Kid Chocolate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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)
Born	January 6, 1910 Cerro, Havana, Cuba
Died	August 8, 1988(1988-08-08) (aged 78) Cuba
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	152
Wins	136
Wins by KO	51
Losses	10
Draws	6

Eligio Sardiñas Montalvo (born January 6, 1910 – died August 8, 1988), known to the world as Kid Chocolate, was a famous Cuban boxer. He was very successful both inside and outside the boxing ring during the 1930s. Kid Chocolate fought professionally from 1927 to 1938. He won 136 fights, lost 10, and had 6 draws. He won 51 of his fights by knockout. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.

The Life of Kid Chocolate

Becoming a Boxer

Early Training

Eligio Sardiñas, also called The Cuban Bon Bon, learned how to box by watching old fight movies in Cuba. He even practiced with famous boxers like Benny Leonard and Jack Johnson. Both of these were world champions! After learning a lot, he started his amateur boxing career. Sardiñas was very brave and would even get into fights outside the ring if someone wanted to challenge him.

First Fights

His first official professional boxing match was on March 3, 1928. He knocked out Juan Sarriá Rodríguez, also known as 'Kid Sotolongo', in the very first round. Before this, he had already won three semi-professional fights between October 1927 and February 1928.

Winning World Titles

Becoming a World Champion

In 1931, Kid Chocolate moved up to the Junior Lightweight boxing division. He started the year by winning four fights in a row. On July 15, his big dream came true! He became Cuba's first world boxing champion. He won the world title by knocking out the champion, Benny Bass, in the seventh round.

After winning the title, he had five more wins in non-title fights. This included another quick knockout win against Joey Scalfaro in the first round. Later that year, he tried to win another title. He moved up in weight again to challenge the world Lightweight champion, Tony Canzoneri. He lost that fight after 15 rounds.

Defending His Titles

In 1932, Kid Chocolate won his first eight fights. One of these was a world title defense in Havana against Davie Abad, whom he beat after 15 rounds. He then fought "Kid" Berg again, but lost this time. He had seven more fights, winning two against Johnny Farr.

On October 13, he fought Lew Feldman. This fight was for the world Featherweight title, but only the New York state athletic commission recognized it. Chocolate won by knockout in the 12th round, earning the New York World title.

He defended this title twice. One of these defenses was his third fight against Fidel LaBarba. He then gave up the title while on a boxing tour in Europe. He visited cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris. He won all his fights on that tour. When he came back to America, he lost to Tony Canzoneri in a rematch by knockout in the second round.

Losing a Title

On December 25, 1933, Kid Chocolate lost his World Jr. Lightweight boxing championship to Frankie Klick. This fight happened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Frankie Klick won by a technical knockout in the seventh round. News reports said that Kid Chocolate was hit with a strong punch to the chin. The fight had been close before that round. Kid Chocolate was fighting well, showing good energy and style. Some people thought he might still be feeling the effects of the knockout he had received from Tony Canzoneri just a month before.

Later Years and Legacy

Retirement and Return

Kid Chocolate retired from boxing shortly after losing his title. But he came back in 1934. He won 47 of his next 50 fights! However, he never got another chance to fight for a world title. He felt that the boxing world had forgotten him. He retired for good in 1938.

Kid Chocolate loved the exciting nightlife of the city. But when he stopped boxing, he moved back to Cuba and lived a much quieter life.

His Lasting Impact

For many years after 1959, Kid Chocolate's fame in Cuba was not celebrated by the government. He was almost forgotten. But in the late 1970s, the Cuban government finally recognized his amazing achievements. They even gave him a small pension. Kid Chocolate passed away in 1988 in the same home he had bought for his mother when he was a champion.

Kid Chocolate was so inspiring that he became a character in a play called Golden Boy by Clifford Odets. The character's name was Chocolate Drop.

Another boxer, Peter Quillin, who was a WBO middleweight champion, uses the nickname "Kid Chocolate" to honor Eligio Sardiñas. Peter Quillin is an American with Cuban family roots.

One of the greatest boxers of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson, was a huge fan of Kid Chocolate. He even copied a lot of Kid Chocolate's boxing style! A Cuban journalist named Fausto Miranda, who saw many of Chocolate's fights, said that Sugar Ray Robinson greatly admired Kid Chocolate. Robinson himself said he had never seen anyone box like Kid Chocolate before. He studied Chocolate's smooth movements and graceful style and used them in his own fights. Sugar Ray Robinson's style was a mix of his boxing heroes: the strong punches of Joe Louis and the stylish moves of Kid Chocolate.

Eligio Sardiñas Montalvo was also related to a lesser-known boxer named Eladio 'Black Bill' Valdés, who was his cousin.

Professional Boxing Record

See also

In Spanish: Kid Chocolate para niños

• List of super featherweight boxing champions