Boxing is a sport I love to read about, as followers of this blog know, and one author whose work on the sweet science I truly love is Christian Guidice. He has a new biography out on Hector "Macho" Camacho and it is just as good as his other works. Here is my review.
Title/Author:
“Macho Time: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of Hector Camacho” by Christian Guidice
Tags:
Boxing, professional, championship, biography
Publish date:
October 20, 2020
Length:
320 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
Hector “Macho” Camacho was a boxer from the 1980’s and 1990’s who won over fans as much for his flash and his style as well as his fists. He won titles in three different weight classes and had millions of fans, but he still had critics saying that he never reached his full potential. This was mainly due to his lifestyle outside the ring where drugs and partying at times took over his life. His entire life, which ended tragically when he was shot in 2012, is captured in this great biography by Christian Guidice.
Guidce is a respected biographer of Latin American boxers, having previously authored well-received biographies of Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello and Wilfredo Gomez. Just like the other three, Guidice leaves no area of Camacho’s life unturned. Interviews with many survivors of Camacho, including his mother, son, several trainers he had throughout his career and the mother of Hector Jr. help to portray a man filled with so much talent yet was very much a walking contradiction.
One of the best examples of this was an interview in the ring Camacho gave after a fight in which CBS announcer Tim Ryan was talking to Hector and Camacho was asking Ryan if he was his friend. Right there in the ring after a victory on live television, the “Macho Man” was showing a vulnerability that many did not know. However, those who did know him felt that this was just one more time in many where Camacho would prove to be a very complicated individual.
Of course, Camacho’s boxing career is covered completely as well with some great passages of some of his more memorable fights, whether he won or lost. Probably the best boxing passage in the entire book was when Camacho won a controversial split decision over Edwin Rosario. While he won that fight, many believed Camacho was never the same after that bout in which Rosario hurt him several times. This came as a surprise to many who loved him and contrasted him to other great Latino boxers. As Guidice writes, “Alexis Arguello had respect, Roberto Duran had cachet, Hector Camacho had presence.” This “presence” was in the ring far longer than expected, however, when he later accepted big days against fighters who were also past their primes such as Sugar Ray Leonard. It was a far cry from the fast and furious fighter that many Puerto Ricans came to love.
Boxing fans who remember Camacho’s career and his flair will want to pick up this book as well as those who enjoy a good biography of a famous fighter whose hard lifestyle helped bring an end to his life far too early.
I wish to thank Hamlicar Publications for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying Links:
https://hamilcarpubs.com/books/macho-time-the-meteoric-rise-and-tragic-fall-of-hector-camacho/
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