Kid Chocolate
| Kid Chocolate | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Eligio Sardiñas Montalvo |
| Nickname(s) | The Cuban Bon Bon |
| Rated at | Super Featherweight |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Reach | 165 cm (65 in) |
| Nationality | Cuban |
| Born | January 6, 1910 Cerro, Havana, Cuba |
| Died | August 8, 1988 (aged 78) Cuba |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 152 |
| Wins | 136 |
| Wins by KO | 51 |
| Losses | 10 |
| Draws | 6 |
For the boxer of the same nickname see Peter Quillin.
Eligio Sardiñas Montalvo (January 6, 1910 – August 8, 1988), better known as Kid Chocolate, was a Cuban boxer who enjoyed wild success both in the boxing ring and outside of it during the 1930s.
Sardiñas, also nicknamed The Cuban Bon Bon, learned how to fight by watching old fight films in Cuba. He later sparred with boxers such as Benny Leonard and Jack Johnson, all world champions, before beginning an amateur boxing career. As an amateur, he allegedly won all 100 of his fights, 86 by knockout, but this record was apparently fabricated for publicity purposes.
His professional boxing debut, officially, occurred on December 8, 1927, when he beat Johnny Cruz in six rounds in Havana. Although it has been claimed that he had 100 amateur fights and 21 KO wins as a pro in Cuba, this was a fabrication by his manager, Pincho Gutierrez.
Research by boxing historian Enrique Encinosa has uncovered 22 amateur bouts, verified through Cuban newspapers Diario de la Marina and La Noche, as well as various books published by biographers or the Cuban government.
His first 9 bouts, including a five-round knockout win in a rematch with Cruz, were held in Cuba. In 1928, he moved to the United States and began campaigning in New York City. He won his first nine bouts there, five by knockout, and 12 of his first 13 fights in his new hometown. The only person to escape the ring without a defeat against Chocolate during that span was Joey Scalfaro, who held him to a ten-round draw.
By 1929, Sardiñas was becoming a name to be reckoned with in boxing. He had 23 fights that year, and continued his undefeated run by winning each of them. He also began to box more competent opponents. Among the boxers he defeated were former world champion Fidel LaBarba (beaten by a decision in ten), future world champion Al Singer (also by a decision in ten), and fringe contenders Bushy Graham, Vic Burrone and Gregorio Vidal, all of whom, except for Graham, were beaten by decision. Graham was disqualified in the seventh round.
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