reporters.
The bullet apparently struck him in the jaw but exited his head and lodged in his right shoulder and fractured two vertebrae, Torres said. The doctor said the boxer, who was trailed by drug and alcohol problems during a career that included some high-profile bouts, could be paralyzed from the shooting.
"Camacho's condition is extremely delicate," he told Telenoticias. "His physical condition will help him but we will see."
No arrests have been made in the shooting, police said.
Camacho representative Steve Tannenbaum said he was told by friends at the hospital that the boxer would make it.
"This guy is a cat with nine lives. He's been through so much," he said. "If anybody can pull through it will be him."
The fighter's last title bout came against then-welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, a loss by unanimous decision. Tannenbaum said he was going to fight two years ago in Denmark until his opponent pulled out and that they were looking at a possible bout in 2013.
"We were talking comeback even though he is 50," he said. "I felt he was capable of it."
Camacho was born in Bayamon, one of the cities that make up the San Juan metropolitan area. He won super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s.
Camacho has fought other high-profile bouts in his career against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho knocked out Leonard in 1997, ending what was that former champ's final comeback attempt.
Camacho has a career record of 79-5-3, with his most recent fight coming in 2009.
Drug, alcohol and other problems have trailed Camacho since the prime of his boxing career. He was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.
A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He wound up serving two weeks in jail, though, after violating that probation.
Twice his wife filed domestic abuse complaints against him, and she filed for divorce several years ago.
Update:
‘Macho’ Camacho “Clinically Brain Dead” After Being Shot In The Face
“We have done everything we could,” said Torres, who is the director of the Centro Medico trauma center in San Juan. “We have to tell the people of Puerto Rico and the entire world that Macho Camacho has died, he is brain dead.”
He said at a news conference that Camacho would remain on life support until Thursday morning, at which time the family will have to tell doctors whether they want to donate his organs.
Torres said Camacho’s father has already indicated that he wants the boxer taken off life support and his organs donated, but one of his sisters opposes the idea.
“This is a very difficult moment,” he said.
Ismael Leandry, a longtime friend and former manager, told reporters that Camacho’s mother also is wavering on taking her son off life support and would like more time with him. He said the family is waiting for Camacho’s oldest son to arrive Thursday night before having a family reunion and making a decision.
“Let’s remember him as a good man,” Leandry said. “He was a good father, a good son.”
Steve Tannenbaum, a friend and a former boxing agent for Camacho, said in a phone interview that he idolized Camacho as a boxer.
“He is one of the greatest small fighters that I have ever seen,” he said. “Hector Camacho had a legendary status.”
Tannenbaum said he initially believed Camacho would survive. “He was almost like the indestructible man. He had so many troubles with the law, so many altercations in his life. It’s a great shame.”
The 50-year-old Camacho was shot as he and a friend sat in a Ford Mustang parked outside a bar Tuesday night. Police spokesman Alex Diaz said officers found nine small bags of cocaine in the friend’s pocket, and a 10th bag open inside the car. Camacho’s friend, identified as 49-year-old Adrian Mojica Moreno, was killed in the attack.
Doctors had initially said Camacho was expected to survive, but his condition worsened and his heart stopped briefly overnight Tuesday, Torres said. The bullet entered his jaw and lodged in his shoulder after tearing through three of four main arteries in his neck, affecting blood flow through his brain, doctors said.
“That lack of oxygen greatly damaged Macho Camacho’s brain,” Torres said.
Torres had said late Wednesday that Camacho was still showing irregular and intermittent brain activity.
Camacho was born in Bayamon, a city within the San Juan metropolitan area, but he grew up mostly in New York’s Harlem neighborhood, earning the nickname “the Harlem Heckler.”
He won super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s and fought high-profile bouts against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho knocked out Leonard in 1997, ending the former champ’s final comeback attempt.
Camacho has a career record of 79-6-3.
In recent years, he divided his time between Puerto Rico and Florida, appearing regularly on Spanish-language television as well as on a reality show called “Es Macho Time!” on YouTube. In San Juan, he had been living in the beach community of Isla Verde, where he would readily pose for photos with tourists who recognized him on the street, said former pro boxer Victor “Luvi” Callejas, a neighbor and friend.
Camacho battled drugs, alcohol and other problems throughout his life. He was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.
A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He wound up serving two weeks in jail, though, after violating that probation.
His wife also filed domestic abuse complaints against him twice before their divorce several years ago.
Hector 'Macho' Camacho Dead
One of boxing's big names from '80s and '90s is gone: Doctors in Puerto Rico says Hector "Macho Camacho died after being taken off life support this morning, reports the AP. Camacho, 50, got shot in the face four days ago while sitting in a car in his hometown of Bayamon. A friend with him who died at the scene had nine bags of cocaine on him, police say. Camacho won a handful of world titles in his career, but afterward he had frequent run-ins with the law—including a burglary bust in 2005—along with substance-abuse problems.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Hector Camacho
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]
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Hector Camacho
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]
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