Hector "Macho" Camacho will be taken off life support Saturday, his mother indicated Friday night. The former world champion boxer, who was shot in the face last week, was pronounced clinically brain dead and is expected to be taken off the artificial respirator that keeps him alive — a decision opposed by his eldest son, Hector Camacho Jr..
The fighter's mother, Maria Matias, told the media waiting outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico hospital where the 50-year-old Camacho lay unconscious since being shot that she had decided doctors should remove life support, but only after three of his sons arrived in Puerto Rico early Saturday morning and had a chance to see him one last time, according to The Associated Press.
"I lost my son three days ago. He's alive only because of a machine," Matias said. "My son is not alive. My son is only alive for the people who love him," she added.
The three other sons were expected to arrive from the U.S. mainland around midnight Friday.
"Until they arrive, we will not disconnect the machine," Matias said.
Another news conference was scheduled for Saturday morning at Centro Medico, the main trauma center for San Juan, when the family is expected to announce the final decision.
Camacho was shot as he sat in a car outside a bar with a friend, Adrian Mojica, who was killed in the shooting. Police found nine small bags of cocaine in Mojica's pocket and an open bag in the car. There have been no arrests.
The flamboyant former boxer held world titles in the super lightweight, light weight and junior welterweight divisions and ended his career with a record of 79-6-3. Camacho's most memorable fights included high profile bouts against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and a fifth-round knockout of Sugar Ray Leonard in 1997.
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