On This Day: Kid Charol Remembered

By Peter Silkov

Kid Charol, which translates as Patent Leather Kid, is a legendary figure in Cuban boxing history, and regarded as Cuba’s first boxing star. Born, Esteban Gallard, on January 11, 1901, in Sagua La Grande, Cuba.

The popularity of boxing exploded in Cuba after Jack Johnson’s ill-fated defence of his World heavyweight championship against ‘white hope’ Jess Williard in Havana, on April 5^th, 1915. While the fight with Willard ended in a disastrous (and controversial) defeat for Johnson, along with the loss of his world title, the event itself caused a feverish breakout in popularity for boxing amongst the Cubans, especially amongst the young men who suddenly saw a way to escape from the poverty in which most of them lived.

Little is known about Kid Charol’s early years, but he would have been 14 years old when Johnson fought Willard in Havana, and it's not hard to imagine that, like many other Cuban men, he was inspired to take up the sport after seeing all the publicity that surrounded the build up and aftermath of the Johnson vs Willard match, especially when seeing how a coloured man like Johnson could lift himself up to riches and fame through boxing.

It is not known precisely when Charol had his first fight, and it is likely that he took part in at least some of the ‘semi-professional’ contests which became so popular in Cuba at that time. His first appearance as a professional in a verified contest was in 1922, and his talent was clear from the beginning. Charol was soon generating rave reviews from anyone who saw him fight. Fighting as a welterweight, and later a middleweight, Charol had the kind of talent that allowed him to do anything in the ring. He was an all-round boxer, with strong technique, speed and punching power. In many ways, the kind of prototype that would be used as a model for so many of the Cuban greats in the years to come.

Charol’s actual professional career was relatively short, lasting just seven years, due to his tragically early death. Yet he fitted in a lot of fighting in those seven years, although despite many invitations, Charol never fought in America. Instead he stayed in Cuba and South America, becoming a huge draw wherever he fought. On March 15, 1924, Charol won the Cuban middleweight title, by knocking out Rafael Fello Rodriguez in the 5^th round. Charol would never lose this title in the ring, and was soon regarded as untouchable amongst his fellow Cuban middleweights.

Charol's ability was such that he soon had to take on light-heavyweights in order to stay active, as many fighters were not inclined to meet him in the ring.

Kid Charol pictured with Kid Tunero (right)

The names on Charol’s record included Enrique Ponce De Leon, Kid Campilo, Clemente Sanchez, Rafael Fello Rodriguez, Jimmy Finley, Homer Robertson, Bearcat Reid, Alex Rely, Peter Sung, Larry Estridge, Ricardo Alis, Panama Joe Gans, Alberto Icochea, Luis Galtieri, Mario Bosisio, Michele Bonaglia, Ko Brissett, and Dave Shade.

Despite his ability, Charol never got to fight for a world title. This is undoubtedly at least partly due to the racial atmosphere of the times, when coloured fighters were often avoided by the world's top contenders and champions (who were often white.) The fact that Charol was so good was also a reason why many of the world's best never faced him. At the same time, Charol didn’t help his cause by refusing to travel to America to fight. Yet perhaps his disinclination to go to America was down to the racial atmosphere that he would certainly be aware existed there at the time.

Indeed why would Charol want to go to America when he was already a hero in Cuba and all around South America. Eventually Charol moved to Argentina to live, where he became an adopted hero with the Argentine fight fans.

Unfortunately, Charol's health started to fail by 1926, when he was still barely at his athletic peak. Possibly exacerbated by his love of the nightlife, and burning the candle of life at both ends, Charol had contracted tuberculosis.

With the brave stubbornness of a fighter, Charol continued to fight even as his condition worsened. Before his last fight, against the brilliant Dave Shade on April 30, 1929, Charol had to drag himself up from a hospital bed. Yet he still managed to secure a 12-round draw with a man whom many at the time regarded as being the uncrowned middleweight champion of the world.

Kid Charol II at the grave of Kid Charol

This was Charol’s final appearance in the ring. He died less than 5 months later, on October 7, 1929, three months before his 29^th birthday.

Despite his early death, and abbreviated career, Charol would inspire a generation of future Cuban boxers, including Black Bill, Kid Chocolate and Charol’s own protégé, Ramon Castillo ‘The Cuban Baron’.

Charol’s final verified record was (53-3-10, 34koes) he was only beaten three times during his professional career, and was never stopped. 

