The sins of the father have taught Camacho Jr. a lesson

Dean Juipe

Thursday, May 25, 2000 | 10:02 a.m.

It's said the apple never falls far from the tree, yet Hector Camacho Jr. shouldn't be mistaken for a carbon copy of his vociferous father.

While the two share enough similarities that there's no questioning their paternal link, the younger Camacho has several traits his father could only envy. First and foremost: The son has seen the errors of his elder's ways.

"Some of the stuff my father has done bothers me," said Camacho Jr., who was in Las Vegas Wednesday to promote his June 18 main event at Regent Las Vegas. "It would bother any son, seeing his father going around acting like a nut."

Hector Camacho (Sr.), of course, was a well-to-do fighter who routinely found his way into big-money fights. Just as routinely, he seemed to find his way into mischief.

He suffered the legal consequences of a variety of untoward acts, including assault and cocaine charges; an arrest for driving with a suspended license; an arrest for a parking-lot brawl with two police officers; an arrest for aggravated assault on his wife; and a charge of importing contraband after customs officials found an M-16 rifle in his luggage as he tried to enter the United States.

His son, now 21 years old and with a professional record of 27-0 with 16 knockouts after posting an amateur record of 59-2, takes a more civilized and compassionate approach to life.

"I lead a pretty quiet existence," he said. "I'm not out looking for trouble."

His father was a fighter the fans loved to hate, and, although he had no shortage of successes, many saw his Sept. 12, 1992, fight at the sold-out Thomas & Mack Center as defining his career. That night, in against Julio Cesar Chavez, Camacho was repeatedly hammered and lost a 12-round decision by 13, 9, and 6 points on the judges' cards. Yet for all the punishment he took -- and despite the advice of his corner -- Camacho finished the fight on his feet, beaten yet lauded for his efforts and anything but disgraced.

It was a night in which the fans got their money's worth.

Camacho Jr., who will be headlining in Las Vegas for the first time in his career when he meets Manard Reed at the Regent, is hoping to generate his own style and appeal, although he has borrowed from his father when it comes to exotic apparel and glitzy ring entrances.

"I want to be remembered for being me and not for being Hector Camacho's son," he said. "I want to make a name for myself."

His name has been in this paper the last two weeks for his role as an apparent bystander in an alleged tug of war between promoters. But Camacho Jr. is under contract to America Presents and has gone so far as to bow to the company's wishes and drop to a lesser weight even though he is the mandatory challenger for World Boxing Association 140-pound champ Sharmba Mitchell.

Camacho Jr. will fight Reed, 20-1 with 14 KOs, at 140 and then go into an extensive fitness program designed to bring him down to 135. (His "walking around" weight is 147 and Camacho Jr. said he weighed 144 Wednesday.)

"This is the plan (promoter) Dan Goossen has for me and I'm going to go along with it," he said. "On the other hand, I've been waiting for a year for Sharmba Mitchell and I know I can beat him. But I see the advantages of going back to 135. I'll be stronger, sharper, faster and there are some big plans for me at that weight."

Goossen, whose brother Joe will begin assisting Camacho Jr. as a trainer, admits passing up a legitimate world title fight goes against the grain in boxing, yet he feels it's the appropriate thing to do.

"With a real concentrated effort we can melt those extra pounds off him," Goossen said. "We think 135 is his best weight, so why fight at 140 if it might be a disadvantage? We can certainly make the title fight with Mitchell, but in Hector's case it might not make sense.

"We just think he's going to be more explosive at 135."

Camacho Jr., a southpaw who maintains a residence in his native Puerto Rico, has never fought at fewer than 138 pounds but has looked strong against competition both decent and inferior. While a succession of forgettable names dot his ring resume, he is coming off a career-best win over a once-respectable contender, Harold Warren. Camacho Jr. needed less than one round to end that fight, held Feb. 6 in Elgin, Ill.

His challenger at the Regent, Reed, is a Midwestern fighter with a good record but suspect credentials. It remains to be seen if he can throw a scare into Camacho Jr. during their scheduled 12-round fight with a minor title at stake.

"I'm not looking past him, though," Camacho Jr. said. "It's the most important fight of my career and this a guy who I have to believe will come ready to fight. I know he'll train hard for me."

Interestingly, with the fight being held on Father's Day, Camacho Jr. will team with his namesake and form a singing duo -- at least for one day.

"We're going to sing together at the fights," Camacho Jr. said. "Maybe we'll do it in the ring before my fight."

The song selection remains a mystery.

Camacho Jr.'s abilities as a fighter do not.

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