Boxer Arrested After Fight--Escaped Convict

Roberto Medina, defeated earlier by Olympic gold medalist Meldrick Taylor on national televsion, was arrested Saturday when police revealed he is an escaped convict.

Police said Medina, under questioning, confessed he really is John E. Garcia, who has been arrested 61 times in the Denver area alone.

Garcia, 29, of St. Petersburg, Fla., escaped June 25, 1982, from a prison near Canon City, Colo., where he was serving time for charges ranging from assault to car theft, authorities said.

Denver Det. Dennis Caribari said authorities got an anonymous tip about a week ago that Garcia would fight under the Medina alias in Norfolk.

Police said they weren’t sure the fighter was actually Garcia until he took off his warmup robe and they could see his three tatoos, including a red rose over his heart.

“We did not know if it was him for sure until we saw the tattoos,” said Lt. Curtis M. Todd Jr. “When we saw that, we knew we had the right guy. Before that, the identification was kind of iffy.”

About a dozen police officers arrested Garcia as he walked to his dressing room after Taylor won an eight-round decision as part of a card with four Olympic gold medalists from last summer’s Games in Los Angeles. Taylor was the 125-pound champion.

Todd said the show of force was “precautionary” because police knew Garcia was a good fighter. Garcia offered no resistance.

“He was more disappointed than anything else,” Todd said.

Garcia has moved up in the boxing rankings because of his ability to take a punch. Taylor landed 383 blows Saturday.

“I hit him with everything I had and didn’t move him anywhere,” Taylor said. “I hit him with everything in the book. It kind of frustrated me.”

It was Garcia’s first pro bout outside of Florida.

In other fights involving Olympic champions, lightweight Pernell Whitaker scored a second-round TKO over John Sinegal of Houston; welterweight Mark Breland TKOd Don Shiver of Tampa, Fla., in the first round, and light-heavyweight Evander Holyfield scored a unanimous eight-round decision over Tyrone Booze of Hartford, Conn.

Taylor is now 7-0, Whitaker 5-0, Breland 6-0 and Holyfield 5-0.