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On This Day: Kid Tunero Remembered

By Peter Silkov

Kid Tunero was a brilliant boxer-puncher, in the true Cuban mould. Born, Evelio Celestino Mustelier, on May 19, 1910, in Victoria de las Tunas, Cuba, Tunero turned professional in 1929, aged 19 years of age. Tunero would be one of the outstanding middleweights of the 30s and 40s, but found himself avoided by many of the top white contenders, with his colour often being used as an excuse, but quite often it was really his ability that frightened away a lot of possible opponents.

Although he had this obstacle throughout his career, Kid Tunero would still manage to fight an impressive array of fighters during his career, many of them were suffering from the same prejudices and political intrigues as Tunero himself. Some of the top fighters whom he met during his career include Marcel Thil, Gustave Roth, Erich Seelig, Jock McAvoy, Anton Christoforidis, Ken Overlin, Holman Williams, Ezzard Charles, and Jean Stock. For much of his career Tunero fought in Europe, where he was extremely popular with the European boxing fans.

Despite the politics of the times, Tunero did manage to receive two shots at the World middleweight title. This happened at least partly due to Tunero’s popularity with the fans, and partly due to the fact that the champion who Tunero met on both occasions, Marcel Thil, was the kind of fighter who didn’t duck anybody.

Tunero actually fought Thil three times. In their first meeting on January 16, 1933, Thil’s NBA and IBU world middleweight title was not on the line, as both men weighed over the middleweight limit. This was just as well for Thil, as Tunero beat him on points, over 12 rounds. Nine months later the two met again, and this time with the world title at stake, and Thil won on points, after 15 rounds.

Tunero gained his second and final shot at the world title on July 13, 1935, with Thil once more out-pointing him over 15 rugged rounds. Tunero would continue to fight at the top level for the remainder of his career, always winning more than he lost, until the last few years of his fighting career. In his last official contest, on August 14, 1948, Hankin Barrows held Tunero to a draw over 10 rounds. H e retired with a final official record of 96(34koes)-32-16.

After his fighting career ended, Tunero became a boxing trainer, and amongst the fighters he trianed were Jose Legra and Angel ’Robinson’ Garcia. Tunero died on October 6. 1992, aged 82.

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, contact Peter Silkov at petersilkov@yahoo.com or theboxingglove@yahoo.com

The Boxing Glove Remembers Ultiminio "Sugar" Ramos

By Peter Silkov

Sugar Ramos, who has passed away at the age of 75, after a long battle with cancer, was a brilliant boxer, gifted with an abundance of skill, speed, power, and an exciting and dynamic boxer-fighter, yet his career was overshadowed by tragedy. Today he was laid to rest, surrounded by family, his doctors, and many from the boxing community.

Born Ultiminio Ramos Zaquerira in Matanzas, Cuba, on December 2, 1941, and in the ring, his fighting style had echoes of former Cuban greats such as Kid Chocolate and Kid Gavilan.

Ramos turned professional while two months shy of his 16^th birthday, and he soon began to cut a destructive path through everyone he met within the roped square. The tragedy that Ramos is usually linked, is the death of Davey Moore after he had wrested Moore’s World featherweight title away from him. However, Sugar would first encounter tragedy much earlier in his career, when in his 12^th fight, on November 8, 1958, he knocked out Jose ‘Tiger’ Blanco in the 8^th round, only to see Blanco never recover. Blanco died the next day.

One can only imagine Ramos’s anguish at having to deal with every boxer’s worst nightmare while not yet 17 years old. Some fighters would be crushed by such an experience, but Ramos continued on, in his quest to take himself out of the depths of poverty.

Over the next four years Ramos put together a professional record of (38-1-3) as he established himself as the number one contender for the World featherweight championship. During this time, Ramos also uprooted himself from his native Cuba and moved to Mexico, after Fidel Castro declared professional boxing to be illegal in Cuba.

On March 21, 1963, Ramos challenged Davey Moore for the World featherweight title, and after a grueling classic contest, stopped Moore in the 10^th round. Ramos’ moment of glory was sadly tainted when Moore collapsed in his dressing room after the fight. He died 4 days later.

Too often when a fighter is severely injured, or dies after a contest, the welfare of his opponent is overlooked. The mental anguish which boxers suffer when in such a position can only be imagined. Many fighters are never the same after being involved in such instances and there is no doubt that although he carried on boxing for almost another decade after the Moore fight, Sugar Ramos was deeply traumatized by the death’s of two of his opponents.

