HECTOR CAMACHO Jr. vs YORY BOY CAMPAS

THURSDAY UPDATE: : Hector Camacho Jr. came in 5 1/2 pounds overweight for his 10-rounder against Luis "Yory Boy" Campas, a match that takes place on Friday in El Paso. This means that Camacho had a seven and a half pounds weight advantage at the weigh-in. Is it going to be an advantage, though? Camacho came in overweight fore his fight with Omar Weis seven years ago, gave a dismal performance and was clearly outpointed. Campas looked in good trim at 152 pounds. I'll leave the preview as originally written but what we now have is a middleweight against a junior middleweight — who knows whether Camacho's extra poundage is going to work for or against him?

In an oddity of a fight on Friday, Hector “Machito” Camacho Jr. meets Luis “Yory Boy” Campas in what is being billed as “Revenge of the Son”. I don’t know about “revenge” because Campas fought a draw with Camacho’s famous dad, Hector — he didn’t beat the 48-year-old “Macho”.

Anyway, now it is the turn of the “little male puppy” — I believe that is how “Machito” translates — to try to go one better than the old man.

The show is being offered on PPV at $24.95.

“I’m not just beating him I'm knocking him out,” Camacho told a press conference in El Paso. “He’s definitely not on my level. Everyone can see that I am really serious about my boxing career. I am training seriously and keeping my weight in check.”

The fight is at junior middleweight, and Camacho turned professional at 140 pounds 13 years ago. He looks thick in the middle at 154, but he has boxed as high as 173. Maybe he is keeping his weight in check — by his standards.

Camacho and Campas both talk a good fight but their meeting is essentially a curiosity attraction.

Campas is 38, he’s had more than 100 fights — many of them of the bruising variety — and the wear and tear is definitely showing. He has won only one of his last six bouts and it shows how far he has gone back when you consider that in his last appearance he could only struggle to a draw with the 47-year-old Camacho Sr.

I understand that Campas will probably have only another two or three fights. He insists that he is coming to fight, though, not just for a payday, and although Campas is badly faded he has always tried his best, Let’s face it, though — the days when Campas was a world champion, and sharing the ring in big fights with the likes of Felix Trinidad, Fernando Vargas and Oscar De La Hoya, are long gone.

Camacho is 31 and he has won his last seven bouts, but he has never fulfilled early promise and is probably best remembered for his “blurry vision” exit in an HBO-televised bout against Jesse James Leija eight years ago. He is capable of boxing well, and he can punch with the left hand from out of his southpaw stance, but Camacho has long appeared to be an underachiever. Camacho apparently looked sluggish in his last fight when he outpointed Israel Cardona, who had lost his last three bouts, but one would think he will be more motivated for Friday’s fight.

I doubt if the sportsbooks will offer a wagering line on this. Who knows how hard Camacho is prepared to fight — even though he has promised he will go for a KO win — or how much ambition Campas has left after an 18-year career?

The distance of 10 rounds — I confirmed this with the show’s PR people on Monday — will most likely suit Camacho, who figures to build up a points advantage in the first half of the bout with his far greater hand speed and mobility. The slow, straight-ahead, plodding Campas might be able to come on later in the fight through sheer doggedness but he could easily run out of rounds.

One would expect the son to perform better than the father. Since Camacho Sr. got a draw against Campas, logically Camacho Jr. should be able to win, and I suppose this makes him the favourite.

However, the two are fighting in the Mexican-American city of El Paso and I don’t think that Campas will want to embarrass himself with a lacklustre showing. I do believe that Campas will be giving it all he has. Although he’s in the twilight of his career, I’m guessing that the old warhorse can muster just about enough of an effort to edge his way through to a 10-round decision over a younger man who hasn’t always shown a burning desire for combat.