by James Slater – Former super-featherweight, lightweight and light-welterweight world champion Hector Camacho is not done fighting yet. At the age of 46, and after having outlasted all the other big name world champions from the 1980s, “Macho” remains active. Set to face fellow veteran Ramon “Yori Boy” Campas at The Taj Majal in Atlantic city on May the 9th, the once great southpaw will be having his first fight in almost a year, and only his second fight in almost four years..
A legend of the sport to be sure – even though the Puerto Rican’s popularity took a nosedive way, way back in 1986, when he was accused of running away from the big-punching Edwin Rosario – Camacho is a cert for The Hall of Fame once he finally calls it a day on his now twenty-nine year career. The man who retired the one and only Sugar Ray Leonard clearly has no concerns in fighting on himself while well into his forties (Leonard was a 41-year-old shell of himself when the then 34-year-old Camacho stopped him in the 5th round back in March of 1997).
What can the 79-5-2(38) veteran who has never been stopped have left to offer his sport today? Fighting his last few bouts at or around the middleweight limit, Camacho has actually won his last four fights, two of them by stoppage. Sure, all his wins since the last somewhat meaningful victory he scored – over an ancient Roberto Duran in 2001 – have come against relative nobodies, but at a certain level Camacho can still fight. What he thinks a win over the now oft-beaten Campas will do for him we can only guess.
Once a very good fighter who held the IBF world title at 154 pounds in the late ’90s, Mexican Campas mixed it with the best during his prime. Going up against guys like Raul Marquez, Fernando Vargas, Oscar De La Hoya and before that Felix Trinidad, Campas displayed heart, guts and talent. He still has the heart and guts today at age 37, and he is not stopped all that often, but he is a man who has managed just one win from his last five fights (albeit a very good, 1st round stoppage win over the decent Alejandro Garcia). Still, he will be the younger man by almost a decade when he gets in the ring for the light-middleweight bout with “Macho” and he might just get himself a win in May.
Campas, 92-14(74) has been far more active than has the 46-year-old, even though he has been mostly losing. But the Mexican warrior has at least been competitive in defeat, and after over a hundred fights and a now twenty-two year pro career, Campas has proven he can still hang with good young fighters. In fairly recent times, “Yori Boy” has taken John Duddy, Eromosele Albert and Matthew Macklin the distance, while in his last fight, in March of this year, he lost on points to unbeaten 21-year-old Marcos Reyes.
It’s tough picking a winner from the May 9th bout, and in truth some fans will not even be interested in this clash of old-timers. However, if Camacho is in decent enough shape the two may put on a watch-able affair. Campas always comes to fight, and against a relatively light puncher like Camacho he may well go for the stoppage win and make the older man work hard as a result.
Due to the fact he has been far more active as of late, Campas looks the winner here – but it’s unlikely he will become the first man to KO the still crafty “Macho Man.” Not unless Camacho has nothing left whatsoever.