Hardly surprising that Ramos reign as world champion was relatively short. He lost his World featherweight crown in his 4^th defence, on September 26, 1964, when he was stopped in 12 rounds by Vincente Saldivar. Saldivar would go on to prove himself a great champion.

After losing his featherweight crown, Ramos moved up to the lightweight division, where he would eventually gain two shots at Carlos Ortiz’s world championship. In their first meeting on October 22, 1966, Ortiz stopped Ramos in the 5^th round after Sugar was badly cut. Nine months later, Ramos was granted a rematch with Ortiz, for the world lightweight title, and this time was stopped in the 4^th round.

This really signaled the end of Ramos as a top flight, world class fighter, he fought on for another Five years but infrequently and with mixed results. There was one last sparkle of brilliance and excitement on August 6, 1970, when he clashed with the former world lightweight champion Mando Ramos. The two former champions put on a brutal and bloody, toe-to-toe thriller, which is still talked about today. Sugar was beaten on points by Mando, but in defeat produced one of the most memorable performances of his career.

Sugar Ramos finally retired two years later in 1972, with a final record of (55-7-4, 40koes.) He was elected into the World boxing Hall of Fame in 1992, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001.

In 2013, 50 years after his tragic fight with Davey Moore, Sugar Ramos traveled to America, and to Moore's home town of Springfield, Ohio, to witness the unveiling of a 8 foot bronze statue in Moore's honour. Amongst those present to witness the unveiling, was Moore's widow Geraldine, and their children. Geraldine had never blamed Sugar Ramos for her husband’s death and their reunion was warm and emotional. The ceremony and reunion with Moore's widow helped to bring some peace of mind to Sugar Ramos concerning the tragedies of the past. His was a bitter sweet story of an exceptionally gifted boxer who managed to fight his way from poverty to fame and glory, yet paid a cruel price in the process. 

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Preview & Prediction: Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. James ‘Jazza’ Dickens

By Peter Silkov

This Saturday, July 16th, will be the return of Guillermo Rigondeaux (16-0, 10koes) to the ring, defending his WBA world super-bantamweight championship against England’s James ‘Jazza’ Dickens (22-1,), at the Ice Arena in Cardiff, Wales.  Rigondeaux is very possibly the best, pound-for-pound, boxer in the world when it comes to pure boxing skill.  Yet, he can also claim to be the worst treated boxer in the world as well.  For all his ability, indeed because of it, Rigondeaux has become the most avoided boxer in the sport, with other fighters stating that he is too boring, and too unpopular with the fans, to merit fighting.

Since he out-classed Nonito Donaire in April 2013, Guillermo Rigondeaux has been essentially blacklisted.  After he beat Donaire, promoter, Bob Arum, turned what should have been a breakthrough victory for The Jackal, onto its head. Arum, who promoted both Rigondeaux and Donaire seemed to take great exception to Rigondeaux beating Donaire, and from that point on set out to criticize, belittle, and discredit Rigondeaux.  Eventually ’The Jackal’ cut his promotional ties with Bob Arum and Top Rank, but the damage has already been done to his reputation.  When your own promoter is branding you too ‘boring’ and describing executives as being prone to ‘throwing up’ when your name is mentioned, then the effect can be quite devastating.

In the 3 years and 3 months since his bittersweet victory over Donaire, ‘The Jackal’ has fought just 4 times, and the big fights that he had wished for against the likes of Carl Frampton, Scott Quigg, and Leo Santa Cruz, have been no where to be seen.  Rigondeaux’s prospective opponents excuse themselves from fighting him by citing the fact that he is boring and cannot draw big money for fights.

Ironically, Frampton and Quigg ended up fighting each other in a ‘super fight’ showdown, which tunrned out to be a dud, and showed just why both boxers had been so keen not to meet Rigondeaux in the ring.

Jazza Dickens, who holds the British Super-bantamweight title, deserves a great amount of respect for taking on the fight that so many ’big names’ have avoided.

Dickens is a boxer with a nicely balanced style, but in Rigondeaux he will be meeting a man who is in a class by himself in many ways.  ’The Jackal’ is a counter-puncher with exceptional speed, accuracy, and power, when he chooses to use it.

Against Dickens, we should see ’The Jackal’ produce a dominating performance, which will culminate in him stopping Dickens by the mid-way point of the fight.

