11/24/2012

Boxer Hector Camacho dies

  • Hector Camacho was known for his quick hands and ring antics
  • The boxer had a series of legal issues stemming from drugs and other problems
  • A southpaw, Camacho won 79 fights in his career

(CNN) -- Famed boxer Hector Camacho died after he was taken off life support early Saturday, a hospital spokeswoman in Puerto Rico told CNN.

A passing gunman on Tuesday shot Camacho, who was in a car in front of a bar in his hometown of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

He was declared clinically brain dead on Thursday and placed on life support.

Camacho suffered a heart attack and had been taken off life support, said Wilmelis Marquez, spokeswoman for the Rio Piedras Medical Center.

He was pronounced dead at 1:45 a.m., she said.

She said his organs were not healthy enough to be donated.

Camacho, a former lightweight and junior lightweight champion, was in the passenger seat of the car, police said. The driver was shot twice and killed, they said.

The suspects are two men who are believed to have been traveling in a gray vehicle, said Lt. Wilfredo Rivera of CataƱo Police. They escaped after a shootout with police at a residential complex, WAPA TV reported.

During his career, Camacho, 50, awed fans with his quick hands and ring antics, developing a reputation for flamboyance. He also battled a series of legal issues that stemmed from drugs and other problems.

A southpaw, Camacho fought professionally for more than 25 years and last stepped into the ring in 2010.

He had a career record of 79 wins, six losses and three draws.

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