Antonio Cervantes

Antonio Cervantes (born December 23, 1945) is a Colombian boxing trainer and former professional boxer who competed from 1961 to 1983. He held the WBA and The Ring light welterweight title twice between 1972 and 1980.

Antonio Cervantes
Statistics
Real nameAntonio Cervantes Reyes
Nickname(s)Kid Pambele
Weight(s)Light welterweight
Height5 ft 8+12 in (174 cm)
Reach72 in (183 cm)
NationalityColombian
Born (1945-12-23) December 23, 1945
San Basilio de Palenque, Bolívar, Colombia
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights80
Wins67
Wins by KO37
Losses12
Draws1

In 2002, Cervantes was chosen for the Ring Magazine's list of 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.[1] Boxrec also ranked him the 50th greatest pound for pound boxer of all time.[2]

Personal life

Cervantes, who is Afro-Colombian, was born in Palenque, also known as the first site of a slave rebellion in the Americas. Cervantes used to sell contraband cigarettes and shine shoes as a child to survive.

Professional boxing career

He met boxing trainer Carmelo Prada, who helped shape his style. Cervantes only had three amateur bouts, winning two and losing one. On January 31, 1964, Cervantes entered the boxing ring as a professional for the first time, beating Juan Martínez by decision in six rounds. His first 32 bouts as a professional were in Colombia, and he won 27, lost 4 and drew one of them. Realizing his pupil needed publicity outside Colombia, Prada then moved with Cervantes to Venezuela, where, on November 25, 1968, he knocked out Orlando Ruiz in the first round for his first fight abroad. He followed that win with a ten rounds decision over Nestor Rojas in the very short time of only three days later.

On December 23 of that year, he suffered his first knockout defeat when Cruz Marcano, a fringe contender of the time, beat him in four rounds in Caracas.

He won five and lost two in 1969, splitting his fights between Colombia and Venezuela, and losing a ten-round decision to Antonio Gómez, former world champion.

He won two more in 1970, then he and Prada moved, this time to Los Angeles. In California, he began by beating Jose Rodriguez by a knockout in the first round in San Jose, and on December 17, he beat Rodolfo Gato González, a very famous Mexican boxer of the time, by knockout in round eight. After this and a 1971 win over Argentine Enrique Jana, Cervantes was ranked as a light welterweight by the WBA. On December 11 of that year, he had his first world title try, against Nicolino Locche, in Buenos Aires. Cervantes lost a 15-round decision that time, however.

Winning the light welterweight title

After winning three fights in 1972, Cervantes, who had by then returned to Colombia, had another world title try: Alfonso Frazer, who had dethroned Locche of the world title, gave Cervantes a chance on October 28 at Panama City. Cervantes knocked Frazer out in round ten and became the world light welterweight champion for the first time.[3]

Cervantes immediately became a national hero in Colombia, and many enterprises made him their spokesman in the coffee producing country, most notably Sanyo, whose name the popular champion advertised on his clothing and fight trunks.

Cervantes made nine defenses, including a TKO in round ten against Locche in their rematch after his corner stopped the fight due to a cut over his left eye, a knockout in five of Frazer, also in a rematch, a 15-round split decision win over Josue Marquez in Puerto Rico (in the first world title bout ever held at Roberto Clemente Coliseum; most of the nine thousand in attendance scored the fight for Cervantes[4]) and a 15-round decision against future world Lightweight champion Esteban De Jesús. But on March 6, 1976, at San Juan, he lost a 15-round decision and the world title to 17-year-old Puerto Rican Wilfred Benítez, who with that became boxing's youngest champion ever.[5]

Cervantes won five more fights in a row, including a win over Saoul Mamby, before fighting for the world title again. After Benitez had left the light welterweight belt vacant, Cervantes regained it on June 25, 1977, with a five-round knockout over Carlos Maria Gimenez, again in Venezuela. His second reign as world champion took him to such places as Thailand, Botswana and South Korea, among others. He retained the title six times, beating the likes of Adrian Marrero and Miguel Montilla (twice). By this time, there was much talk about a superfight with world Lightweight champion Roberto Durán, who was coming up in weight. Duran decided to challenge Sugar Ray Leonard instead, however, and Cervantes vs. Duran never materialized.

