Gerardo González

Cuban boxer who was world champion in the welterweight division. Cuban pugilist with excellent physical qualities and refined style, who in a significant career of successes faced great international champions.

Kid Gavilán began his professional career on June 5, 1943, when he defeated Antonio Díaz by decision in four rounds in La Habana.

His first six fights took place in the same city and then he fought another in Cienfuegos, but returned to La Habana to win three more fights.

After 14 fights, he left Cuba and fought Julio César Jiménez for the first time outside his country, winning by decision in 10 rounds in Mexico, where he fought two more times. At the hands of Carlos Macalara he suffered his first loss by decision here and shortly after he had the rematch in La Habana where he also won by decision.

With a record of 25 victories, 2 losses and a draw he had his first fight in the United States. It was on November 1, 1946 when he defeated Johnny Ryan by knockout in five rounds, in New York.

In 1948 and after several fights he decided to stay in the United States indefinitely. That year he faced very important rivals, such as the former world champion Ike Williams, who defeated him by decision in ten rounds, Tommy Bell whom he defeated by decision, Tony Pellone whom he defeated by decision and Sugar Ray Robinson, who defeated him by decision in ten rounds.

After defeating Williams twice by decision he fought Robinson who held the linear world welterweight title.

He lost his first opportunity for the world title when Robinson won by decision in 15 rounds. When he returned, he defeated Rocky Castellani, then world lightweight champion Beau Jack and Laurent Dauthuille, all of them by decision in ten rounds.

In 1950 he had a record of 10-4-1, defeating Billy Graham, Sonny Horne, Robert Villemain, Eugene Hairston and Tony Janiro among others.

In 1951 after defeating Tommy Ciarlo on two occasions, he finally became world champion when he defeated Johnny Bratton winning the welterweight world title by decision in 15 rounds on May 18.

He defended his title against Graham, winning by decision for the first time and then made four fights without putting his belt on the line to end the year, including a draw against Bratton and a victory against Janiro.

In 1952, he successfully defended his title against Bobby Dykes, Gil Turner, and against Graham in his third fight. He won all three fights by decision in 15 rounds. He also had five fights in which he did not put his belt on the line, including three he made on a tour of Argentina, where his fame was so great that he would even star in a film (I Am the Champion) in 1960.

His third fight against Graham was the first time he defended his title in La Habana and his fight with Dykes was the first time that a white man and a black man had faced each other in a bout in Miami, Florida.

In 1953, he retained the title by knockout in ten rounds against Chuck Davey, by decision in 15 rounds against Carmen Basilio and by decision in 15 rounds also against Bratton. That year he fought seven times without putting his title on the line, losing to Danny Womber and defeating Ralph Tiger Jones.

In 1954, he moved up in weight, after two victories on points, he had an opportunity to win the world middleweight title against Bobo Olson but lost by decision in 15 rounds. For this reason he moved back down in weight and lost by decision in 15 rounds his title to Johnny Saxton.

From this moment until 1958, the date of his retirement, he had good and bad moments, losing to Eduardo Lausse, Tony DeMarco, Vince Martínez and Gaspar Ortega, but also defeated the same Ortega and Chico Vejar, among others. He lost to Yama Bahama by decision on June 18, 1958 and never fought again, announcing his retirement on September 11 of the same year. Many claim that the best professional Cuban boxer they have seen is named Gerardo Gonzalez, known worldwide as Kid Gavilan.

Gavilán was one of the few boxers who was never knocked out in his professional career.

The triumph of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959 caught Gavilán by surprise in a deplorable economic situation, who with the help of authorities was able to pay the mortgage on his small farm in the Havana town of Bejucal. Around 1960, in poor physical and mental conditions, he decided to abandon the country and move to the United States, where abandoned to his fate he lived in a homeless shelter from 1996 in Miami-Dade County where he died in 2003.

In 1966 he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. His statistics are impressive: in 143 fights, 106 victories (27 by KO) and only 30 losses.

He died in Miami, of a heart attack at age 77.