Moving up from lightweight, Pryor finally landed the title opportunity he had been chasing after struggling to secure the biggest fights at 135 pounds. Cervantes, a future Hall of Famer from Colombia, brought years of championship experience into his second reign as WBA champion. Many viewed the 34-year-old veteran as a fighter nearing the end of his best years, while the younger challenger was entering his prime.
Around 10,000 fans packed the arena hoping to witness history, and they nearly saw disaster strike in the opening round. Cervantes caught Pryor charging in with a perfectly timed counter that dropped the challenger to the canvas. Pryor jumped to his feet and immediately resumed pressing the action, giving the champion no chance to slow the fight.
The pace only grew faster over the next two rounds. Pryor’s nonstop pressure forced Cervantes to fight far more often than he wanted. In the third, repeated right hands opened a cut around the champion’s eye as Pryor steadily broke down the veteran’s defense.
The ending came quickly in the fourth. Pryor trapped Cervantes near the ropes and blasted him with a crushing overhand right that sent the champion to the canvas. Cervantes failed to beat referee Larry Rozadilla’s count, bringing the fight to an end at 1:47 of the round.
Pryor earned $50,000 for the victory, while Cervantes received roughly $250,000 for the title defense. More important than the payday, Pryor became Cincinnati’s first world champion in decades and immediately found himself in demand for bigger fights.
Pryor defended the title against challengers including Gaetan Hart, Lennox Blackmoore and Dujuan Johnson before producing his unforgettable two-fight series with Alexis Arguello. Those victories secured his place among the greatest 140-pound champions in boxing history, and they all began with his knockout of Antonio Cervantes.