On August 2, 1980, Cervantes dropped his next title challenger, Aaron Pryor, to the canvas in the first round. Pryor recovered, however, and beat Cervantes by a knockout in round four. This turned out to be Cervantes' last world title fight. He fought two times more for the FECARBOX WBC title, winning both fights shortly before retiring in 1980.

However, Cervantes came out of retirement due to financial problems and went on boxing until 1983, winning four fights and dropping his last one, a ten-round decision loss to Danny Sanchez on December 9, 1983, at Miami.

Retirement

In retirement, his life was almost as public as it was during his boxing career: In 1985, for example, he and a female passenger in one of the boats Cervantes owned, suffered a water accident, and the passenger almost drowned, but Cervantes was able to save her life. A movie has been made about a fictional boxer called Milton Ollivera (who comes from Colombia) who goes through a majority of the things Cervantes went through throughout his life.

Cervantes was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998, and in 2000, he was declared by the Colombian Boxing Federation and National Association of Professional Boxing as Colombia's Fighter of the Century. For that award, the WBA issued him a special, commemorative belt.

Cervantes' nickname, Kid Pambelé, became almost as famous as Cervantes himself: as a matter of a fact, many fans called him only Pambelé or Pambe (the name of a song by Carlos Vives about him).

Professional boxing record

80 fights 67 wins 12 losses
By knockout 37 2
By decision 30 10
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
80 Loss 67–12–1 Danny Sanchez UD 10 9 Dec 1983 Casino Miami, Miami, Florida, U.S.
79 Win 67–11–1 Sergio Alvarez TKO 11 (12) 30 Jul 1983 Plaza de toros de Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia Retained WBC FECARBOX title
78 Win 66–11–1 Amancio Castro PTS 12 26 Mar 1983 Plaza de toros de Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia Won WBC FECARBOX title
77 Win 65–11–1 Jerome Artis PTS 10 2 Apr 1982 Cartagena, Colombia
76 Win 64–11–1 Lennox Blackmoore KO 9 (10) 4 Dec 1981 Bogota, Colombia
75 Loss 63–11–1 Aaron Pryor KO 4 (15) 2 Aug 1980 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. Lost WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
74 Win 63–10–1 Miguel Montilla TKO 7 (15) 29 Mar 1980 Plaza de toros de Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
73 Win 62–10–1 Kwang Min Kim SD 15 25 Aug 1979 Jangchung Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
72 Win 61–10–1 Miguel Montilla UD 15 18 Jan 1979 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Retained WBA light welterweight title;
Won vacant The Ring light welterweight title
71 Win 60–10–1 Norman Sekgapane TKO 9 (15) 26 Aug 1978 Mmabatho Stadium, Mmabatho, South Africa Retained WBA light welterweight title
70 Win 59–10–1 Tongta Kiatvayupakdi KO 6 (15) 28 Apr 1978 Provincial Stadium, Udon Thani, Thailand Retained WBA light welterweight title
69 Win 58–10–1 Johnny Copeland KO 3 (10) 18 Mar 1978 Plaza de toros de Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
68 Win 57–10–1 Adriano Marrero UD 15 5 Nov 1977 Maestranza César Girón Bullring, Maracay, Venezuela Retained WBA light welterweight title
67 Win 56–10–1 Carlos Maria Gimenez RTD 5 (15) 25 Jun 1977 Plaza de toros Monumental de Maracaibo, Maracaibo, Venezuela Won vacant WBA light welterweight title