For Dickens, this is the kind of fight that can enhance his career, even if he loses, but for Rigondeaux, this fight represents a chance for Rigondeaux to show just what so many fighters at super-bantamweight are so afraid of.



iFL TV Interviews Rigondeaux from Cardiff, Wales:

iFL TV Interviews Dickens from Cardiff, Wales:
 

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

On This Day: Angel Robinson Garcia: The Playboy Who Could Have Been King

 

By Peter Silkov

In the early 1960s, with the banning of professional boxing in Cuba by Fidel Castro, America was invaded by a golden collection of Cuban boxers who would add colour, drama, explosiveness, and technical brilliance to the American boxing rings.  The fighters included Luis Manuel Rodriguez, Florentino Fernandez, Benny Paret, Sugar Ramos, Jose ’Mantequilla’ Napoles, Jose Legra, and Angel Robinson Garcia.  Five of these men would become world champions, Florentino Fernandez came very close to a world title, but Garcia would be altogether different.  Angel Robinson Garcia, in a career, which would last 23 years, became a legendary journeyman, fighting an astonishing amount of the best lightweights, welterweights, and middleweights, of the 1960s and 70s.  Garcia was given the nickname ’Robinson’ early in his career, due to his handsome resemblance to the brilliant Sugar man.

Like many of his fellow Cuban boxers who fled Cuba in the early 60s. Garcia could well have been a world champion himself, but he chose to lead the life of a travelling playboy, instead, fighting in 21 countries, and against 15 world champions, and innumerable European and domestic champions.

Garcia smoked, drank and caroused around the world, but his ability was never in doubt.  Both tough and clever, with the kind of ring skills only found in a Cuban boxer, Garcia always gave a good account of himself in the ring, no matter how hard he had been partying, or how late he had taken up the offer of a fight.

Some of the top boxers whom Garcia faced during his storied career are, Chico Morales, Frankie Ryff, Carlos Hernandez, Jose Stable, Jose Napoles, Doug Vaillant, Bunny Grant, Rafiu King, Jean Josselin, Eddie Perkins, Ismael Laguna, Joe Tetteh, Carmelo Bossi, Bruno Acari, LC Morgan, Paul Armstead, Ken Buchanan, Roger Menetrey, Roberto Duran, Saoul Mamby, Sugar Ray Seales, Eddie Perkins, Billy Backus, Estaben Dejesus, Wilfred Benitez, Clyde Gray, and Willie Monroe.

Born on May 9, 1937, in Havana, Cuba, Garcia turned professional in July 1955, fighting as a featherweight, and became a fan favourite from the start.  By 1958 Garcia had moved up to lightweight and was facing world class opposition, while boxing mainly in Cuba.  When Fidel Castro banned professional boxing in 1961, Garcia moved to America for a time, fighting out of Miami, but his wandering spirit soon took him to Paris, where his bohemian tastes were fully awakened for the first time.  Already a lover of the good life outside of the ring, Garcia found Paris to be a playboy heaven and ended up spending the best part of the early to mid-60s based there.

The next 10 years would see Garcia fighting all over Europe, against the very best, from lightweight to welterweight.  After being based mainly in Paris until the mid- 60s, Garcia moved to Italy, and then Spain.  As his high living increased, so Garcia’s ring form diminished, and from the mid-60s he slipped from a rated contender, to a full fledged journeyman.  Garcia’s statistics tell the story of his career, from 1955 to 1965 his record was 61-23-6, then from 1965 to 1978 he went 36-59-14.  Perhaps part of the statistical decline was due to the fact that Garcia continued to fight at the top level, despite his lifestyle.  If anything, Garcia’s opposition increased in the second half of his career.  Garcia remained a formidable opponent for anyone right up till his final fights and he remained busy too, fighting whenever and wherever the opportunity arose.  In January 15, 1972, Garcia took the soon to be World lightweight champion, Roberto Duran, the 10-rounds distance, Duran was so impressed with Garcia’s tricks and ring guile that he hired him for a time as a sparring partner.

With all the partying, fighting, and living for the day, with no thought for tomorrow, things were always going to end badly for Garcia.  People who live that kind of lifestyle, especially boxers, don’t tend to wear well over time. Time, which is the enemy of everyone, especially athletes.

By 1978, Garcia was no longer the fresh and handsome Sugar Ray Robinson look-a-like, his body had thickened, and his face had been punched into the veteran fighter’s mask of a crooked nose, missing teeth, and scarred eyebrows.  By his final fights, Garcia was almost blind in his right eye and was denied a license to fight in America.  His last official appearance in a ring came on February 25, 1978, when Paul Payen in Belgium, out-pointed him over 10 rounds.  Shortly after this, Garcia had his boxing license revoked in France, his globe travelling career was over.

