Looking Ahead, Camacho Comes to L.A.

With an eye toward multimillion-dollar showdowns against some of boxing’s biggest names, Hector (Macho) Camacho brings his hip-swerving show to Los Angeles for the first time in his flamboyant 15-year career tonight at the Grand Olympic Auditorium,

Since losing to Felix Trinidad in January 1994, Camacho (54-3, 25 knockouts) has been fighting at a once-every-other-month pace, trying to gather momentum for a lucrative 1996.

“By the time I close my career, I believe I will be a real boxing legend,” he said.

Tonight, Camacho faces Tony Rodriguez (19-1, 10 KOs), a junior-middleweight from Ohio.

Already, Camacho, a former World Boxing Council lightweight titleholder, says he has rejected a lucrative offer to fight welterweight champion Pernell Whitaker and is seeking potential bouts against Sugar Ray Leonard--if he comes out of retirement--and Julio Cesar Chavez.

“I don’t need them; they need me,” said Camacho, 33. “[The Whitaker camp has] offered me $1.2 million. That’s a lot of money. And they say, ‘Oh, Camacho’s broke.’ If I was broke, would I let that money go?”

For Olympic promoter Peter Broudy, Camacho brings a charisma that might attract an audience beyond a strictly Latino base.

“Camacho appeals to a broad-based crowd,” Broudy said. “I know some Mexicans will come to cheer against him, but they’ll come for him.

“When this building was really rocking, you had people coming here from the Westside, and from all over. When I bring Yory Boy [Campas] here, nobody west of Mission Street is in the stands. It’s strictly an East L.A. appeal.”

Broudy is paying Camacho $55,000 plus expenses for the non-network television fight and says he needs a crowd of at least 3,500 to break even. He is hoping for 5,000 or more.

“If the fans respond to this, Roberto Duran is next,” Broudy said. “He will come here. . . .

“But if this town doesn’t respond to this guy, I don’t need to be doing this any more.”

The six-fight card, which starts at 8 p.m., also features popular Mexican veteran junior-middleweight Rodolfo (Gato) Gonzalez in a 10-round bout against Wilbur Kiggunda.