Did you really believe this 17 year old kid could pull it off? Did you thing Antonio was gonna be too much for the teenager? Your thoughts?
Wondered why Cervantes would defend in the Challenger's home town. The fight ended up being a SD on the "official cards"" 1976-03-06 : Wilfred Benitez 138½ lbs beat Antonio Cervantes 140 lbs by SD in round 15 of 15 Location: Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico Referee: Isaac Herrera 148-144 Judge: Roberto Ramirez Sr. 147-142 Judge: Jesus Celis 145-147 WBA Light Welterweight Title (11th defense by Cervantes) Cervantes was a 4 to 1 favorite. Benitez became the youngest fighter in boxing history to win a world title at the age of 17 years, 5 months, and 23 days From The Ring: Boxing in the 20th Century by Stanley Weston and Steve Farhood: "If you argue that great boxers are born, not made, Wilfred Benitez is your prime piece of evidence. The Puerto Rican boy wonder turned pro at age 15. Two years later, he became the youngest world champion in history. On March 6, Benitez, 25-0, challenged WBA junior welterweight champion Antonio Cervantes at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan. He didn't figure to threaten "Kid Pambele"; the Colombian had made 10 successful defenses, and was being mentioned as an opponent for the incomparable Roberto Duran. Cervantes and his teenaged foe boxed evenly until Benitez' extraordinary speed and skill surfaced in the fifth. He took four consecutive rounds, jabbing smartly and making the champion miss with his hooks. Cervantes rallied in the 11th, but couldn't maintain his momentum. After 15 rounds, Benitez, a clear winner, settled for a split decision victory (scores of 148-144, 147-142, and 145-147). At age 17½, he was too young to appreciate history, but old enough to have made it."
Per our own Senor Pepe on this site who heavily researched this fight & a guaranteed "Rematch", plus the slow decline of Cervantes later in his old age: 3/6/76 Antonio Cervantes with $200,000 in the bank from the 'tank job' versus Wilfred Benitez on March 6, 1976 in Puerto Rico, and his Manager Ramiro Machado with another $45,000 couped in from a $15,000 winning bet with 3-1 Odds. In San Juan, Puerto Rico Monday Night -March 31, 1976 Gregorio Benitez, 'We have been offered $100,000 by Tito Lecture to go to Argentina to fight Nicolino Locche at the end of June. I don't want to take my 17 year-old son out of Puerto Rico and disturb his life. He is still a young man.' In early November, Wilfred Benitez got into a car accident, and suffered lacerations to his hands, and bruises to his body. Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez immediately asked for a postponement of the December 6, 1976 bout with Antonio Cervantes. There were 'skeptics' in the WBA and Cervantes' camp that believed that this was all a fabrication, as to avoid giving 'Kid Pambele' his 'guaranteed' rematch. While it appeared that a 'delay' would happen, Antonio Cervantes scheduled a 10-Round tune-up bout in November, to stay sharp. 'Kid Pambele' had '3-bouts' since the 'Dump The Title Loss' to Wilfred Benitez in March 1976, and each bout resulted in an early 'knockout win' (KO 1 - KO 1 and KO 2) November '76 Antonio Cervantes, now at 78-10-3 (38 KO's), only had to wait for Wilfred Benitez to recover from his accident. The original 'rematch' was set for December 6, 1976 - but the WBA allowed a 30-day postponement. But by late-December, it was obvious that Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez had no interest in allowing Wilfred to fight Antonio again, especially outside of Puerto Rico. January 1977 The World Boxing Associaton has stripped Wilfred Benitez of his 'crown' as the Puerto Rican Champion has refused to sign to fight #1 WBA Challenger, former Champion - Antonio Cervantes. As per an earlier agreement, the 'two' boxers were scheduled to meet on December 6, 1976 - but a postponement had puhsed that date to January 6, 1977. But it appears that Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez has no intentions of giving 'Kid Pambele' a rematch, even in Puerto Rico. Dr. Elias Cordova, Chairman of the WBA will insitute a WBA-Elimination Tournament, which will include the following WBA Top-Rated Light-Welterweights; #1 - Antonio Cervantes (Colombia) #2 - Hector Thompson (Australia) #3 - Carlos Maria Giminez (Argentina) #4 - Adriano 'Nani' Marrero (Dominican Republic) Dr Elias Cordova, 'We have offered Roberto Duran the #2 WBA position if he wants to participate in the Elimination Tournament, but he has not accepted.