Angel Robinson Garcia’s final career record was 136(54koes)-82-20.  Garcia’s guile and toughness is evident by the fact that, despite the high quality of his opposition, the Cuban was stopped just 3 times in his career.

Without his trade soon found himself destitute in Paris, and reduced to panhandling upon the streets, where he once partied and lived the fast life.

The famous French actor Jean Paul Belmondo, who remembered Garcia from his glory days, reportedly found him on the Paris streets, and arranged for him to be repatriated to Cuba.   
     
Angel Robinson Garcia died on June 1, 2000. 

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

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Guillermo Rigondeaux Returns to the Ring Saturday November 21

Guillermo Rigondeaux, (15-0, 10koes) generally acknowledged as one of the best boxers, pound-for-pound, in the world, returns to the ring this Saturday, November 21st on the Miguel Cotto vs. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez under-card, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Rigondeaux, who has been unable to find any high ranking opponents willing to meet him, will face fringe contender Drian Francisco (28-3-1, 22koes) who hails from Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. It is not clear if any titles will be on the line when Rigondeaux faces Francisco, since recently he has been unceremoniously stripped of his WBO and WBA world Super-Bantamweight titles, but is still the holder of The Ring magazine super-Bantamweight belt.  Ironically, Rigondeaux, who was stripped on the basis of his ‘inactivity’, will now be fighting before the matches take place to decide his successors to the WBO and WBA belts.

This will be the brilliant Cuban’s first fight since his clinical destruction of Hisashi Amagasa in Osaka, Japan, last New Years Eve.  Since then, managerial and promotional problems, and his inability to find suitable opposition willing to fight him, have beset Rigondeaux.  Over two and a half years since he dismantled Nonito Donaire, with a masterful exhibition of counterpunching, Guillermo Rigondeaux struggles to find work in the ring.  He is an artist who has been blacklisted.

While his return on Saturday is obviously good news, it is still far from an ideal situation.  The opponent has been found at late notice, and the fight has received almost no publicity.  As with his last fight, Rigondeaux will be appearing with little fanfare or acclaim.  Depending on the schedule of his fight, there is a good possibility that this match will be in front of a sparse crowd. All of this must be a bitter irony for a man who already held the WBA belt, then went on to beat Donaire in 2013 for the WBO World super bantamweight title. After this victory, he must have felt like he proved himself to be an elite star, and with that stardom, doors should have opened to the big time and big fights. But, it hasn’t turned out that way.  Rigondeaux is still waiting for his big fight and big pay day.

For Drian Francisco, this is a fight of a lifetime.  Francisco is 33 years old and has been boxing professionally since 2005, and in that time, he has won several titles, including the WBO Asia Pacific Flyweight title, and the Interim WBA World Super-Flyweight titles.  Two fights ago, on May 30, 2015, Francisco was stopped in the 1st round by Jason Canoy, a defeat that he puts down to going into the fight sick.  It is the only stoppage defeat so far of his career.  This fight could transform Francisco’s life and career if he is able to produce a huge upset and defeat Rigondeaux. On the other hand, this match is very much one of the ‘no-win’ variety for Rigondeaux. If he beats Francisco with ease, he will be doing nothing more than what is expected of him. However, if he struggles, after being out of the ring for almost a year, then the chances are that a lackadaisical performance will be used as yet another excuse by the top fighters not to face him. Indeed, a defeat at this point for Rigondeaux could be an almost terminal blow to his career.

The best hope for Rigondeaux is that he can make short work of Francisco and that this contest may lead to other more challenging and meaningful fights under the Golden Boy banner.  Rigondeaux will be hoping that sooner, rather than later, he will be headlining a big show himself, rather than fighting on its undercard.  Yet, he does not want to overlook Francisco, who is a good solid boxer, with a good punch, just the kind of fighter who can be dangerous if he is underrated or overlooked.  There are those who have been looking to knock Rigondeaux off his perch, and an upset win over Guillermo would make Francisco an overnight star, at a time when Asian fighters are a sought after commodity with the emergence of China as the new, largely untapped, audience.  An on-form Rigondeaux should not have much trouble with Francisco, but the hope is that his recent inactivity, and various promotional and managerial distractions will not have taken too much of a toll on ‘The Jackal.’


