"Former Welter weight champion Hector Camacho was shot in the head and neck Tuesday night in Puerto Rico while sitting in the passenger seat of a car. His driver was murdered. And is currently in critical condition."
Doctors have declared retired boxer Hector 'macho' Camacho brain dead after he was shot in the face on Tuesday (20Nov12), according to reports.
The former world champion was hospitalised in his native Puerto Rico after he was gunned down while sitting in a Ford Mustang car outside a bar in Bayamon.
The driver of the vehicle, Alberto Mojica, died at the scene and Camacho was said to be in critical condition at the Rio Piedras Medical Center in San Juan, where he was being treated for wounds to his face and neck.
Doctors have since revealed the bullets were deflected by the sportsman's jaw and subsequently hit his spinal cord.
His health further deteriorated in the early hours of Wednesday (21Nov12) when he suffered a heart attack and now he is facing a dismal future, according to local paper El Nuevo Dia. Newspaper editors claim the 50 year old has been taken off life support and one medic tells the publication, "His recovery would be a miracle. Medically, there is nothing we can do."
won 79 (KO 38)
lost 6 (KO 0)
drawn 3
88 total fights
5"7 southpaw from Bayamon
Started his career at featherweight and ended his career at middleweight.
HOF boxer, I know a lot of Puerto Ricans (IslaRicans) didn't respect him because of his lifestyle and character...but you can't deny the guy had talent and was active (88 total fights), he didn't duck anyone he fought Ray Mancini, Oscar De La Hoya, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Edwin Rosario, and a lot of guys with quality records, fighting 4-5 times a YEAR.
As an amateur boxer, I respect Camacho's style. It's not Mike Tyson or David Tua intimidating style, but Camacho would out work his opponents with his elite footwork and handspeed. He was very difficult to get any punches on.
As a fellow Puerto Rican who also grew up in the streets of NYC, I understand where Camacho comes from. An unhealthy environment tends to condition the mind and theres your limits. I've surpassed my environment and took responsibility of my behavior. My mom knew Hector personally, and he was a street dude and he wasn't going to change that for anyone. When you hang too much in the street, you meet the wrong people and put yourself in danger.
Especially in Puerto Rico, it's been a warzone on such a small island with a population of 3.8 million people....OVER 1,200 murders on average a year...right now the environment in PR is as ****ty as Mexico. It's sad to see how the island is being plagued by drugs, gangs, and violence. We're not meant to be like, our taino ancestry rejects that.
Camacho ****ed up, I wish he took responsibility of his life and kept himself distant from the streets. He's one of my favorite fighters of ALL TIME, personally...don't give a damn about his haters.
R.I.P. Macho. An inspiration towards my boxing career, everyday I train I remember how far you made it and I will follow. Even though your lifestyle wasn't healthy, you taught me what not to do and how to avoid the demons. God bless you my brother.