Alex García (born December 2, 1961) is a retired Mexican-American

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

, who competed from 1987 to 2005 in the heavyweight division, best known for his short but nevertheless outstanding amateur career in 1986, and later to be a contender in the 1990s.

Early years

García grew up in

San Fernando, California San Fernando (Spanish language, Spanish for "Ferdinand III of Castile, St. Ferdinand") is a General-law municipality, general-law city in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It ...

. First, he was a pitcher and shortstop playing in kid leagues. Then, he was an all-league middle linebacker at

San Fernando High School San Fernando High School (SFHS) is a high school of the Los Angeles Unified School District. It is located in the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles, in the northeastern San Fernando Valley, California. It is near and also serves the City of Sa ...

.U.S. super heavyweight takes a tough road to Reno
by Steve Sneddon, ''Reno Gazette-Journal'', May 9, 1986, p. 21. Later he became a gang member, and eventually served five years in California state prisons at Soledad,

San Quentin San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in ...

and Chino, for

involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

after stabbing a rival gang member. Upon his release, he found himself training at the Jet Center, where he took up boxing. He was mentored under former middleweight William “Blinky” Rodriguez at the Benny's Jet Center martial arts and boxing complex in

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...

. "For two years, since he got out of prison, he's been working hard six days a week ... showing desire and discipline," Rodriguez said on his trainee. "He's got 200 street fights. If a guy goes after you with a bumper jack, you better be elusive," said Rodriguez.

Amateur career

García rapidly began dispatching his foes at the amateurs. He won the Southern California Golden Gloves title and went on to win the National AAU Championships Super Heavyweight title in Beaumont in April 1986.Boxer's Metal Goes From Cold to Gold
by David Wharton, ''The Los Angeles Times'', April 11, 1986, p. 33. "It was my best fight," said Garcia in the understatement of the tournament. Longtime amateur boxing people called Garcia's performance a surprise. William Pendleton of the U.S. Amateur Boxing Federation board of governors said of his performance at the nationals: "Here was a guy who came in totally from the cold and won the gold medal." He lost a close decision to Wesley Watson prior to the nationals, but avenged that defeat when he stopped Watson in two rounds to earn a spot on the U.S. team for the 1986 World Championships. He was training for the world championships in a

parking garage A multistorey car park (Commonwealth English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistorey, parking building, parking structure, parkade (Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck, or indoor parking, is a building designed fo ...

converted into a boxing gym at the Sands Regency Hotel in Reno. at the world championships he defeated all his opponents on to his way to the finals, to losing the final to

Teófilo Stevenson Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence (; 29 March 1952 – 11 June 2012) was a Cuban amateur boxer who competed from 1966 to 1986. Stevenson won the Val Barker Trophy (1972) as well was honored with the Olympic Order (1987) and is one of only three bo ...

, winning the silver. Stevenson, a veteran of international boxing, age 35, with a 20-year-long career, won for the 301st time, knocking down Garcia, whose amateur record stood 17–2. "Winning by a knockout is just like a baseball player hitting a home run," said Stevenson after he knocked out García. "I want to fight him again. I want to redeem myself," said García after his defeat in the hands of Stevenson. García claimed he never lost in hundreds of street fights. "I always wanted to box, but I just never took the time to go into the gym and train; I was having too much fun on the streets," he said to the press. "There are some things you can't coach. He's got natural athletic ability. He's got durability, heart, power and he's come along real fast. When we went to the world championships, a lot of guys came up to me and asked me how many fights he'd really had. They couldn't believe he'd only fought 18 times and he was fighting for the gold medal in the world championships with that few fights," said his coach Rodriguez. García has been invited to work out at the

U.S. Olympic Training Center The United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) are two campuses created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as training facilities for its Olympic Games, Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located i ...

. García also sparred with Mike Weaver, the former World Boxing Association heavyweight champion. García said he was a little wary when he first got into the ring against Weaver. Instead of boxing in the

1986 Goodwill Games The 1986 Goodwill Games was the inaugural edition of the international multi-sport event created by Ted Turner, which was held from 5 – 20 July 1986. The main stadium was the Luzhniki Stadium, Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Sov ...

, García chose to rest. He soon fought at the 1986 USA−USSR boxing duals, where he fought Vyacheslav Yakovlev (who also lost to Stevenson at Reno by majority decision,) in a match-up on July 26, and

exhibition bout An exhibition fight is a sports match which is not part of a competition but instead serves the function of demonstrating the skills of the participants. In boxing, an exhibition fight normally consists of three to eight rounds. The participants g ...

on August 2, losing him twice in a row, both time by unanimous decision. "I told myself I was going to become a fighter, going to stick with it. It was a big adjustment getting out (of prison). You get institutionalized, get out of the habits of normal life. Although I wanted to be a boxer, I never thought I'd come this far this fast," said García on his progress.

