Antonio Cervantes, better known as “Kid Pambelé” was born in the small town of San Basilio de Palenque (Bolivar) Colombia, S.A. on December 28, 1945. Having been born into poverty, Cervantes began boxing as a means to make extra income. After many struggles and battling his way to the top, Pambelé turned professional at age 19. In 1970, he fought two matches in the USA and won both of them giving him recognition as a title contender. Less than 24 months later, Pambelé had the opportunity to fight Alfonso “Peppermint” Frazer. The Kid knocked out Frazer in the 10th and thus becoming the first Colombian boxer to hold a world title. Kid Pambelé successfully defended his title for the next 10 fights in three and a half years. Then the Kid fought Puerto Rican Wilfredo Benitez and lost his title after fifteen hard rounds. In July of 1977, Kid Pambelé regained the title after defeating Argentine Carlos Maria Jimenez and managed to keep his title for another three years and six title fights. It was not until 1980 when things took a turn for the worse for the Kid having been defeated by KO at the hands of the great Aaron Pryor. After a few victories in his home country of Colombia, Kid Pambelé fought for the last time on December 9, 1983 in Miami and lost to boxer Danny Sanchez. Pambelé would never fight professionally again. Although his career had been a lucrative one, Cervantes managed to lose his small fortune to his vices. After many years of struggling with alcoholism and drug abuse, Cervantes became just a memory of what he once was. Despite the effort of some celebrities trying to help him get back on his feet, Cervantes has not been able to recuperate. Among those who offered a helping hand is the Colombian folk singer Carlos Vives who mentions Pambelé in a couple of his songs and featured him in one of his music videos and it was rumored that Pambelé was paid handsomely for his efforts. On the lighter side, Kid Pambelé was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1988. Being of Colombian parents, I consider this man to be a national hero for Colombia and most Colombians feel the same way. We all have our demons, and we all may not be able to get away from them. Antonio Cervantes, I wish you peace in your years to come, you are truly a living legend for Colombia. ¡Que Viva Pambelé! Sources: The CyberBoxingZone News www.ibhof.com/cervant.htm