Kid Chocolate - Biography

Biography

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 (listed below), 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. 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.

In 1930, he beat Burrone twice again, as part of his first seven bouts that year, all of which he won. In his eighth fight of 1930 he faced future world Jr. Welterweight champion Jackie Kid Berg, who ended Chocolate's undefeated record by beating him in ten rounds. After three more fights, which resulted in two first round knockout wins and a decision loss in a ten round rematch with LaBarba, Chocolate found himself in the ring with world Featherweight champion Christopher Battling Battalino. Trying to become Cuba's first world boxing champion ever on that night, Chocolate lost a 15 round decision.