He Is No Golden Boy, but Hernandez Finds His Niche

He fought his way from East Los Angeles to a world title.

His name is . . . Oscar De La Hoya?

No, it’s not. And it sure can get aggravating to hear that over and over again.

The name is Genaro Hernandez, and he was fighting professionally eight years before De La Hoya even won an Olympic gold medal. But since the tidal wave of notoriety accompanying De La Hoya has swept over boxing, in Southern California in particular and the country in general, Hernandez has struggled to avoid sinking from sight.

It’s not as if he has been paddling aimlessly. Hernandez won the World Boxing Assn. junior- lightweight title in 1991 and successfully defended it nine times before moving up five pounds to take on De La Hoya.

De La Hoya was a clear winner in their 1995 battle for bragging rights in East L.A., Hernandez stopped on a six-round TKO after De La Hoya shattered his nose.

But what hurt even worse than his nose, even worse than the defeat, was the insinuation by some that Hernandez had quit.

A man of deep pride, Hernandez went back to 130 pounds and repaired his reputation after having his nose repaired.

He not only won the World Boxing Council super-featherweight title by beating another of boxing’s biggest names, Azumah Nelson, but did so with one of the classiest moves seen in a sport where class has become nearly forgotten.

Hit in the throat by a Nelson blow thrown after the bell ending the seventh round, Hernandez, struggling to catch his breath, was given the option by the referee of being awarded the victory on a disqualification.

Slam-dunk offer?

Not for Hernandez. He elected to fight on and squeaked out a victory on a split decision.

Since then, Hernandez has successfully defended that title three times, boosting his record to 38-1-1 with 17 knockouts.

But with all that, he has failed to earn a purse that reached seven figures because he has failed to reach the elite circle of boxers who can sell a pay-per-view bout by their mere presence.

Tonight on HBO, Hernandez defends his title against unbeaten Floyd Mayweather (17-0, 13 knockouts) at the Las Vegas Hilton. It’s an attractive bout, matching the experience of Hernandez, 32, against the blossoming talent of Mayweather, 20. It is also the first title fight for any of the 1996 U.S. Olympic boxers, Mayweather having won a bronze medal in Atlanta.

Still for all that, Hernandez’s purse is only $600,000, his richest yet, but far short of the purses of

$10 million to $12 million earned by you-know-who from East L.A. Mayweather will earn $150,000.

“He’s going to lose,” Hernandez said of Mayweather. “He’s a young guy with no experience.”

Promoter Bob Arum hopes to match the winner of tonight’s Hernandez-Mayweather bout with Angel Manfready, the rising star in the division, in December.

“I think I can fight for four or five more years,” Hernandez said. “If I can do less and retire rich, that’s what I’ll do.”

But Hernandez knows that, no matter what he accomplishes, he will always have to settle for being the other fighter from East L.A.

ANOTHER LOSS FOR TYSON

This one was to be expected.

Attorneys for two-time heavyweight champion Mike Tyson had gone to district court in Nevada hoping to keep the results of his psychiatric examination at Massachusetts General Hospital out of the public domain.

On Thursday, District Court Judge Gene Porter upheld the state’s public records law which requires members of the Nevada State Athletic Commission to make available to the public documents stemming from an open meeting, such as last month’s hearing at which Tyson was told to undergo the psychiatric exam if he wants to regain his boxing license.

The results of that exam will be a key factor in the commissioners’ decision on the Tyson license, which was rescinded in July 1997 after Tyson bit Evander Holyfield on the ears in their title rematch.

As of Friday, Tyson’s representatives still had not turned in the psychiatric report to the commission, but they were expected to do so by Monday. Tyson’s next hearing before the commission is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 19, but that could be delayed if Tyson appeals the ruling to make the documents public.

“We are pretty optimistic that the report is positive,” said John Branca, an attorney for Tyson, whose psychiatric examination in Massachusetts stretched over nearly five full days.

After spending 6 1/2 hours listening to psychiatrists, counselors and doctors analyze him in the Nevada hearing last month, Tyson told the commissioners, “I feel like Norman Bates.”

Imagine what he felt like after nearly five days.

QUICK JABS

Monday’s card at the Arrowhead Pond will feature two North American Boxing Federation title fights. Isidro Garcia (16-1, four knockouts) will defend his flyweight championship against Jesus Chong (32-9, 27 knockouts). And NABO super-bantamweight champion Nestor Garza (33-1, 27 knockouts) will face Jesus Sarabia (27-7-3, 21 knockouts).

First fight is at 7:15 p.m.