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

“In yet another skillful excavation of a dazzling Latino champion, Christian Giudice...follows Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho from his embattled childhood in Spanish Harlem, to the heights of his electrifying yet too-brief stardom and onto his abject end by hail of gunfire in a carful of cocaine. It is a compelling journey.”—Mark Kram Jr., author of Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier Hector Camacho lived fast, and his fists flew even faster in the ring. Handsome, flamboyant, and outspoken, Camacho electrified the boxing scene of the 1980s and, shouting his mantra “Macho Time”, he beat some of the greatest fighters of his generation. But his high-speed life caught up with him eventually―and tragically―when he was shot dead outside a nightclub in Puerto Rico at the age of fifty. Macho Time is written by Christian Giudice, author of Hands of Stone, the definitive biography of Roberto Duran, which was made into the motion picture of the same name starring Robert De Niro. Macho Time is the first biography of Hector Camacho Sr. Camacho's son, Hector Camacho Jr., also a professional boxer, worked closely with author Christian Giudice to give him unprecedented access and insight into this complex man. I thought I was cocky. Camacho surpasses me by three or four levels. But when Camacho brags, he’s not trying to convince you of anything; he’s just telling you what’s going to happen.”—Sugar Ray Leonard, from the pages of Macho Time “He would give me a hug and a kiss, then he would sit on the couch and make everyone laugh so hard. He had such good energy and spirit. He brought such joy to people whenever he entered a room. It was a gift.”—Hector Camacho Jr., from Afterword of Macho Time

About the Author :
Christian Giudice was born in Haddonfield, NJ. He currently lives in Charlotte, NC and teaches English at Harper Middle College High School. A Villanova graduate, Christian has written Hands of Stone: The Life and Legend of Roberto Duran, whose subject was the focus of a motion picture, Beloved Warrior: The Rise and Fall of Alexis Arguello and A Fire Burns Within: The Miraculous Journey of Wilfredo Gomez. Christian is also the author of the forthcoming book Macho Time: The Meteoric Rise and Tragic Fall of Hector Camacho (Hamilcar Publications 2020). Carlos Acevedo was the founder of The Cruelest Sport and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. His work has appeared in Inside HBO Boxing, Boxing News, Remezcla, Boxing Digest, and Hannibal Boxing. His stories A Darkness Made to Order and A Ghost Orbiting Forever both won first place awards from the BWAA. Acevedo is also a member of the International Boxing Research Organization. He is the author of Sporting Blood (Hamilcar Publications 2020).

Review :
"Hector 'Macho' Camacho...survived a difficult childhood to become a world champion before his lifelong struggle with addiction led to his murder at the age of 50. Giudice's take on the complicated fighter will move even those who've never tuned into a boxing match."--Publishers Weekly "The first full-length biography of the legendary boxer...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...Boxing fans who remember the ascendant days of lighter-weight fighters such as Roberto Durán, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio César Chávez, and Oscar De La Hoya will want to read."--Library Journal "Camacho's ring exploits are only part of his story...Giudice does a solid job of reporting...Entertaining and as thorough a biography as we're likely to see of this manchild who could have been a great fighter but became a cautionary tale instead."--Thomas Hauser, Boxing News "In his new book from Hamilar Publications, experienced boxing writer Christian Giudice takes the reader along Camacho's bumpy, exhilarating, but ultimately tragic ride from a shack in Bayamon, Puerto Rico to Spanish Harlem, to global stardom, to that Mustang passenger seat in San Juan, where shots pierced through the night of late November, 2012. Throughout this, the first comprehensive biography of Camacho's life, Giudice speaks candidly about the boxer and the man in and out of the ring, via exclusive interviews with Sugar Ray Leonard, Freddie Roach, and Héctor Camacho Jr. Héctor Camacho's story and persona is as magnetic in death as it was in life...Make time for Macho Time"--Jack Porter, The Sportsman "In yet another skillful excavation of a dazzling Latino champion, Christian Giudice--the author of acclaimed biographies of Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello and Wilfredo Gomez--follows Hector 'Macho' Camacho from his embattled childhood in Spanish Harlem, to the heights of his electrifying yet too-brief stardom and onto his abject end by hail of gunfire in a carful of cocaine. It is a compelling journey."--Mark Kram Jr., author of Smokin' Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier "The bullets that eventually found Hector Camacho had shadowed him throughout his tempestuous life. In this penetrating biography, Christian Giudice reveals the showman, the artist, the clown and the assassin--the erratic family man and the pride of Spanish Harlem. The Macho Man was a blazing comet streaking across the sky, bringing brilliance and destruction, then disappearing all too soon."--Mike Stanton, author of Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World "All of boxing's dark romance is here. The raw material of Hector Camacho's wild, sad yet sometimes stellar life expertly distilled and movingly told."--Jon Hotten, author of The Years of the Locust: A True Story of Murder, Money and Mayhem in the Last Age of Boxing "A tale of a fighter who, regardless of his talents and his achievements, struggled with his past...Giudice does a very good job of describing not only what Macho achieved in the ring, but also the wasted potential of his career...A fascinating story."--FightPost "Giudice doesn't pull any punches with his latest book... The 320-page read is as hard hitting as one of the southpaw's punches and as colorful as the leopard print boxing trunks he famously wore."--Cherry Hill Courier-Post