Eladio "Black Bill" Valdés (July 1905 – May 14, 1933) was a
Cuban
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
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of the 1920s.
Small of stature at 5 feet, 3.5 inches and weighing between 109–115 pounds, he was managed by Luis "Pincho" Gutiérrez and trained by Moe Fleischer. He made his first official appearance on September 11, 1920 (at age 15) in a fight in
Havana, his native city, where he defeated Diego Blanco in the fourth round.
Valdés continued to fight throughout the 1920s, dividing his fights between Havana and
New York City. Although he was neither large nor a power hitter, he was known for throwing opponents off guard by attacking with agility and angled punches.
Cuban flyweight and light flyweight champion, 1921-3
On November 6, 1921, he was proclaimed Cuban Flyweight Champion after his defeat of Dixie Lewis, and presented with a belt that month. On May 7, 1923, in Havana, he defeated Genaro Pino for the Light Flyweight Championship of Cuba in 12 rounds.
[
]
Challenging for the world flyweight championship, 1930
On March 21, 1930, he unsuccessfully challenged Midget Wolgast for the New York State Athletic Commission's version of the World Flyweight Title at Madison Square Garden.[
During his career, he defeated opponents such as Johnny McCoy, Willie Davies, "Corporal" Izzy Schwartz, Sammy Bienfield, the French boxer ]Eugène Huat
Eugène Huat (8 February 1907 – 15 December 1980) was a French boxer who was champion of France and Europe at flyweight, and fought four times for world titles at bantamweight.
Career
After making his professional debut in 1926, Huat had some ...
, Happy Atherton, Genaro Pino, Marty Gold, Bobby Green, Henry Catena, Pinky Silverberg, and Benny Marks.
Plagued by alcoholism and boxing-related blindness, Valdés committed suicide while in Harlem, New York, on May 14, 1933.
Professional boxing record
All information in this section is derived from BoxRec
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing.
The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
,
Official record
All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.
Unofficial record
Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.
References
External links
Profile at Cyber boxing zone
Photograph of Valdés
with Kid Chocolate, from th
Cuban Photograph Collection
of the University of Miami Librarie
Cuban Heritage Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdes, Eladio
People from Havana
1905 births
1933 deaths
Cuban male boxers
Flyweight boxers
1933 suicides
Suicides in New York City
20th-century Cuban people