BOXING ROUNDUP : Camacho Wins to Retain Junior Welterweight Title

Macho Camacho called this the turning point of his career. He stuck out his glove Saturday night at Atlantic City, N.J., and made the right turn.

Camacho bloodied both of Vinny Pazienza’s eyes and won a brutal 12-round decision to retain his World Boxing Organization junior welterweight title.

Although Pazienza (28-4, 23 knockouts) was in perpetual motion, Camacho (39-0, 17 knockouts) picked off nearly all of his punches and threw his own with deadly precision.

He bloodied Pazienza’s nose and right eye in the third round, and he hit Pazienza with a punishing right hand in the ninth round that opened a gash near the other eye.

Pazienza fought on through a stream of blood, and in the last round hurt Camacho with a right hand, then a left, then stood back and flailed at his own face, screaming to the crowd.

Judge Phil Newman scored it 117-113, judge Stuart Winston had it 116-112 and judge Jim Traylor made it 116-112, all for Camacho.

In another championship fight on the card, Pernell Whitaker (21-1, 13 knockouts) scored a unanimous decision over Freddie Pendleton (24-17-3, 15 knockouts) and retained his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation lightweight titles.

At Boston, Mike McCallum (37-1) piled up points early and withstood a furious finish by Irish Steve Collins to retain the World Boxing Assn. middleweight championship with a 12-round unanimous decision.