66 Win 55–10–1 Adriano Marrero UD 10 19 Mar 1977 Maestranza César Girón Bullring, Maracay, Venezuela
65 Win 54–10–1 Saoul Mamby UD 10 13 Nov 1976 Maestranza César Girón Bullring, Maracay, Venezuela
64 Win 53–10–1 Ariel Maciel KO 2 (10) 16 Oct 1976 Maestranza César Girón Bullring, Maracay, Venezuela
63 Win 52–10–1 Beau Jaynes KO 1 (10) 17 Jul 1976 Maestranza César Girón Bullring, Maracay, Venezuela
62 Win 51–10–1 Javier Ayala KO 1 (10) 23 May 1976 Maestranza César Girón Bullring, Maracay, Venezuela
61 Loss 50–10–1 Wilfred Benítez SD 15 6 Mar 1976 Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico Lost WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
60 Win 50–9–1 Hector Thompson RTD 7 (15) 15 Nov 1975 Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
59 Win 49–9–1 Battlehawk Kazama TKO 6 (10) 20 Sep 1975 Poliedro de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
58 Win 48–9–1 Esteban De Jesus UD 15 17 May 1975 Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
57 Win 47–9–1 Ray Chavez Guerrero KO 2 (10) 15 Mar 1975 Poliedro de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
56 Win 46–9–1 Shinichi Kadota KO 8 (15) 26 Oct 1974 Nihon University Auditorium, Tokyo, Japan Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
55 Win 45–9–1 Victor Ortiz KO 2 (15) 27 Jul 1974 Plaza de toros de Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
54 Win 44–9–1 Pedro Adigue KO 4 (10) 8 Jun 1974 Maestranza César Girón Bullring, Maracay, Venezuela
53 Win 43–9–1 Chang-Kil Lee KO 6 (15) 2 Mar 1974 Plaza de toros de Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
52 Win 42–9–1 Lion Furuyama UD 15 5 Dec 1973 Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
51 Win 41–9–1 Carlos Maria Gimenez TKO 5 (15) 8 Sep 1973 El Campín Coliseum, Bogota, Colombia Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
50 Win 40–9–1 Reinaldo Mercado TKO 5 (10) 20 Jul 1973 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
49 Win 39–9–1 Alfonso Frazer TKO 5 (15) 19 May 1973 Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
48 Win 38–9–1 Benny Huertas KO 1 (10) 28 Apr 1973 Coliseo El Pueblo, Cali, Colombia
47 Win 37–9–1 Nicolino Locche RTD 10 (15) 17 Mar 1973 Maestranza César Girón Bullring, Maracay, Venezuela Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
46 Win 36–9–1 Josue Marquez SD 15 15 Feb 1973 Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico Retained WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
45 Win 35–9–1 Alfonso Frazer KO 10 (15) 28 Oct 1972 Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama Won WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
44 Win 34–9–1 Lupe Ramirez PTS 10 19 Aug 1972 Maestranza César Girón Bullring, Maracay, Venezuela
43 Win 33–9–1 Frank Medina KO 8 (10) 26 Apr 1972 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
42 Win 32–9–1 Jose Escudero KO 1 (10) 10 Mar 1972 Barranquilla, Colombia
41 Loss 31–9–1 Nicolino Locche UD 15 11 Dec 1971 Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina For WBA and The Ring light welterweight titles
40 Win 31–8–1 Julio Vera UD 10 18 Oct 1971 Nuevo Circo de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
39 Win 30–8–1 Gerardo Ferrat UD 10 10 Jul 1971 Valencia, Venezuela
38 Win 29–8–1 Lupe Ramirez UD 10 28 May 1971 Nuevo Circo de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