   

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Eladio Valdes: The Story of "Black Bill"

By Peter Silkov

Eladio Valdes was a highly talented fighter, who combined tremendous hand and foot speed with a furious and seemingly inexhaustible whirlwind attack. “Black Bill” (as Valdes became known) was not a big puncher, but he threw punches with both fists, from all angles, and was constantly moving on his feet, keeping his opponents off balance. Wherever he fought, Valdes’s aggressive style delighted the crowds. Eladio also picked up the name “The Man of Rubber” due to his quirky trick of throwing himself into the ropes during contests and bouncing of from them towards his often perplexed and alarmed opponents. 

Valdes was born in May 1905, in Havana, Cuba.  Born into great poverty in Havana, Valdes was soon fighting in the many clubs dotted around Havana, turning professional while still a mere 15-year-old. Standing around 5’ feet 3” inches, Valdes weighed only about 100 pounds when he began his professional fighting career in 1920. He would become one of the top flyweights in the world at a time when the division was overflowing with talented boxers of all descriptions. During his career, Black Bill would face such top men as Genaro Pino, Angel Kid White, Izzy Schwartz, Ernie Jarvis, Willie Davis, Happy Atherton, Pinky Silverberg, Eugene Huat, Marty Gold, and Midget Wolgast.

For the first four years of his career Valdes fought exclusively in his native Cuba, with Havana being a hot bed of boxing activity during the 1920s. On May 7, 1923, Valdes out-pointed Genaro Pino over 12 rounds to win the Cuban light-flyweight championship, and by 1924 Black Bill was running out of opposition in Havana, and he and his manager Luis “Pincho” Gutierrez began looking towards conquering America. 

In 1925, Black Bill invaded New York and proved to be a sensation with the American fight fans. Valdes fought some of the top contenders in the Flyweight division, losing just 3 out of 18 contests, and proving himself a genuine contender for the world flyweight title. Amongst Valdes’ best scalps were his two victories over Izzy Schwartz, whom he beat twice in three fights during 1925.

Over the next five years, Valdes alternated his time between America and return trips to his homeland Cuba. On his trips back to Havana Valdes was feted wherever he went, like the star he had become, he was living like a star, and enjoying his money with the reckless abandon like so many fighters both before and after him also displayed. Black Bill grew to like the nightlife, the fine clothes, and the glamorous women who always seemed to be around him. He also liked to gamble and this was a habit in which he was almost always the loser. 

Fast living usually catches up with even the best fighters and in 1927, Valdes had a dip in form and defeats, which delayed any hopes he had held about fighting for the world flyweight title. However, over the next 2 years, Valdes put together a string of 25 victories in 26 contests, including victories over some of the most talented fighters in the division, such as Marty Gold, Happy Atherton, and Willie Davis. These victories took Valdes back into top contention for a world title shot himself.  Remarkably, by this time Valdes was already experiencing problems with his eyesight. It was a condition that worsened with every fight he had.

When he finally gained his shot at the world flyweight championship, on March 21, 1930, against Midget Wolgast, it was already too late for Black Bill; he was now totally blind in his right eye, and his left eye was damaged too.

The two men fought for the vacant New York State version of the world flyweight championship, and Wolgast, a whiz kid of just 20, had an easy time out-boxing the struggling Black Bill, who spent most of the fight chasing shadows.

Following this heartbreaking defeat, Valdes only fought eight more times, going 3-5, until at the end of 1930 he was finally forced to retire from boxing, having now been rendered almost completely blind in both eyes.

At the age of just 25 Valdes saw his world crumble and all his dreams of continued fame and fortune quite literally disappear.  He stayed in America, living in Harlem, New York, with his wife, but his money had gone and was isolated in a world of darkness. Valdes fell into a deep depression, and on April 8, 1933, the fighter who had thrilled so many crowds, and enjoyed fame throughout Cuba and America, shot himself in the stomach. Five days later, Eladio Valdes was dead, at the age of just 27.

Eladio Valdes’s final boxing record was 125(22koes)-24-13. He was never stopped or knocked out during his career. 

Valdes was also a stablemate and mentor to the great Kid Chocolate, whom he took with him to America in the late 1920s. Both men were managed by Felipe Gutierrez and trained by Moe Fleischer. Kid Chocolate would himself go on to enjoy the kind of success, which Valdes may have achieved had his career not been so cruelly cut short, when he should really have been in his prime.  

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com