Early years

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. Sardiñas had no fear and would actively engage in fights outside the ring with anyone who wanted it.

His professional boxing debut, officially, occurred on March 3, 1928, when he knocked out Juan Sarriá Rodríguez aka 'Kid Sotolongo' via first-round KO of a scheduled 6 round bout after having fought and won 3 semi-professional bouts from October 1927 to February 1928.^[1][2]

Taking the World Jr. Lightweight Championship

This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2021)

After going up in weight class to the Junior Lightweight division, he started 1931 by winning four fights in a row. Then, on July 15, his dream of becoming Cuba's first world boxing champion finally came true, as he knocked out the defending world Junior Lightweight champion Benny Bass in seven rounds to take the world title.^[3] Five non-title wins followed, including a first-round knockout in a rematch with Scalfaro. 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 "Kid" 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 defended that world title twice, including a third fight with LaBarba, before relinquishing it while in the middle of a European boxing tour that took him to Madrid, Barcelona and 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.

Losing the World Jr. Lightweight Title to Frankie Klick

This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2021)

Before a crowd of 4,000, the Kid lost the World Jr. Lightweight boxing championship to Frankie Klick, on December 25, 1933, at the Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a seventh-round technical knockout. The Ludington Daily News, wrote "The flashy Cuban "bon bon" (Chocolate) was bereft of the title in the seventh round of a scheduled fifteen round Christmas Day bout by a whistling right smash to the chin and all he got in exchange was the second knockout of his career although the latest was of the technical variety." The bout had been fairly close until the seventh with Chocolate showing stamina and style.^[4] The seventh round had gone two minutes and fifty-eight seconds when the knockout occurred. "The Cuban waged a fast, aggressive fight in the early rounds that gave him a temporary lead." Chocolate had landed rights "to the head and body." Kid Chocolate may have been suffering from the knockout he had received from Tony Canzoneri only a month previously. Chocolate retained his featherweight championship at least in the state of New York.^[5] After that fight, it was revealed that he was suffering from syphilis.

Later years

This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2021)

He retired shortly thereafter, but came back in 1934. He won 47 of his next 50 bouts. He never received another world title attempt and felt abandoned by boxing's elite. He retired again in 1938.

Kid Chocolate enjoyed the city's nightlife. However, when he stepped out of boxing, he went back to Cuba and lived a quieter life.

Legacy

From 1959, Chocolate's fame in Cuba was overlooked 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 the Cuban government, who gave him a small pension. Chocolate died in his own home – bought for his mother when he was champion – in 1988.

He was the inspiration for the character Chocolate Drop in Clifford Odets' play Golden Boy.^[6]

Former WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin, an American of Cuban descent, carries the nickname "Kid Chocolate" in honor of Sardiñas.

The highly acclaimed greatest pound for pound boxer of all time Sugar Ray Robinson was a big fan of Kid Chocolate and incorporated a lot of Chocolate's boxing style into his own: "Sugar Ray Robinson was a great admirer of Kid Chocolate," said Fausto Miranda, a former Cuban journalist who covered many of Chocolate's fights. Sugar Ray Robinson, went on record saying that he had never seen anyone box like Kid Chocolate before. Robinson studied the Chocolate style and incorporated much of his slick movement and graceful flair into his own boxing style. Robinson in many ways was a combination of his boxing idols Joe Louis and Kid Chocolate. He mixed the concentration, masterful combinations and power punching of Louis with the stylish movement and balance of Chocolate.^[7]

Montalvo was also the cousin of the lesser known flyweight contender Eladio 'Black Bill' Valdés.^[8]