In Memory of Hector 'Macho' Camacho (1962 - 2012).

Hector Macho Camacho died on the weekend, shot to death while sitting in his car with a friend.

A death not worthy of anyone, let alone a former champ and pride of his country.
Reports of Camacho living a shady lifestyle were reported for years. Hanging out with the gangsters, drug dealers, and the low lifes of society. 

I was chatting with a close friend of mine a few days ago about the matter and he commented that Hector made millions fighting the likes of De la Hoya. Whoever the Golden Boy fought was guaranteed to never have to work again for the rest of his life. There was no need to start a side job as a cocaine trafficker or hang around the Tony Montana's of our seedy world.

There seems something inherently wrong with being a former champ, and then forgetting all that and replacing it with a criminal lifestyle. Is it the neighbourhood one grew up in as a youth? friends and fans growing up in poor environments where making some much needed 'coin' makes the financial ends justify the morally corrupt and violent means? is it the accepted and expected dealings of an infamously corrupt sport? Boxing afterall doesnt apply the same moral ethos of Eastern Martial Arts. Could it be drug addiction used to replace the faded limelight and rush? Maybe it's the cultural prevalance of Blacks and Latinos to be wooed by criminal elements to such an extent that the old adage of taking the #$%^ out da hood out but not the hood out da #$%^ becomes an ingrained cultural truth not easily shaken by an old dog and his lack of new tricks.


Either way, the Pride of Puerto Rico had a who's who of Puerto Rican boxers show up at his funeral today. Mother sobbing and clamouring "they killed him". Immediately absolving her son of all wrong doing, as all mothers tend to do in similar tragic situations. "Not my little boy"and the packs of cocaine found on him and his deceased friend. A case for Puerto Rican police detectives to investigate further. Its no secret Hector had a long documented history of drug and alcohol abuse.

His professional fighting record was 79-6-3. As much a showman as his super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight championship belts were testimony to his skill, having fought the great boxers of the 1980's such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Felix Trinidad, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

50 years old is a relatively young age to leave this world. And with things like cancer, we all face lifes tumultuous turmoils eventually, why be 'out for the count' any sooner than we have to.

We all die.

But may we face life with the same flamboyance, skill and bravery 'Macho' showed in his heyday.