News Americas, SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sat. Nov 24, 2012: Top Puerto Rico-born boxer, Hector Luis “Macho” Camacho, is dead.
His family pulled him off life support today, Nov. 24th, four days after he was shot in the face while in a car Tuesday night, Nov. 20th, in his hometown of Bayamon.
Camacho, 50, was declared brain dead at the Centro Medico trauma center in San Juan. A bullet damaged three of the four main arteries in his neck and fractured two vertebrae.
Camacho was outside the Azuquita Liquor Store in a parked Ford Mustang with a friend when he was shot in the face. The friend, identified as 49-year-old Adrian Mojica Moreno, was killed. Police said two assailants fled in an SUV but no arrests have been made and no motive has been disclosed. Detective Alex Diaz told ESPN.com that Mojica Moreno had nine bags of cocaine in his possession with an open 10th bag in the vehicle, which was registered to Mojica Moreno. He had been arrested for possession of controlled substances in April, according to Diaz.
Comacho’s last title bout came against then-welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, a loss by unanimous decision. He last fought in May 2010, losing to Saul Duran. Camacho had a storied amateur career, winning three New York Golden Gloves beginning with the Sub-Novice 112 lb. championship in 1978. He won four titles throughout his professional career: The WBC Super featherweight (1983), the WBC lightweight (1985), and the WBO Junior welterweight (1989 and 1991). Camacho also had notable fights defeating Panama’s Roberto Durán twice, and knocking out Sugar Ray Leonard, sending Leonard into permanent retirement. He also fought against Julio César Chávez, Félix Trinidad, and Oscar de la Hoya, among others.
In 2008, he won his last major fight, the World Boxing Empire middleweight championship. He also made various appearances on Spanish-language reality television shows.
