Originally Posted by Britkid
As some of you may remember, I compiled my top 100 fighters pound for pound list. And to follow up, I have started to write a boxing bio on each fighter. Today I start by posting the bio for the man I have at #100, Kid Chocolate.
100 Kid Chocolate
Back in the era before Castro, those great Cuban fighters, used to turn pro. And as you would expect, they made a massive impact on the sport. One such fighter was Eligio Sardinias Montalvo, a man the boxing world would know as Kid Chocolate.
Born in 1910, he came to note when he won an amateur boxing tournament, in Havana. A local newspaper editor, Luis Gutierrez, whose paper sponsored the tournament, approached Kid Chocolate and became his manager. Kid Chocolate turned pro in late 1927.
Kid Chocolate racked up a number of wins in Cuba, before in June 1928, moving to New York and making a big impression that culminated in a fight at Madison Square Garden, against contender Joey Scalfaro. Scalfero, floored Kid Chocolate early in the first round, but Kid Chocolate, recovered to get a draw after 10 rounds, his first blemish on his pro record.
For the next two years Kid Chocolate continued his unbeaten record, fighting and beating contenders like Chick Suggs (for the Coloured Featherweight World Championship), Fidel LaBarba, Gregorio Vidal and Al Singer. Then in August 1930, Kid Chocolate put his 50 odd fight unbeaten record, up against Jackie Berg, a man with 4 defeats in 90 fights. After 10 rounds Berg got the split nod, and Chocolate had his first defeat.
In December 1930, Kid Chocolate received a title shot against Battling Battalino for the New York version of the World Crown, the fight was thrilling, and some thought Kid Chocolate had done enough to win the crown, but the judges did not, and awarded the decision to Battalino.
Kid Chocolate rebounded the next year, winning the Junior Lightweight World Championship from the excellent Benny Bass, before losing the title on a very dubious decision to Tony Canzoneri, in another epic battle, in which 19,000 people in Madison Square Garden enjoyed.
1932 saw Kid Chocolate again drop another razor thin split decision to old nemesis Jackie Berg, but recover and regain his Junior Lightweight crown and win recognition as World Featherweight Champion in New York.
In 1933 Kid Chocolate suffered his first knockout defeat in a non-title bout at Lightweight against former foe Canzoneri, and then he lost his World Junior Lightweight crown to Frankie Click.
Although Kid Chocolate would fight on for five more years, he was never the same fighter after 1933, and he retired from the ring in 1938, after going back to Cuba, and compiling a couple of wins in a farewell tour. Kid Chocolate claims 136 wins in 152 bouts, with 6 draws and 10 defeats.
