Fight Breaks out at Camacho Wake

When Hector Macho Camacho’s remains were been flown back to New York City on November 28 for a second viewing, funeral and burial this past weekend, it all occurred in the shadow of the Austin Trout versus Miguel Cotto championship fight card at Madison Square Garden. A moment of silence was observed for Camacho.

Cotto failed to live up to the expectations of the Pro-Cotto Pro-Puerto Rican crowd in attendance, with one judge giving Cotto only one round. The unbeaten but still relatively unknown Trout won a 12 round decision, and retained his WBA light middleweight title, in a bout which appeared close everywhere but the judge’s scorecards, not a peaceful moment for the departed spirit and soul of Camacho.

Sadly, during Macho Camacho’s initial funeral ceremonies at the Department of Sports and Recreation in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the late boxer was unable to rest in peace at the well-planned event, and Macho once again became talk of controversy.

Wailing “They killed him!” Camacho’s mother Maria Matias cried over the now deceased boxing champion’s casket at the boxer’s viewing in Puerto Rico. Trouble broke out when a 28 year old woman, Cynthia Castillo, claiming to be Camacho’s last girlfriend kissed Camacho, then attempted to join the section reserved for Camacho’s family at the wake. Emotions between the Camacho family and the woman flared, and the disagreement between Castillo and Gloria Fernandez, who claimed to have been Camacho’s girlfriend for the past 25 years, and Camacho’s sister’s Esther and Estella, turned into a brawl. Camacho’s son Camacho Jr. had told Castillo she could get a plate of food, and in the melee which resulted, the woman’s plate of food went flying, and Castillo was scratched across the clavicle as she and Fernandez and the chaos spilled outside the funeral wake and disintegrated into a physical catfight scuffle. Both women had to be separated by police to put an end to the erupting posthumous scuffles of funeral wake madness.

Meanwhile, former World Bantamweight champion Wilfredo Vazquez fought with Hector Camacho’s former bodyguard and soul brother Jorge Lozada in a pushing and shoving match. As tension intensified and tempers flared, Lozada tried to separate Vazquez’ wife and Camacho’s mother Maria Matias as they embraced, and emotions of hate and jealousy went wild another senseless melee broke out in another section of the wake. Lozada later assisted this reporter to get press credentials and access at Camacho’s second funeral in Spanish Harlem to get photographic access to restricted areas, and explained he always acts in the best interests of the family, and was doing so at that time. It appeared Camacho’s second wake in Spanish Harlem’s El Barrio section went more smoothly and peaceful.

The tragedy of Hector Camacho’s soul not resting in peace parallels the funeral of yet another superstar, the late martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. Both Lee and Camacho were superior athletes, showmen and entertainers. 40 years ago, in August 1973, at the first funeral for Bruce lee in Hong Kong, few present could hide their grief when the coffin broke. En route from the first funeral in Hong Kong to the second funeral in Seattle, Washington, Lee’s coffin began to leak liquids and to be replaced. While his body was being flown from Hong Kong to Seattle, Washington, Bruce Lee’s coffin mysteriously opened and the dye from his dark blue suit bled onto the coffin’s white silk interior. The ancient Chinese saw this occurrence as a bad omen. “The buried man will not live in peace!” the Chinese proclaimed. “There are unsettled matters!” referring to Lee’s soul. Footage from Bruce Lee’s original funeral still exists on YouTube at target=”_blank”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXe-659SnXo

Still another famous soul was dug up, and most definitely is NOT resting in peace.

Salvador Sanchez II, 27, the nephew of the late great WBC World Featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez and son of his sister, failed miserably in his attempt to regain the World Boxing Council Featherweight title held by his late uncle. A winner of 30 pro bouts of 38, and unbeaten in his last 11, Sanchez was knocked down twice and stopped by Puerto Rican fighter Jayson Velez in the third round of their WBC Silver Featherweight title bout, an eliminator for the WBC world title.

