Bulkier Garcia Meets Jackson at Sports Arena

Blinky Rodriguez, manager of San Fernando heavyweight Alex Garcia, claims his fighter keeps getting bigger and better.

How much better might be determined tonight after Garcia meets John Jackson (15-5, six knockouts), a Texan, in an eight-round bout at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

But there is no denying the other part of Rodriguez’s description. Garcia is definitely bigger. The 26-year-old boxer’s previous top weight for a bout was 221 1/2 pounds, but he now weighs 230.

A reason for concern? Not for Rodriguez.

“Alex feels good, feels real good,” his manager says, “and he hits harder now. He’s putting on muscle tone, I guess. The weight is coming on naturally. I’m certainly not going to complain. He’s putting it on in his chest, his arms, and even his calves.”

This will be the third fight of 1988 for the unbeaten Garcia (9-0, six knockouts), but he actually has fought a total of just seven rounds in the past 10 months. Two of his previous three matches ended in the second round, the other in the third.