It’s the Real Deal for Hernandezes

Hernandez vs. Hernandez, tonight’s main event at the Olympic Auditorium, is being billed as a unique boxing event, matching two of Southern California’s best fighters. But actually, it’s not unique. This fight has been staged over and over again during the last few years.

Genaro Hernandez (36-1-1, 17 knockouts) of East Los Angeles, the World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion, and Carlos Hernandez (25-1-1, 15 knockouts) of Bellflower are longtime sparring partners, each using the other over the years to prepare for the road ahead.

Tonight, those two roads will intersect at 18th and Grand. Genaro is looking beyond Carlos, hoping to lure International Boxing Federation junior-lightweight champion Arturo Gatti into the ring next year. Carlos is looking no further than tonight, hoping to become the first fighter from his native El Salvador to win a world title.

“He’s trying to make me a steppingstone,” Genaro said. “I’m not a steppingstone for anybody.”

Carlos doesn’t argue that point.

“I’m not looking at him as Genaro,” he said. “I’m looking at him as a guy in the way of a world title.”

It will take more than dreams of national glory for Carlos to upset Genaro, who has also held World Boxing Assn., and World Boxing Organization titles.

Genaro’s only loss, in a career that dates back to 1984, came in 1995 when Oscar De La Hoya beat him. Genaro had to quit after a De La Hoya uppercut broke Genaro’s nose in 22 places.

That was the low point of Genaro’s career. The high point came in March of this year when, while challenging WBC super-featherweight champion Azumah Nelson in Corpus Christi, Texas, Genaro took a shot to the throat after the bell ending the seventh round. Informed that the title would be his if he couldn’t continue, Genaro instead got back on his feet and won a split decision.

His actions in fighting on brought him more fame and affection than anything he had done in his long career.

But Genaro acknowledges all the adulation almost cost him his next fight. Still on an emotional high in June when he faced Anatoly Alexandrov in San Antonio, Genaro admits he didn’t get down to the serious business of training for the fight.

“It was somebody I didn’t know,” he said. “I just went through the motions. I figured I had just gotten through beating Azumah. What could this guy have that Azumah didn’t have?”

He had plenty as it turned out. Genaro had to work hard to pull out a 12-round split decision.

Complacency, Genaro said, won’t be a problem against Carlos. Genaro knows all too well what his opponent tonight will bring to the ring.

Neither Hernandez feels any other of the previous meetings offers a clue to tonight’s outcome.

“We were not out there to win in those sparring matches,” Genaro said. “We were just using each other to work on things.”

That won’t be the case this evening. Because they know full well that one man will emerge as a champion and the other as a steppingstone.

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Tonight’s card will not only pit Hernandez against Hernandez, but Sanchez against Sanchez.

In a preliminary bout, super-lightweights Alfonso Sanchez (17-1, 16 knockouts) and Pedro Sanchez (31-5-2, 20 knockouts) will fight a 10-rounder.

Unbeaten super-featherweight Floyd Mayweather (10-0, eight knockouts) will face Angelo Nunez (14-11-3, four knockouts) in another 10-rounder.

And in a woman’s bout, an element that is fast becoming a fixture on fight cards all over the country, undefeated Lucia Rijker (8-0, seven knockouts), who trains locally, will oppose Germany’s Jeanette Witte (6-0-1, one knockout) for the Women’s International Boxing Federation junior-welterweight championship.

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The Facts

* What: Champion Genaro Hernandez against challenger Carlos Hernandez for the World Boxing Council super-featherweight championship.

* Where: Olympic Auditorium.

* When: Tonight. * First bell: 6:30 p.m.

* TV: Pay-per-view. * TV Time: 7 p.m.