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Eligio Saldana (January 6, 1910 – August 8,
1988), better known as Kid Chocolate, was a
Cuba|Cuban boxing|boxer who enjoyed wild success
both in the boxing ring and in society life during
a span of the 1930s.

Chocolate, nicknamed The Cuban Bon Bon, learned
how to fight by watching old fight films in Cuba.
He later sparred with boxers such as Joe Gans,
Benny Leonard and Jack Johnson (boxer)|Jack
Johnson, all world champions, before beginning an
amateur boxing career. As an amateur, he won all
100 of his fights, 86 by knockout.

His professional boxing debut, officially,
occurred on December 8, 1927, when he beat Johnny
Cruz by a decision in six in La Havana,
Cuba|Havana. Whether that was his actual debut or
not has been a point of contention, because some
Cuban boxing historians claim that he was actually
paid for 21 bouts before that, supposedly winning
each of them by knockout, which would put him on
Ring Magazine's list of longest knockout streaks
in history. But documents show the Cruz fight as
being his first professional bout.

His first 12 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, Chocolate started to become 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 meet better
opponents, and among the boxers he beat 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. But then, he was faced with future world Jr.
Welterweight champion Jackie Kid Berg, who took
away 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 a ring with world
Featherweight champion Bat Battalino. Trying to
become Cuba's first world boxing champion ever on
that night, Chocolate lost a 15 round decision.

He started 1931 by winning four fights in a row,
after going up in weight to the Jr. Lightweight
division. Then, on July 15 of that year, his dream
of becoming Cuba's first world boxing champion
finally came true, as he knocked out the defending
world Jr. Lightweight champion Benny Bass in seven
rounds to take the world title. Five non-title
wins followed, including a first round knockout in
a rematch with Scalfaro, and then he finished the
year by going up in weight once again, and
challenging world Lightweight champion Tony
Canzoneri, losing by a decision in 15 in his first
attempt to gain the Lightweight crown.

He started 1932 by winning his first eight bouts,
including a world title defense in Havana against
Davie Abad, beaten in 15 by decision. Then, he
faced Berg in a rematch, losing again, this time
by decision in 15. He engaged in seven more bouts,
including two decision wins over Johnny Farr,
before fighting Lew Feldman on October 13. The
fight was recognized as a world Featherweight
title bout, but only by the New York state
athletic commission. Chocolate won by a knockout
in 12 rounds, gaining the New York world title.

He retained that world title twice, including a
third fight with LaBarba, before relinquishing it
while in the middle of a Europe|European boxing
tour that took him to Madrid, Spain|Madrid,
Barcelona, Spain|Barcelona and Paris,
France|Paris. He won all of his fights on that
tour by decision. Upon returning to America, he
lost by a knockout in two in a rematch with
Canzoneri, then lost his world Lightweight title,
being knocked out in seven by Frankie Klick. After
that fight, it was revealed that he was suffering
from Syphilis. 

He retired shortly, but came back in 1934. He won
47 of his next 50 bouts until he retired in 1938,
but never faced the kind of opposition he had
faced before. Furthermore, he never received
another world title try and felt abandoned by
boxing's powers behind the curtains when he
decided to retire.

Chocolate was known as a wild party man during his
years as a world champion.  He was a boxer who
enjoyed being out at night and engaging himself
under the bright lights of the city's nightlife.
However, when he stepped out of boxing, he went
back to Cuba and lived a quieter life.

In 1959, Chocolate's figure in Cuba was totally
relegated by Fidel Castro and his revolutionary
forces, and he almost became a forgotten champion,
but by the late 1970s, Chocolate's achievements
were finally recognized by Castro, who then put
him to live in a state backed mansion, as Castro
has been known to do with other important Cuba
athletic figures. It was in that house that
Chocolate passed away in 1988.

He is now a member of the International Boxing
Hall Of Fame alongside Bass, Berg and Canzoneri.

His record was of 135 wins, 9 losses and 6 draws,
50 wins coming by knockout, also making Ring
magazine's list of boxers with 50 or more career
knockout wins.

== External links ==

*
http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=0
09006 Career Record