Hector Camacho vs Tony Baltazar

Puerto Rican hero Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho retained the WBO junior-welterweight championship by winning a unanimous 12-round decision over Tony Baltazar at the outdoor arena at Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, on August 11, 1990. Camacho, weighing 140 pounds, received scores of 118-109 from judges Keith MacDonald and Doug Tucker and 117-110 from Cindy Bartin. Baltazar, also 140 pounds, had one point deducted by referee Richard Steele for a low blow in the ninth round. It was Camacho’s second defence of the WBO title and formed part of a major outdoor programme headed by the lightweight championship contest between Pernell Whitaker and Juan Nazario.

Camacho entered unbeaten and was attempting to restore some of the authority which had marked his earlier championship years. His speed had carried him to titles at super-featherweight, lightweight and junior welterweight, but his cautious tactics and frequent holding had attracted criticism during the latter half of the 1980s. Baltazar presented a useful examination. The Californian was a strong, experienced pressure fighter who had earned his opportunity through a long career against capable opposition. He lacked Camacho’s hand and foot speed but was considered dangerous whenever he could bring an opponent to a halt and work at close range.

The opening rounds established the difference between them. Camacho moved quickly around the perimeter, working behind the right jab from his southpaw stance and striking with the straight left before Baltazar could set himself. The champion did not rely entirely upon retreat. He stepped forward to meet the challenger, delivered short combinations and moved away before Baltazar could produce a sustained reply. Baltazar pressed steadily, but much of his effort was spent following rather than cutting off the ring. His punches were heavier when they landed, though they arrived too infrequently to offset Camacho’s cleaner work.

Baltazar gained the third round on all three official scorecards. He was able to close the distance more effectively, catch Camacho during exchanges and make greater use of his strength. It was his clearest success in the first half of the contest, but he could not maintain it. Camacho regained command in the fourth and fifth, scoring rapidly to the head and changing direction before Baltazar could answer. His right jab repeatedly disturbed the challenger’s advance, while the left hand landed through the centre when Baltazar squared himself in pursuit.

The sixth produced the only notable disagreement among the judges during the early and middle stages. Bartin awarded it to Baltazar, while MacDonald and Tucker favoured Camacho. Baltazar was having more success whenever the champion remained within reach, particularly with hooks to the body and head, but Camacho still controlled the greater part of the action through speed and accuracy. He was willing to exchange more freely than in several of his recent appearances and generally completed his work before Baltazar could organise a return.

Camacho took the seventh on all three cards. Baltazar continued moving forward and remained physically strong, but he could not pin the champion down for long. Camacho’s feet carried him away from the ropes, and when Baltazar attempted to crowd him, the champion either turned him or met him with quick punches before moving off. Baltazar’s pressure kept the contest competitive, yet Camacho was winning most of the measurable exchanges.

The eighth was closer. Tucker gave it to Baltazar, while MacDonald and Bartin scored for Camacho. Baltazar’s persistence was beginning to produce occasional openings, and he attacked more effectively to the body when Camacho paused. Even then, the challenger’s successes usually came one punch at a time. Camacho replied in faster combinations, and his ability to begin and end the exchanges remained the principal distinction between them.

Baltazar’s position worsened in the ninth. During an inside exchange, he struck low, and Steele deducted a point. All three judges scored the round 10-8 for Camacho, although the deduction rather than a knockdown accounted for the two-point margin. Baltazar protested little and continued to advance, but the penalty widened an already substantial deficit. Camacho remained composed, scoring to the head and refusing to become involved in the prolonged physical contest the challenger required.

Camacho controlled the tenth and eleventh on every official card. Baltazar still carried his attack forward and remained willing to exchange, but his punches were increasingly anticipated. Camacho met him with sharp blows to the head, moved laterally and made him turn before beginning again. There were clinches, but the champion did not spend the evening merely holding and escaping. He frequently stood his ground long enough to land combinations, then left before Baltazar could answer with comparable accuracy. Contemporary reports described Baltazar as hard-punching but ineffective against the champion’s speed.

Baltazar made one final effort in the 12th. MacDonald and Bartin awarded him the round, while Tucker gave it to Camacho. The challenger pressed with greater urgency and forced several exchanges, but the result had long since been determined. Camacho remained alert, avoided the heavier punches and completed the contest without being placed in serious difficulty. There were no knockdowns, and Baltazar’s aggression never developed into a sustained threat to the champion’s control.

The official totals accurately reflected the course of the contest. MacDonald and Tucker returned scores of 118-109, while Bartin scored 117-110. Camacho had won through speed, placement and superior judgement of distance. Baltazar had shown determination and had taken isolated rounds, but he had been unable to slow the champion sufficiently or force him into prolonged exchanges. The point deduction in the ninth widened the margins but did not decide the outcome. Even without it, Camacho would have remained a clear winner.

The performance was important for Camacho because it answered, at least for one evening, criticism that he had become too defensive. He boxed with caution where necessary but was prepared to stand close enough to strike in combination. Baltazar was not disgraced; he remained dangerous and continued to seek a world championship after this defeat. On this night at Caesars Tahoe, however, he faced an opponent whose speed enabled him to control the terms of the contest from beginning to end. Camacho left with his unbeaten record and WBO championship intact after one of his more disciplined performances of the period.

I thought this was one of Camacho’s better later performances. Baltazar was strong and experienced, and he came to apply pressure, but he followed too closely and never cut the ring off properly. Camacho’s jab, angles and straight left kept beating him to the punch, and this time he was prepared to stand his ground rather than spoil and hold all night.

Baltazar had moments when he got close, but they were isolated. The ninth-round deduction for a low blow only widened a defeat that was already clear. The cards of 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110 were fair.

Camacho could frustrate you, but when disciplined, he was a beautiful boxer. Baltazar brought honest pressure; Camacho operated at a higher technical level.