The belt became available after the WBC stripped Bobby Chacon when a defense against No. 1 contender Camacho failed to materialize. Limón, 29, had recently held the championship before losing a brutal 15-round decision to Chacon in their celebrated fourth fight eight months earlier.
This was Camacho’s first opportunity to win a world title. Limón also represented something new for the young Puerto Rican: an opponent who had previously worn a world championship belt.
The difference in speed became apparent almost immediately. Limón tried to reach Camacho with wide punches, while the younger fighter attacked from different angles, with his straight left finding the target repeatedly. A clean left floored Limón late in the third round. More punishment followed during the fourth as Camacho had him in serious trouble.
Limón’s situation deteriorated further in the fifth. Body shots put him on the canvas in the center of the ring. He regained his feet, but Camacho quickly resumed his assault. A subsequent barrage knocked Limón through the ropes near his corner.
Limón climbed back into position once more. Referee Richard Steele decided he had absorbed enough punishment and stopped the contest at 2:52 of the fifth round. Camacho was the new WBC junior lightweight champion.
All three judges had Camacho comfortably in front through four completed rounds. Dimas Hernandez scored it 40-34, while Moises Sister and Hector Chaumont each had it 40-35.
The celebration afterward illustrated Camacho’s popularity as much as the fight itself. Spectators and members of his entourage poured around the ring as Puerto Rico celebrated its newest world champion.
The performance showed a version of Camacho that later generations of boxing fans rarely saw. Before age and years in the ring changed his style, Camacho possessed extraordinary speed, reflexes and offensive ability. Limón was a hardened former two-time champion who had survived wars with Bobby Chacon, yet the 21-year-old Camacho overwhelmed him with a combination of speed and aggression that Limón simply could not handle.
Camacho made one defense of the title, knocking out Rafael Solis in five rounds, before moving up in weight. Two years after defeating Limón, he captured the WBC lightweight championship. His flamboyant personality, exceptional speed and success across multiple divisions eventually established “Macho” among boxing’s most recognizable stars.
