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

In Macho Time: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of Hector Camacho, Christian Giudice brings us from Camacho’s childhood in Puerto Rico (which his mother had to flee), to his coming of age in Spanish Harlem, to his training in various hardscrabble gyms throughout New York City, to his place atop the world stage of his chosen sport (which was, of course, the toughest sport), to the nightclub parking lot in San Juan where he was shot dead at the age of fifty in a drug deal gone bad. Along the way, we come to know Camacho via his friends, family members, and fellow fighters—including Sugar Ray Leonard—through the firsthand interviews Giudice did with them. Perhaps most notable is the access Giudice had to Hector, Jr., who was born when his father was just sixteen; the two basically grew up together. The result is a full portrait of a complex man who fought his inner demons with as much fury as he fought his competitors in the ring. Christian Giudice is the author of Hands of Stone: The Life and Legend of Roberto Duran, which was turned into a major motion picture starring Robert De Niro; Beloved Warrior: The Rise and Fall of Alexis Arguello; and A Fire Burns Within: The Miraculous Journey of Wilfredo Gomez. Born in Haddonfield, New Jersey, he graduated from Villanova University and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he teaches English at Harper Middle College High School.