Hector Camacho Jr. Has the Heart the Size of a Pea
Hector Camacho Jr.'s controversial five-round decision over former junior lightweight champion Jesse James Leija, at KeySpan Park in Brooklyn's Coney Island, showed that the real Fun House in Brooklyn is any space occupied by the grossly incompetent and possibly corrupt New York State Athletic Commission.
The NY State AC is still reeling from reports of incompetency and plain indifference that led to the death of light heavyweight Beethavean Scottland just a week earlier. Scottland died of injuries he received after he was KO'd in the 10th round abroad the aircraft carrier Intrepid. Both ringside doctors and the referee Arthur Mercante Jr. were criticized for not stopping the fight sooner. But what happened at KeySpan Park cannot just be dismissed as incompetency. Even Ray Charles could see Leija was robbed right out in the open, in an ocean breeze that stunk of a malignancy more rank than rotten eggs in a puddle of rancid milk.
The 22-year-old junior welterweight Camacho Jr., now 33-0, with 18 KO's, was the bigger, younger man. But any resemblance to his five-time champion father ends with the son's chin, his heart and his guts, which are minuscule compared to his flamboyant old man's. Say what you want about Hector Sr., he never quit in the ring like his son did against Leija. Camacho Sr. was brutalized by Oscar De la Hoya and Julio Caesar Chavez, but he steadfastly hung in there until the final bell.
Kids.
Before the fight was a minute old, Leija had a nasty cut over his left eye. Blood dripped down his 35-year old face, but Leija had been there before. Suddenly in an inside exchange, Leija nailed Camacho Jr. with a right cross, followed by a left hook. Camacho Jr.'s legs wobbled like overcooked spaghetti, and he stumbled back against the ropes. Luckily the bell rang, or Camacho Jr. would've been KO'd right then. Amazingly, two of the judges gave the round to Camacho Jr..
Leija continued his assault in round two and seemed to win that round too. Rounds three and four saw Camacho Jr. using his speed and he did nail Leija with a good left cross on round three. Give those rounds to Camacho Jr.
With about a minute to go in an even round five, a clash of heads brought a nasty cut over Camacho Jr.'s right eye. Now both fighters were bleeding, but only one fighter wanted to fight. Camacho Jr. looked like he wanted to jump out of the ring, as Leija pursued him, landing punch after punch on Camacho Jr.'s bloodied face. Truthfully, this could've been scored a two-point round for Leija.
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