Highlights

Southern California Golden Gloves (+201 lbs),

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, 1986: * (no data available) Local match-up (+201 lbs), 1986: *Lost to

Wesley Watson Wesley Page Watson Jr. (born September 16, 1962, in Bristol, Tennessee) is a retired American heavyweight boxing, boxer best known for his successful amateur boxing career. Early years Watson played three years of varsity basketball at Howard be ...

by split decision, 2–3 National Championships (+201 lbs),

Civic Center A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains of one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, ...

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...

, April 1986: *1/2: Defeated Kimmuel Odum by unanimous decision, 5−0 *Finals: Defeated

by majority decision, 4−1 World Champ Box-offs (+201 lbs),

Caesars Tahoe Bally's Lake Tahoe (formerly Park Tahoe, Caesars Tahoe, and MontBleu Resort Casino) is a casino hotel in Stateline, Nevada. It is owned by Edgewood Companies and operated by Bally's Corporation. The property includes a casino and a 438-room hote ...

Lake Tahoe, Nevada Lake Tahoe (; Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America, ...

, April 1986: *Finals (Qualified): Defeated

RSC 2 World Championships (+201 lbs), Sparks Convention Center,

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, May 1986: *1/8: Defeated Baik Hyun-man (South Korea) RSCH 2 *1/4: Defeated Aziz Salihu (Yugoslavia) RSCH 2 *1/2: Defeated Biaggio Chianese (Italy) RSCH 2 *Finals: Lost to

(Cuba) RSCH 2 USA−USSR Middle & Heavy Duals (+201 lbs),

ARCO Arena ARCO Arena (known as Power Balance Pavilion from 2011 to 2012 and Sleep Train Arena from 2012 until 2022) was an indoor arena located in Sacramento, California, United States. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Sacramento Kings of the Nation ...

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, July 1986: *Lost to Vyacheslav Yakovlev (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 0−5 USA−USSR Exhibition (+201 lbs),

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, August 1986: *Lost to Vyacheslav Yakovlev (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 0−3

1988 Olympics

He wasn't sure whether he would wait until after the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

Seoul, South Korea Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, because, once he wanted to turn pro immediately. This accounted for a brief hiatus, and finally, having 21 amateur fights under his belt, with a record of 17 wins (13 by knockout,) and 4 losses, García turned pro.

Professional career

He started his pro career in California in 1987 and, apart from a cut stoppage loss against Dee Collier, dominated his opposition on his way to contention. Notable opponents at beaten by García at this stage of his career included Eddie Gonzalez, Rocky Sekorski, and

Jerry Goff Jerry Leroy Goff (born April 12, 1964) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Houston Astros. He was listed at and 207 pounds. In his last major lea ...

. In 1992 he won the NABF title against Jerry Jones. After three successful defenses, and with a fight against

Riddick Bowe Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweig ...

in the advanced planning stage, he took a warm-up fight against Mike Dixon who KOd him by catching García with a blow to his temple. However, soon after in a rematch fight at the "Brady Theater" in Tulsa, OK in May 1994, Alex García won a unanimous decision against Mike Dixon. García never was a serious contender again, drawing with

James Warring James Warring (born November 26, 1958) is an American boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. In professional boxing, he held the IBF world cruiserweight title from 1991 until 1992. In kickboxing, Warring is a four-time world champion, whi ...

and getting KOd by Garing Lane. In 1994 he lost his NABF title on points to fringe contender

Joe Hipp Joe "The Boss" Hipp (born December 7, 1962) is a retired professional Americans, American heavyweight boxing, boxer. A member of the Blackfeet Tribe, he became the first Native Americans in the United States, Native American to challenge for a w ...

