Camacho Too Macho in First Loss

This time, Hector (Macho) Camacho’s antics cost him a fight.

Greg Haugen, aided by a bizarre 12th-round foul, came back from a third-round knockdown Saturday night to upset the previously undefeated Camacho.

Haugen, a 7-1 underdog, won a 12-round split decision by the narrowest of margins, and would have had only a draw had referee Carlos Padilla not taken a point away from Camacho when he got into an altercation with Haugen as the 12th round started.

Padilla deducted the point after Camacho threw a flurry of punches at Haugen after Haugen refused the referee’s orders to touch gloves before the start of the final round.

An angry Padilla immediately deducted the point as a gleeful Haugen began jumping around the ring in joy.

“He (Haugen) provoked it, he didn’t want to shake hands,” Camacho complained afterward. “Everybody says I got robbed. I’ll let the public tell the story.”

Judge Art Lurie scored the fight 114-113 for Haugen and Judge Bill McConkey had the challenger winning, 114-112. Judge Art Lurie had Camacho ahead, 114-112.

Camacho, 140, was paid $500,000 for the fight. Haugen, 139, received $150,000 and won Camacho’s World Boxing Organization junior welterweight title.

It was the first loss in the decade-long career of Camacho, 28, a three-time champion from New York who had won all 38 of his previous fights.

“I never thought I could lose the fight,” said Camacho, who probably lost a promised fight against unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez. “I don’t feel like a loser.”

Haugen, a former lightweight champion from Las Vegas, pressured Camacho throughout the fight but landed only sparingly and never seemed to hurt the champion.

Camacho also had trouble landing punches, but scored the biggest exchange of the fight when he knocked Haugen down with a right hand late in the third round.

Haugen was up immediately as the bell sounded to end the round.

“It was a clean shot, but it didn’t hurt me,” Haugen said.

Much of the rest of the fight settled into a predictable pattern, with Haugen chasing after Camacho and Camacho using lateral movement and speed to land counterpunches.