Héctor Camacho

Who was Héctor Camacho?

Héctor Luís Camacho Matías, nicknamed Macho Camacho, was a Puerto Rican professional boxer and singer. Known for his quickness in the ring and flamboyant style, he held major championships in the super featherweight, lightweight, and junior welterweight divisions. After earning minor titles in four additional weight classes, Camacho became the first boxer to be recognized as a septuple champion.

A storied amateur, Camacho won three New York Golden Gloves, beginning with the Sub-Novice 112 lb. championship in 1978. During his 30-year career, Camacho had many notable fights, defeating Panama's Roberto Durán twice late in Duran's career, and knocking out a 40-year-old Sugar Ray Leonard, sending Leonard into permanent retirement. He also fought against Julio César Chávez, Félix Trinidad, and Oscar de la Hoya, among others.

During his later years, Camacho expanded his popular role and appeared on a variety of Spanish-language reality television shows including Univision's' dancing show Mira Quien Baila and a weekly segment on the popular show El Gordo y La Flaca named Macho News. But, he also had trouble with drug abuse and criminal charges. In 2005 he was arrested for burglary, a charge to which he would later plead guilty. In 2008, he won his last major fight, the World Boxing Empire middleweight championship. In 2011, he was shot at three times by would-be carjackers in San Juan, but was uninjured. In the fall of 2012, Camacho was awaiting trial in Florida on charges of physical abuse of one of his sons.