, in 1995 he lost on points to Buster Mathis Jr.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 40 Wins (29 knockouts, 11 decisions), 6 Losses (4 knockouts, 2 decisions), 1 Draw , - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , - , Loss , , align=left, Wallace McDaniel , KO , 3 , 05/04/2005 , align=left,

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ron McCarthy , MD , 8 , 07/12/1999 , align=left,

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Harris , TKO , 1 , 07/08/1999 , align=left,

Camden, South Carolina Camden is the largest city in and the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,764 in the 2020 census, and the 2022 population estimate is 8,213. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolita ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Martin Lopez , TKO , 2 , 29/08/1997 , align=left,

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Buster Mathis, Jr. , UD , 12 , 18/04/1995 , align=left,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Stephens , TKO , 3 , 18/11/1994 , align=left,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

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Ed Donaldson Ed Donaldson (born January 1, 1959, in Mobile, Alabama), was a professional boxer. Amateur As an amateur, Donaldson was a United States ( National AAU) amateur Super Heavyweight champion in 1992. Professional career Donaldson, a full-time polic ...

, UD , 10 , 01/09/1994 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Dixon , UD , 10 , 24/05/1994 , align=left,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, UD , 12 , 01/03/1994 , align=left,

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, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George O'Mara , PTS , 10 , 20/01/1994 , align=left,

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, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Everton Davis , PTS , 10 , 18/12/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Garing Lane , TKO , 2 , 20/08/1993 , align=left,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left,

, SD , 12 , 27/07/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Mike Dixon , TKO , 2 , 08/06/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eric Curry , TKO , 12 , 20/04/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, West Turner , TKO , 1 , 27/03/1993 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Williams , TKO , 5 , 16/02/1993 , align=left,

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jerry Jones , UD , 12 , 08/12/1992 , align=left,

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Ossie Ocasio Osvaldo "Ossie" Ocasio (born August 12, 1955) is a Puerto Rican former boxer who held the World Cruiserweight Championship from 1982 to 1984. He was also a Top Contender and Heavyweight Challenger in 1979. He scored notable wins against Former ...

, TKO , 8 , 23/11/1992 , align=left,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Matthew Brooks , TKO , 2 , 27/10/1992 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike White , TKO , 2 , 22/09/1992 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Arthur Weathers , KO , 2 , 10/08/1992 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

Mike Ronay Evans Mike Ronay Evans (born April 5, 1959) is an American former professional boxer. In his 50 bouts he won 38 (27 ko's), lost 11 and had one draw. Tyrell Biggs scored a 6-round unanimous decision over Evans on November 15, 1984 at Madison Square Ga ...

, UD , 10 , 02/07/1992 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Mike Gans , KO , 2 , 27/05/1992 , align=left,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bobby Crabtree , KO , 6 , 04/03/1992 , align=left,

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of th ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jerry Goff , TKO , 2 , 11/07/1991 , align=left,

Gardnerville, Nevada Gardnerville is an unincorporated town in Douglas County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the county seat of Minden. The population was 6,211 at the 2020 census. U.S. Route 395 runs through the center of Gardnerville. State Route 207, kn ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Rocky Sekorski , KO , 1 , 23/05/1991 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ladislao Mijangos , TKO , 3 , 22/03/1991 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bernard Benton , TKO , 2 , 09/10/1990 , align=left,

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, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bill Duncan , TKO , 1 , 07/05/1990 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Dion Burgess , TKO , 4 , 27/03/1990 , align=left,

Reseda, California Reseda is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1912, and its central business district started developing in 1915. The neighborhood was devoted to agriculture for many years. Earthquake ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Andre McCall , TKO , 2 , 08/01/1990 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jim Ashard , KO , 4 , 13/11/1989 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eddie Gonzales , UD , 10 , 24/10/1989 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Eddie Richardson , KO , 7 , 29/08/1989 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Dee Collier , TKO , 8 , 29/11/1988 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Veti Katoa , KO , 1 , 29/07/1988 , align=left,

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent Beach Cities, beach c ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 10–0 , align=left, Jack S. Jackson , KO , 2 , 23/06/1988 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 9–0 , align=left, Rodney Stockton , KO , 2 , 27/05/1988 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 8–0 , align=left, Dennis Fikes , KO , 3 , 24/03/1988 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Dave Slaughter , KO , 2 , 12/11/1987 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Dwain Bonds , UD , 6 , 29/08/1987 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Andre Smith , UD , 5 , 09/07/1987 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, William Campudani , KO , 1 , 18/06/1987 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Tony Crawford , KO , 1 , 28/05/1987 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Richard Harrell , UD , 4 , 24/02/1987 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Cliff Melbourne , KO , 1 , 06/02/1987 , align=left,

, U.S. , align=left,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Alex Living people 1961 births Heavyweight boxers American boxers of Mexican descent American people convicted of manslaughter American sportspeople convicted of crimes National Golden Gloves champions Former gang members American male boxers AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists 20th-century American sportsmen