Three times world champion Hector ''Macho'' Camacho, who was shot in the face last week, has been declared dead after being removed from life support system on Saturday.
His mother and other family members agreed for life support to be removed as the boxer was already brain dead and was alive because of the machine.
Camacho, 50, was one of the top boxers of his generation. With his fearsome boxing skills and amazing power, he defeated many big names of the boxing world during the 1980s. He was very popular among fans, who would cheer him by screaming ''It's Macho time!'' before fights.
''He excited boxing fans around the world with his inimitable style,'' The Associated Press quoted promoter Don King as saying.
His contemporary boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya and Roberto Duran respected him for his success in three different weight categories.
''Hector was a fighter who brought a lot of excitement to boxing,'' executive director of International the Boxing Hall of Fame Ed Brophy stated. ''He was a good champion. Roberto Duran is kind of in a class of his own, but Hector surely was an exciting fighter that gave his all to the sport.''
As a teenager, Camacho had to see life in prison for some time, but soon his fate took him to boxing.
''This is something I've done all my life, you know?'' Camacho told The Associated Press in 2010. ''A couple years back, when I was doing it, I was still enjoying it. The competition, to see myself perform. I know I'm at the age that some people can't do this no more.''
Macho's childhood friend, former featherweight champion Juan Laporte, remembered the affable Camacho ''like a little brother who was always getting into trouble.''
''He's a good human being, a good hearted person,'' Laporte further said while waiting outside the hospital in San Juan. ''A lot of people think of him as a cocky person but that was his motto ... Inside he was just a kid looking for something.''
''Because of him, man, I got what I got today.'' While showing his daughter's picture on a smartphone, Camacho's old friend George Lozada said,
''Because of Hector, I stopped the drug scene ... He's helped so many people.''
Camacho was not an orthodox sportsman. He always liked to experiment with his style and skill.
''He revolutionized boxing," Mexico's boxer Julio Cesar Chavez said. ''It's a shame he got mixed up in so many problems.''
In his last fight in May 2010, Camacho lost to Saul Duran. He had a career record of 79-6-3.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
