BOXING: CAMACHO'S SHORT LEFT MAKES FOR SHORT FIGHT.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

Young, flamboyant Hector Camacho Jr. makes the same flashy entrances into the ring as his legendary father. He punches like him, too.

Just ask former Mexican national champion Juan Rodriguez. Camacho knocked him out cold with a sharp left in the third round Saturday to win a nontitle super lightweight main event at Seaside Park.

Camacho, ranked in the top 10 in all three major sanctioning bodies, raised his record to 26-0, with 15 knockouts.

``He never saw that punch coming. It was a short left,'' said Camacho, 21, of San Juan, Puerto Rico. ``They need to put me in with someone tougher because I need to get some work. I thought the Mexican national champion would be tough, but I suckered him in.''

Rodriguez, 26, never threatened and fell to 36-13-2, with 23 KOs.

``He was attacking me, but he just wasn't aggressive enough,'' said Camacho, who entered the ring in a fancy tuxedo-style jacket with tails and a top hat.

Camacho's father won world championships in three different weight classes.

``I'm trying to set up a fight between me and my dad - just kidding!'' Camacho said.

In preliminary bouts:

Felipe Campa of Oxnard outboxed Rudy Martinez of Oxnard to win a unanimous decision for the vacant super bantamweight junior world championship (21 and under).

Campa, 121-1/4, was the more aggressive fighter, especially in the early going. Both tired, but Campa kept busy for the duration, raising his record to 6-1 with five knockouts. Martinez fell to 10-1 (six knockouts).

Campa benefited from a boisterous supporting crowd. After the fight, many of his supporters flooded the ring and lifted him.

Former WBC super middleweight champion Lupe Aquino (53-9-2, 35 KO's), making a comeback at 36 and fighting out of Santa Paula, knocked out Amando Campas at 2:30 of the eighth round.

Aquino, 167-1/2, recorded two knockdowns and was never in danger. However, the fight should not have gone so long, considering Campas' 14-22-5 record.

Luis Vazquez upset previously undefeated Miguel Rodriguez of Naucalpan, Mexico, in a eight-round junior middleweight bout. Vazquez (32-19, 27 KO's) said he was well-prepared and even wished he ``could go another six rounds.'' Rodriguez dropped to 15-1 with 11 KO's.

Flyweight Carlos Madrigal (13-2, eight KO's), of Oxnard, knocked out Leonardo Gutierrez (17-14, nine KO's), of Mexicali, Mexico, at 2:40 of the sixth round.