Originally an exploration of the investigation into Camacho’s still-unsolved death in Puerto Rico, Drath deconstructed a finished film to start over so he could tell Camacho’s entire story - not just the mysterious circumstances of his untimely demise. Like “Assault,” “Macho” became a personal journey for Drath that started at Point A and took many zigs and zags before landing in an unlikely destination. It earned Drath an Emmy Award (he won another for “No Mas,” which chronicled the circumstances of Roberto Duran’s stunning surrender to Leonard in 1980). And somehow made Resto a redemptive figure. But, in the end, Drath’s work shed light on Resto’s participation in the tragedy. It was a story that almost couldn’t have a happy ending. Drath delved deep into Resto’s battered psyche, conveying his years of unadulterated guilt and torment after going to prison and suffering a lifetime ban from boxing. He proceeded to beat the tar out of Collins for 10 horrific rounds.Ĭollins suffered permanent injuries, fell into a dark depression, and died months later in a car crash. Trainer Panama Lewis was convicted of removing the padding in Resto’s gloves before his 1983 fight with undefeated Billy Collins Jr., and Resto knew it. The New Yorker put together one of boxing’s great documentaries in 2010 when his “Assault in the Ring” examined the wounded life of journeyman Luis Resto. The anxious minutes versus Rosario and the pugilistic identity crisis that followed serves as something of a microcosm for Camacho’s over-the-top life: polarizing-yet-endearing joyous-but-tortured villainous-yet-inspiring. The “B.R.” (Before Rosario) and “A.R.” (After Rosario) phenomenon is just one of the fascinating layers that award-winning director/producer Eric Drath explores in his new documentary “Macho: The Hector Camacho Story,” which premieres 7 p.m., Friday on Showtime). He went from blazing slugger to backpedaling stylist, and the transition was as mystifying as it was bizarre. But that’s what happened to Hector “Macho” Camacho, who, despite being a three-division world champion and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, could’ve probably become even more if not for the night of June 13, 1986.Ĭoming into his showdown with fellow Puerto Rican Edwin Rosario, the 28-0 Camacho from Spanish Harlem was boxing’s next big thing - reaching unlikely heights of popularity in the sliver of time between the primes of Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson (who happened to fight on the undercard that night at Madison Square Garden).Īn exciting, brash, faster-than-lightning phenom who was about to explode into the American consciousness, Camacho was struck by a Rosario left hand in the fifth round that instantly humbled him and changed his style and boxing philosophy forever. Rarely can a boxing career come down to a single fight, much less a single punch.
Watch Video: Funeral held in NYC for boxer 'Macho' Camacho
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