Macho: The Hector Camacho Story recounts the triumphs and tragic loss of Hector Camacho

Macho: The Hector Camacho Story celebrates boxer Hector Camacho’s accomplishments and unveils the pain he lived through and his loss.

Boxer Hector Camacho is a legend who won world titles but also battled invisible demons. The new Showtime documentary Macho: The Hector Camacho Story brings his story to a younger generation.

During his reign as a great champion, the boxer better known by his nickname “Macho” blazed a glorious path throughout the 1980s. His flamboyant style and hyperactive personality made him a fan favorite, but the battle of self was Camacho’s toughest opponent.

Director Eric Drath (Assault in the Ring, No Mas) praises and reveals. Drath highlights the voices of those that knew Camacho best to tell his story.

Camacho’s mother, Maria Matias, leaves a deep impact on the audience with her anecdotes of Camacho. Camacho was murdered in 2012, but you can see and hear Matias’s everlasting love for her mythical yet deeply troubled son.

Macho: The Hector Camacho Story takes you on an emotional rollercoaster through Hector Camacho’s life

Clips of Camacho fighting and testimonies from Teddy Atlas and Randy Gordon display the awesome athleticism that made Camacho a world champion. Camacho lacks the name recognition of a Julio Cesar Chavez or Oscar De La Hoya. Still, this documentary makes the case that Camacho was their equal in terms of talent but weighed down by his drug addiction and the psychological trauma it helped exacerbate.

You learn that Camacho was a drug addict for much of his life and won world titles while abusing drugs, but he could never defeat the disease of addiction.

Macho: The Hector Camacho Story flatters while informing. If you didn’t grow up during Camacho’s prime, it teaches you to respect Camacho’s greatness as a boxer. He was a multi-dimensional fighter who combined power and finesse to compile a remarkable record of 79-6-3, with 38 KOs.

After retirement, Camacho’s self-destructive behavior grew worse. His marriage crumbled, and he returned to his birthplace of Puerto Rico, where partying and drugs threw him further into chaos until his murder.

The victory of Macho: The Hector Camacho Story is that it makes the viewer feel the emotions of those that loved Camacho the most. You rejoice when witnessing his great moments in the ring. You laugh at his wildly comedic antics, and you cringe when he hurts himself and his family. Ultimately, you cry when his life comes to a sad end.

Camacho deserves to be regarded as one of the best boxers of all time, and this documentary helps cement Camacho’s place in boxing lore.

Macho: The Hector Camacho Story debuted on Dec. 4 and is available exclusively on Showtime.