A month after the sudden and shocking loss of Hall of Fame trainer Emmanuel Steward, we now mourn the tragic death of one of boxing’s most demonstrative showmen, Hector "Macho" Camacho. 
We all know there are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the shooting death of Camacho and his friend as they sat outside a bar in Bayamon, Puerto Rico but I am not here to speculate.
I’d rather pay homage to one of boxing’s most flamboyant and recognizable fighters during boxing’s most recent golden decade (1980-1990).
Here are the top three boxing moments of "Macho Man "in his prime:
- Hector Camacho W TKO 5 Rafael Limon for his first major title (WBC) at super featherweight (8/7/1983);
- Hector Camacho W UD 12 Jose Luis Ramirez to capture his second major title (WBC) at lightweight (8/10/1985), and
- Hector Camacho W SD 12 Edwin Rosario to retain the WBC lightweight in a battle for Puerto RIcan bragging rights at Madison Square Garden (6/13/1986).
He would go on to add a litany of big names onto his fight resume, including Ray Mancini, Vinny Pazienza, Greg Haugen and Sugar Ray Leonard. And although all were past their physical primes (especially Leonard), Camacho was as well.
He would also suffer one-sided loses to future Hall of Famers Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad, well past his very own prime. I gave him props for facing the two young lions (De La Hoya and Trinidad) as the ascended the boxing ranks even though he was dominated by them.
His career was it its height between 1983-1986 and gradually declined shortly thereafter. Sure, he could have done much more in his career, but his ring resume is still strong nonetheless. But what really stands out to me is how energetic and flamboyant he was in the hype leading up to his fights as well as the post-fight chatter after these same battles.
Today, guys like Floyd Mayweather and Adrien Broner get the headlines for their in-ring and "outside-of-ring" theatrics but Camacho’s influence in this area will never be lost one me.
R.I.P. Hector Camacho (May 24, 1962-November 24, 2012).
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