Wearing the trunks his late uncle Sanchez I wore in his last match against Azumah Nelson in the same ring at Madison Square Garden in 1982, the ghost of Salvador Sanchez likely rolled over in the ground as his nephew, not as good as the man who took out Wilfredo Gomez in the last major Mexico versus Puerto Rico WBC titular confrontation, took a horrific beating. Only hours after Hector Camacho’s burial,

Jayson Velez spoke a post fight tribute to Camacho in the ring, it is likely the boxing trunks, soul and legacy of Salvador Sanchez I, a man who won 10 consecutive WBC world title bouts, could not possibly rest in peace at the same moment of Jayson Velez’ joyful in the ring celebration and remembrance of Hector Macho Camacho.

30 former and active world boxing champions from Puerto Rico attended Camacho’s wake in a show in respect for their colorful friend and comrade on the Puerto Rico side. Among the mourners were retired champions Felix ‘Tito’ Trinidad, Wilfredo ‘Bazooka’ Gomez and Wilfredo Benitez (in the wheelchair with Wilfredo Gomez at the end of the following clip). They can be seen in a brief video film clip of the wake at http://on.aol.com/video/public-wake-held-for-boxer-hector–macho–camacho–517549937

Former World Middleweight Champion Iran ‘The Blade’ Barkley was among those who appeared at the Spanish Harlem funeral of Hector Camacho. He can be seen at a brief interview outside St. Cecilia’s Church where the second wake was held on a YouTube film clip here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZsyWwW483o

Strange though it may seem, most found it not difficult to believe something dangerous would eventually occur to Camacho, even at his funeral. Between drug and alcohol problems, and fights with the law, and wrecking luxury cars, Hector Macho Camacho lived hard and played hard, and lived on the edge dangerously.

Salvador Sanchez died at age 23, when he wrecked his 1981 Porsche 30 years ago on August 12, 1982. In reflection, Hector Camacho bragged there wasn’t a luxury car in existence he hadn’t wrecked during his lifetime. In any case, it is unlikely Camacho anticipated dying in a car at age 50, considering how many wrecks he walked away from. The analogy is Camacho had no sense of his own mortality.

Still, when one considers Camacho was driving a BMW X5 which was shot at three times in February 2011 as he escaped an attempted carjacking, it is clear the ‘Macho Man’ was unable to see the handwriting on the wall of his own mortality. Clearly the island of Puerto Rico and its negative influences so far as Hector was concerned were always potentially fatal to him, but he failed to recognize warning signs after cheating death in 2011, and leave the island for good-until it was too late. As such ‘Macho’ became another casualty of the island’s never ending war on drugs, with cocaine found on the front seat after he and his friend were found murdered.

Bruce Lee had cannibis (marijuana) in his system at the time of his death. Like Hector Camacho, the presence of the drugs at the scene where he died was not the so-called ‘deciding factor’ in his death, but clearing a contributing factor to what was ruled in Bruce Lee’s case a mysteriously categorized ‘Death by Misadventure’.

After Bruce’s funeral, his widow Linda Lee made a statement which could apply to the late Hector Camacho, the late Salvador Sanchez, or any great athlete who dies in tragedy before his time today. She stated “Fate has ways we cannot change. The only thing of importance is that he is gone and will not return. he lives on in our memories and in his films. Please remember him for his genius, his art, and the magic he brought to every one of us. For we who knew him well, his words and thoughts will remain with us forever, and influence the rest of our lives.”

Every boxer’s soul has the right to rest in peace, and not have his karma exposed to senseless fighting at his own funeral. The late Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho is buried at St. Raymond’s Cemetery in the Throgg’s Neck Section of the Bronx, not far from the final resting place of Cuban Welterweight champion Benny ‘Kid’ Paret’ (who died in the ring) and Camacho’s favorite salsa music king Hector Lavoe (who died of AIDS). Rest in Peace, Macho Man, Rest in Peace. Duerme en paz, Macho. Amen.

Here are some nice tributes to Hector Camacho on YouTube

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