Antonio Cervantes - Underrated to this day?

I was such a big fan of Cervantes back in the day. Loved his style and his consistency. He deserved the 1973 fighter of the year accolade that Ring gave to George Foreman instead. Ring was so heavyweight minded that George's win over Frazier and win over the hapless Joe Roman gets fighter of the year. Can you believe it? Do you know they also rated the Frazier slaughter as fight of the year? My God! Cervantes makes 5 title defenses that year and engages in 2 non-title wins and he gets overlooked. I was fit to be tied back then. LOL!

 

I always wondered why Cervantes and Duran never fought. According to Christian Giudice's biography on Duran, it was Carlos Eleta that avoided the matchup, presumably because he rated Cervantes that highly and thought it was too dangerous a matchup for Duran. Personally, I think the Cervantes of 1975 in his first light-welter title reign may well have outpointed Duran, although it would have been very close. But I think from 1976 onwards, Duran would have had the edge.

Nevertheless, I have Cervantes as the number 3 light-welter in history behind only Chavez and Pryor.

 

The Philips fight tells us everything we need to know about how Tszyu fares against Cervantes. Of course, Tszyu lovers would tell us that he significantly improved after that fight, but we'll never know... he was too scared to ever pursue a rematch.

I just feel like Cervantes was better than Tszyu at basically everything. Equal, if not better power. Equal, if not better handspeed. Much better jab. More intelligent. Better chin. MUCH MUCH better stamina.

Kid Pambele was a class above Tszyu, who to be honest... is overrated.

 

This is a great post. Cheers, brother!!!!

 

I think he probably is underrated in the US and Europe.

He didn't fight in the US untlil near the end of his second reign

I am sure he is a legend in Colombia and well remembered throughout South and Central America.

 

Also, Tyrone Everett got hosed against him - should have gotten the decision and become champion. So, it's also criminal that Everett is barely remembered at all.

Escelera's list of victims is not too impressive and he should have lost to Everett.

So, him not being enshrined is not a travesty, to me.

There are better guys then him who are not in there.

 

He'd beat Tzyu.

He's got the height and reach to beat Tzyu to the punch as Tzyu tries to get inside.

Yes, he'd destroy Hatton.

 

Great post.

Roger Mayweather had already shown in '95 that Tzyu was very vulnerable to the straight right hand. He landed plenty of them. But, he was so far past it, he couldn't get the job done. Phillips finished what Mayweather started.
Then, after losing to Phillips, Tzyu never really faced anyone with a dangerous straight right.

Tzyu is as overrated as Cervantes is underrated.

 

Yeah, Cervantes would've been bad news for Kostya, somebody that rangy, accurate and powerful a counterpuncher with a great straight right and distance control. Plus Cervantes could be dirty as **** when the mood took him, he fouled the nuts off DeJesus in the early rounds when Esteban got through to him. Tszyu was strong as an ox physically but I'm not sure he liked the rough stuff too much. He was a better, more rounded fighter earlier in his career imo like many fighters who have such a strong amateur grounding and refinement and more or less turn pro in or around their prime only needing to adjust to the longer distance. I don't know whether he fell in love with his power or not but he definitely seemed a more straight-up, straight ahead stalking banger to me post-Phillips. Still a very formidable fighter of course.

 

Guys, nobody is arguing that Pambelé oughtn't be favored over Tszyu. Let's all stop beating a dead strawman. All that I said was that unlike with Hatton, it would probably be a comfortable decision for Cervantes and not a dog with a chew-toy. As in, Hatton doesn't see the final bell with Cervantes, in my reckoning. Tszyu probably does, if a little worse for wear. Odds are if they shared an era Cervantes' reputation would precede him and Tszyu wouldn't dare under-train like he did with Phillips.

 

Although (and I don’t mean to offend Russell) I am part of the Ricky Hatton support group and I would favor Hatton (criminally underrated IMHO) over Kid at 140.

Cervantes is a great/borderline great who does not get discussed much here (even when this forum was in its prime ESB years)...but then again very few names outside of 10 hw’s or so don’t get recognized much here....I am still weeping that I did not get a single response on my Flash Elorde thread....oh well gotta go to my Hattonaholics meeting.