Macho Time: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of Hector Camacho

Veteran boxing writer Giudice (Hands of Stone: The Life and Legend of Roberto Duran) chronicles of life of Hector “Macho” Camacho Sr. (1962-2012); the first full-length biography of the legendary boxer. Born in Puerto Rico but raised in Spanish Harlem, Camacho was fighting before he turned ten, took to the gym in hopes of becoming the next Bruce Lee, and emerged instead as the quicksilver winner of world boxing titles in three weight divisions, with a penchant for flamboyant outfits and behavior that won him both fans and foes. Giudice writes with sensitivity about Camacho’s lifelong struggle with drugs and excessive partying that robbed him of a chance at true greatness and culminated in his murder as he sat in a car filled with bags of cocaine. The focus here is mostly on Camacho’s career; his volatile relationship with his wife and sons, two of whom also pursed a career in boxing, aren’t given much attention.