Eligio Sardiñas Montalvo

Known as Kid Chocolate, an internationally recognized Cuban boxer who became World Boxing Champion in 1931 and 1932.

He was born on October 28, 1910, on Santa Catalina Street number six, in the popular neighborhood of Cerro, La Habana.

He enjoyed practicing sports, so from childhood he played baseball and handball. He came from a very poor background and therefore barely attended school, having to earn his living as a shoeshine boy and newspaper seller to help his family, after losing his father at an early age.

He had a height of 5 feet 4 inches and weighed 125 pounds when he debuted as a professional boxer at 18 years old, in the United States three years younger than the rules required, in the featherweight division.

The Cuban's debut in North American rings took place on August 1, 1928, at the Mittchefields military camp, an air base on the outskirts of New York. His opponent, Eddie Enos, is the first to step into the ring, under a thunderous round of applause. The great difference in height and weight was notable, with a wide advantage for the American boxer. While he greeted those who cheered him on, Chocolate made feints and more feints, threw punches at the air and moved restlessly. Chocolate dominated from the first moment, with prodigious footwork and two fists that seemed to sparkle. The soldiers couldn't believe what they were seeing. They encouraged their own, but their wide-open eyes followed the Kid's movements, who blow by blow was carving out his first triumph in the United States.

He wins undefeated in the 22 fights he had in 1929, in which he knocks out ten opponents. With great strength and speed in his legs, he delivered accurate jabs.

He defeats figures such as Al Singer, at the Polo Grounds as well as the Italian-American Fidel La Barba.

In the United States he conquers the world lightweight-junior titles on July 15, 1931 by defeating Benny Bass and the bantamweight title in 1932, which was held by Lew Feldman.

Throughout his career he is defeated only twice by Italian boxer Tony Canzoneri, the second time by a lightning knockout, when he was already weakened by syphilis.

His trainer throughout his sports career was Pincho Gutiérrez who, when introducing Eligio to him, exclaimed: You're crazy! Who is that little black boy bringing? That was the answer of the man and with it seemed that the destiny of the boy was decided. But another trainer insisted and finally obtained approval. The fight was scheduled for the next day. And in it, the disciple of the two men, Johnny Cruz, received an enormous beating from "that little black guy." Shortly after the fight was repeated and again Johnny went home with a swollen face.

Fame came to the Kid with a generous hand, and so did money. And above the ring he was like a shadow or a dark cloud over his opponent, in the difficult sport of "giving without getting" according to his own theory.

He was like a dancing storm, with more brightness than lightning and "with more air than bagpipes" two biographers would say years later.

The photos from then show him with very shiny black skin, his hair slicked back—"pressed," as we say in Cuba—with a "high definition" part on the side and looking more like a runway model than an invincible gladiator who pulled worthy pugilists like Scalfaro, Singer, Batalino, Benny Bass, Feldman or Canzoneri out of thin air, and would let himself be defeated by the gaze of a beautiful woman.

And life began to collect its dues.

It was another time. Men fought for money. Boxing was a business and life is only one, and there were many desires to make it different from the one he lived as a child.

"Boxing is me," said Eligio Sardiñas (Kid Chocolate), one of the great figures of boxing of all time. As an amateur he never lost in Cuba. According to historians, his greatest pride was stepping out of the ring without a hair out of place and supposedly fresh, as if nothing had happened.

He dies in La Habana on August 8, 1988, at 78 years of age.