Colombian boxer auctions champion belt to knock out coronavirus crisis

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SHOWS:

GALAPA, COLOMBIA (RECENT) (ORIGINALLY FILMED IN PORTRAIT) (PABLO CARRILLO - MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY PABLO CARRILLO)

1. COLOMBIAN BOXER, PABLO CARRILLO, TRAINING AT HOME

GALAPA, COLOMBIA (RECENT) (PABLO CARRILLO - MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY PABLO CARRILLO)

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN BOXER, PABLO CARRILLO, SAYING:

"Hello my friends, my name is Pablo Carrillo. This is my title from the World Boxing Association (WBA), which is up for auction to help the neediest people."

3. COLLECTION OF CARRILLO'S BOXING PHOTOS / TITLE BELT

GALAPA, COLOMBIA (APRIL 18, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN BOXER, PABLO CARRILLO, SAYING:

"This big idea occurred to me and since I'm the current Fedebol (World Boxing Association) champion and globally ranked, I have the Fedebol title with me - this great idea occurred to me to auction my title. An auction will allow me to get some funds for the families that need it the most."

5. VARIOUS, WORLD BOXING ASSOCIATION CHAMPION BELT

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN BOXER, PABLO CARRILLO, SAYING:

"This is a belt that in order to get it, to be able to have it, I put in a lot effort, I had to sweat a lot, I had to cry, I had to bleed, I went through a lot of obstacles, through many tough things, and having won, it was really surprising. It's not an easy thing, it's an achievement that everyone wants."

BARRANQUILLA, COLOMBIA (FILE) (PABLO CARRILLO - MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY PABLO CARRILLO, NO ARCHIVE, NO RESALE) (MUTE)

7. STILL PHOTO OF CARRILLO IN RING WEARING BELT

8. STILL PHOTO OF VARIOUS PHOTOS OF CARRILLO BOXING

9. STILL PHOTO OF CARRILLO AHEAD OF MATCH

STORY: One Colombian boxer is hoping to knock out some of the hardships that many people in his country are going through as a result of the coronavirus crisis by putting his champion title belt up for auction.

Pablo Carrillo won his 2019 World Boxing Association flyweight champion belt with, as he says, a lot of sweat and blood, but he's hoping to use that effort once again to give back to his community - currently suffering under coronavirus quarantine measures.

"An auction will allow me to get some funds for the families that need it the most," Carrillo told Reuters as he spoke over the internet from his home in the northern Colombia town of Galapa.

Colombia is currently under a five-week lockdown to contain the coronavirus, and many families who get by in informal industries like street selling, construction and recycling are now cut off from work and are scrambling to make ends meet.

As of Saturday (April 18) the coronavirus has killed 153 people in Colombia and infected 3,439 according to official figures.

(Production: Herbert Villarraga, Javier Andres Rojas)