Not one of the boxers featured on this week?s ?Friday Night Fights? telecast is undefeated, which is not a bad thing, considering an unblemished record often means a fighter has not been matched tough. A quick perusal of the combatants? records reveals they have all faced good opposition; that makes them well-rounded boxers, thus more entertaining. So far, one has been able to battle through the competition to win a title and two of the other three seem to have the talent to follow the lead of Kermit Cintron in that aspect. The only one who looks out of his depth is Mexican Antonio Cervantes but boxing fans are aware how a seemingly innocuous Mexican opponent can make for an upset.
At the Family Arena, St. Charles, MO (ESPN2) Kermit Cintron (32-4-1) vs. Antwone Smith (20-2-1) (ESPN2) Dannie Williams (18-1) vs. Antonio Cervantes (16-5-5)
Antonio Cervantes ? It is frustrating for me when a current boxer has a Hall of Fame namesake. It makes it much harder to evaluate this Cervantes, since my research mostly points to Colombian great Antonio ?Kid Pambel?? Cervantes instead of this unintentional Mexican knockoff. Outside of his ring record, I have found little concrete information on Cervantes since he only had one bout in America. Otherwise, he has fought mostly on small hall bills in Mexico or not at all for long stretches. There is no video footage and only two scant reviews of one of his fights. Probing emails to boxing writers, cornermen and other insiders drew blanks as well. Cervantes is plagued by inactivity, with no fights from 2007 to 2009, and only one fight each in 2002, 2004, and 2006. All credit to Cervantes for going 4-0-1 in his latest comeback, starting in 2010 but the 33-year-old?s record misleadingly suggests he is a power puncher. This is further reinforced by his nickname of ?Bazooka?. Most of the stoppages were early in his career against awful competition and Cervantes went ten rounds twice and 12 once in his last three wins. Fought west of the Rio Grande once, suffering a fourth round kayo to hard-hitting Ivan Valle. Five draws speak to Cervantes fighting to the level of his opposition and not pushing on the gas pedal to separate himself at key points. Turned pro at junior lightweight, so Cervantes has kept himself in shape throughout his layoffs. Reportedly trained fighters while out of the ring, so I assume he was working pads and running to stay in shape. Cervantes has faced competent opposition, 14 of 26 foes had winning records, but has never defeated a B-level opponent, much less a legitimate prospect. Still, facing the likes of Ivan Valle, Fernando Trejo, and Michael Lozada will harden boxers in losses. Is past his prime but should be physically strong, given distance wins and is certainly mature mentally. Pictures of Cervantes reveal a stocky body, with much of his weight around a tight torso and solid legs conducive to a bruising mauler type who likes to work on the inside. Friday night, we?ll see if this Cervantes should be tilting at windmills instead of boxing.
