Camacho had stopped a 40-year-old Sugar Ray Leonard six months earlier, but that result created a misleading picture. Leonard had not fought in six years and was finished as a serious fighter. Beating that version did not make Camacho ready for a younger champion operating near his physical peak.
De La Hoya called the fight a “tune-up.” He was guaranteed $9 million, while Camacho received $3 million. The event produced 560,000 pay-per-view purchases and $22.4 million in television revenue.
From the opening bell, it became clear that Camacho had come to survive. He moved backward, tied Oscar up, and relied on
