Hernandez Dismisses De La Hoya Before Fight Against Ramirez

It lacks the glamour and money of an Oscar De La Hoya showdown, but Genaro Hernandez’s defense of his World Boxing Assn. junior-lightweight title against Jorge (Cocas) Ramirez tonight at the Forum still has a touch of risk.

If not for a last-minute snag, Hernandez would have fought De La Hoya early this year instead of Ramirez. But for the second time, De La Hoya’s camp decided to bypass Hernandez.

So, with surgery to replace a screw in his sore right hand scheduled for next month, Hernandez (29-0-1, 14 knockouts) is fighting Ramirez (64-10-3, 51 KOs), a veteran of high-profile junior-lightweight bouts.

“Oscar De La Hoya, he can talk at his own press conference,” Hernandez said recently. “It’s kind of tiring to hear (about De La Hoya). Nobody wants to talk about Cocas or anyone else I’ve fought.

“I’m not afraid of Oscar De La Hoya; he’s had, what, 11 fights? If I’m afraid of anybody, it should be Cocas, with all the experience he has.”

Also on the card: a 10-round middleweight bout between Young Dick Tiger (28-10, 18 KOs) and Florencio Ibarra (8-1, 7 KOs).