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Show Odds Favor Fred to Win OveKJarcia By JACK CUDDY NEW YORK, Oct. 2 UP The . big-time Indoor boxing season opens tonight at Madison Square Garden with a mlddleweteght championship "natural" in which 'Frisco Fred Apostoli makes his Initial tiUe defense against Cef-erino Cef-erino Garcia, Filipino - knockout artist. This 15-rounder is a "natural because or 1) Its Importance to the pugilistic parade, (2) the an certainty of Its outcome and (3) the contrasting styles of Its prtn. cipals, which assure hell-for-leath-er fighting. - Heavy ApesteH M.aey Apostoli, the Golden Gate's battling bat-tling bellhop who la recognized by the New York commission as king of the 160-pounders, Is the 2-1 . favorite In heavy betting to retain his claims to the crown. But these odds reflect a plentttude of Apos " toll money, rather than the sentiment senti-ment In Cauliflower Canyon, where nearly half the experts figure fig-ure Garcia should knock him out. Two theories contribute to the uncertainty that Is expected to attract at-tract 16,000 fans and a gate of more than 150,000. The first theory is this: Garcia, although he blew two shots at the welter crown to Roes and Armstrong, has Improved amazingly during his 10 months of campaigning as a middleweight when he was no longer weakened by training down to 147 pounds. As a middleweight he has registered nine straight victories, seven by knockouts. Ha finds the middle-weights middle-weights much easier targets for , his explosive "bolo" uppercut Weight TreaM. Meanwhile, Apostoli apparently has faded In '39. In over-the-welght matches, he lost twice to Billy Conn and made miserable showings out of New York against Eric Seelig, Mohammed Fahmy and Glen Lea, although he won those bouts. Moreover, reports from his camp Indicate that Fred had trouble making 160 pounds. The other theory Is this: Apostoli Is only 29 now, and should be sp- ' preaching his peak Instead of on the downgrade. But Garcia, who never was a great fighter and who was kayoed five times In 20 defeats, de-feats, is 29 now a bit too ancient and battle-scarred to blossom suddenly sud-denly Into greatness. |