Eligio "Kid Chocolate" Sardinas

Eligio “Kid Chocolate” Sardinas was born in Havana, Cuba on January 6, 1910. At a young age, Sardinas started fighting in order to defend his newspaper-selling turf from other boys. Learning from boxing footage shown at local movie theaters and practicing in amateur competitions, Sardinas honed his talent. As an amateur featherweight, Sardinas recorded 28 knockouts in 100 fights in the Cuban League. In 1928, he moved to the United States and turned pro.

He enjoyed 141 consecutive wins until he was defeated by Jackie Berg in 1930. In 1931, Sardinas defeated Benny Bass to clench the junior lightweight title.  Perhaps Sardinas’ most important victory, however, occurred in 1932 against Fidel LaBarba. By beating LaBarba, Sardinas became the first Cuban to hold the featherweight world championship title. After a career spanning 10 years, Sardinas retired in 1938, having won 145 out of 161 bouts with 64 knockouts. He died in Cuba in 1988 and was inducted in the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994.

Source: http://biography.jrank.org/pages/4014/Sardi-Eligio-1910-1988-Boxer.html