37 Win 28–8–1 Enrique Jana TKO 8 (10) 18 Feb 1971 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
36 Win 27–8–1 Rodolfo Gonzalez TKO 8 (10) 17 Dec 1970 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
35 Win 26–8–1 Jorge Rodriguez KO 8 (10) 6 Nov 1970 San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, U.S.
34 Win 25–8–1 Diego Tovar KO 1 (10) 23 Mar 1970 Palacio de Deportes, Caracas, Venezuela
33 Win 24–8–1 Pedro Chirinos PTS 10 20 Feb 1970 Caracas, Venezuela
32 Loss 23–8–1 Antonio Gómez PTS 10 10 Nov 1969 Nuevo Circo de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
31 Win 23–7–1 Orlando Rivas KO 2 (10) 15 Aug 1969 Nuevo Circo de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
30 Loss 22–7–1 Francisco Bolivar PTS 10 21 Jul 1969 Caracas, Venezuela
29 Win 22–6–1 Milton Mendez PTS 10 4 Jun 1969 Teatro Circo, Cartagena, Colombia
28 Win 21–6–1 Frank Leroy KO 2 (10) 15 Apr 1969 Caracas, Venezuela
27 Win 20–6–1 Jesus Gonzalez TKO 2 (10) 9 Feb 1969 Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena, Colombia
26 Loss 19–6–1 Cruz Marcano KO 4 (10) 20 Dec 1968 Nuevo Circo de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
25 Win 19–5–1 Orlando Ruiz KO 1(10) 25 Nov 1968 Nuevo Circo de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
24 Win 18–5–1 Jose Godoy PTS 8 31 Aug 1968 Canal 7 TV Studio, Bogota, Colombia
23 Win 17–5–1 Heliodoro Pitalua PTS 10 21 Jan 1968 Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena, Colombia
22 Win 16–5–1 Rafa Rojas KO 5 (10) 5 Aug 1967 Coliseo Humberto Perea, Barranquilla, Colombia
21 Loss 15–5–1 Nestor Rojas PTS 8 19 Jun 1967 Nuevo Circo de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
20 Win 15–4–1 Reynaldo Lopez PTS 10 3 Jun 1967 San Andres, Colombia
19 Win 14–4–1 Heliodoro Pitalua PTS 10 20 May 1967 San Andres, Colombia
18 Loss 13–4–1 Heliodoro Pitalua PTS 8 2 Apr 1967 Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena, Colombia
17 Loss 13–3–1 Victor Cano PTS 8 3 Feb 1967 Plaza de Toros de Santamaría, Bogotá, Colombia
16 Loss 13–2–1 Cipriano Zuluaga PTS 10 6 Nov 1966 Dieciocho de Junio stadium, Monteria, Colombia
15 Loss 13–1–1 Cipriano Zuluaga PTS 10 23 Sep 1966 Dieciocho de Junio stadium, Monteria, Colombia
14 Draw 13–0–1 Reynaldo Lopez PTS 8 29 Jul 1966 Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena, Colombia
13 Win 13–0 Jose Zuniga PTS 6 24 Jun 1966 Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena, Colombia
12 Win 12–0 Jose Godoy PTS 6 24 May 1966 Calamar, Colombia
11 Win 11–0 Jesus Cardenas KO 7 (8) 10 May 1966 Turbaco, Colombia
10 Win 10–0 Jose Godoy PTS 6 29 Apr 1966 Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena, Colombia
9 Win 9–0 Antonio Yi PTS 6 19 Mar 1966 Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena, Colombia
8 Win 8–0 Rafael Donodo KO 2 (6) 19 Jan 1966 Estadio Once de Noviembre, Cartagena, Colombia
7 Win 7–0 Antonio Yi PTS 6 2 Oct 1965 Humberto Perea Coliseum, Barranquilla, Colombia
6 Win 6–0 Felix Salgado PTS 4 20 Jun 1964 Barranquilla, Colombia
5 Win 5–0 Oscar Gonzalez PTS 8 5 May 1964 Medellin, Colombia
4 Win 4–0 Rodolfo Marquez KO 3 (6) 21 Apr 1964 Maria La Baja, Colombia
3 Win 3–0 Rodolfo Marquez PTS 6 20 Mar 1964 Valledupar, Colombia
2 Win 2–0 Rodolfo Marquez PTS 4 28 Feb 1964 Valledupar, Colombia
1 Win 1–0 Juan Martinez PTS 6 31 Jan 1964 Cerete, Colombia

See also

References

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