He trained in the Police Athletic League under his coach Pat Murphy, and eventually brought home numerous trophies in local tournaments, moving him up to second in the U.S. amateur boxing standings for the middleweight class.

[5][failed verification] As a member of the Philippine boxing squad, Camat made his official sporting debut at the 2001 Southeast Asian Games, where he claimed a bronze medal in the light middleweight class.

[6] The following year, at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, Camat expectedly failed to surpass Pakistani boxer Kashif Mumtaz Karim in the opening bout with a decisive score of 11–18, despite displaying a clean fight that could have brought him into the medal rounds.

[8] Camat qualified for his naturalized Filipino squad in the men's middleweight division (75 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens by receiving a berth and finishing second behind Kazakhstan's Gennady Golovkin from the Asian Championships in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Camat was also expected to become the Filipino flag bearer in the opening ceremony, but later surpassed his privilege to fellow boxer Romeo Brin, as he decided to witness his action and prepare fully for the next day's bout.