Two Old War Horses in the Final Stretch

With this weekend's scheduled fight between Hector “Macho” Camacho and “Yori Boy” Campas having been kicked out of Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall in New Jersey, organizers are said to be seeking a new state in which to stage the bout.

However, two rumored states where the fight could be headed (Florida and Texas) have their own regulatory rules that would likely derail the match in those states as well.

I called New Jersey Athletic Control Board commissioner Aaron Davis last week (before the cancellation was announced by his office) and left a message with a receptionist to speak to him as rumors were mounting that the fight would be canceled by his office. However, the call was not returned.

The NJACB did not give a precise reason for the cancellation of the fight, but sources say Davis was unhappy with Camacho's performance in a sparring session that he witnessed late last week. Camacho will turn 47 later this month and turned pro 29 years ago. He has only fought once in the past four years and hasn't held a major world title since 1991.

The 37 year-old Campas had issues last year when he attempted to obtain a boxing license in Nevada. He was initially denied a license because the Nevada State Athletic Commission was concerned that he had absorbed too much punishment in his more than 100 fights and over two decades in the ring. However, Campas appealed the ruling and was ultimately granted a license. He has lost 6 of his last 10 fights and has not held a major world title since losing to Fernando Vargas in 1998.

Nevada, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have some of the most stringent medical requirements in the country whereas Florida and Texas are somewhat less demanding.

However, a call today to the Florida and Texas commissions revealed that both states would have concerns in staging a Camacho vs. Campas fight.


Campas (right) has clearly seen better days, but he would seem to have more left of offer than Camacho who is 10 years his senior.

Representatives at both offices would only speak off the record, but both indicated because New Jersey declined the fight that if they were asked to consider such a bout they would be more discerning. Both claimed that the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) headed by Tim Lueckenhoff could get involved in any potential licensing matters.

The ABC has adopted the Boxing Severity Index (BSI) which helps to measure the risk fighters are under by assigning a number value to high risk fighters. Under that system, Camacho and Campas both fall under the “High Risk – Category B” designation which will make obtaining approval to fight more difficult as both would require further clinical evaluation by the commissions and their medical advisory boards before obtaining an endorsement.


May 2009