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Gerardo González (January 6, 1926 – February 13, 2003), better known in the
boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
world as Kid Gavilan, was a Cuban boxer. Gavilán was the former undisputed world welterweight champion from 1951 to 1954 having simultaneously held the NYSAC, WBA, and ''The Ring'' welterweight titles. The
Boxing Writers Association of America Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing punches at each other for a ...
named him Fighter of the Year in 1953. Gavilán was voted by ''The Ring'' magazine as the 26th greatest fighter of the last 80 years. Gavilán was a 1966 inductee to '' The Ring'' magazine's Boxing Hall of Fame (disbanded in 1987), and was inducted into the
International Boxing Hall of Fame The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, right next to exit 34 of the New York State Thruway, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected on ballots cre ...
in the inaugural class of 1990.


Early career

Gavilan was managed by Yamil Chade, a boxing manager (based in Puerto Rico) who directed the careers of
Wilfredo Gómez Wilfredo Gómez RiveraWilfred Benítez Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight division ...
, Carlos De León and Félix Trinidad . He started as a professional boxer on the evening of June 5, 1943, when he beat Antonio Diaz by a decision in four rounds in Havana. His first 10 bouts were in Havana, and then he had one in Cienfuegos, but soon he returned to Havana for three more wins. After 14 bouts, he left Cuba for his first fight abroad, and he beat Julio César Jimenez by a decision in 10 rounds in his first of three consecutive fights in Mexico City. It was there that he suffered his first defeat, at the hands of Carlos Macalara by a decision. They had an immediate rematch, this time in Havana, and Gavilan avenged that loss, winning by decision too. Gavilan had a record of 25 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw already when he had his first fight on American soil. This happened on November 1, 1946, when he beat Johnny Ryan by a
knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...
in five rounds at New York City.


Move to the United States

He would split his time between the Eastern coast of the United States and Havana in 1947, a year in which he went 11-1-1 with 3 knockouts. However, by 1948 he had decided to stay in the United States indefinitely. That year, he met some very important fighters, like former world champion Ike Williams, who beat him by decision in ten, Tommy Bell, against whom Gavilan won by decision,
Sugar Ray Robinson Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regarde ...
, who beat him by decision in ten, and Tony Pellone, with Gavilan obtaining a decision against Pellone. After beating Williams twice by decision, he met Robinson with Robinson's world Welterweight title on the line. He lost his first title try, when Robinson won a decision in 15 rounds. Back to the drawing board, he beat Rocky Castellani, the then lightweight world champion Beau Jack, and Laurent Dauthuille (the latter of whom fought Gavilan in Montreal, Quebec). All of them were beaten by decision in 10. In 1950, he went 10-4-1, beating
Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
, Sonny Horne, Robert Villemain, Eugene Hairston, and Tony Janiro among others.


World champion

In 1951 after beating Tommy Ciarlo twice, once in Caracas, Venezuela, and Hairston once again, he finally became a world champion when he beat Johnny Bratton for the world Welterweight title by a decision in 15 on May 18. He defended that title for the first time against Graham, winning by a decision, and promptly made four non-title bouts before the end of the year, including another win over Janiro and a draw in ten with Bratton. In 1952 he defended the title with success against Bobby Dykes, Gil Turner, and with Graham in a third encounter between the two. All those fights were won by decision in 15. He also had five non-title bouts, including three that were a part of an Argentinian tour. His third fight with Graham was his first world title defense in Havana and his fight with Dykes marked the first time that a black man and a white man had a boxing fight in then-segregated Miami, Florida. In 1953, Gavilan retained the title by a knockout in ten against Chuck Davey, by a decision in 15 against
Carmen Basilio Carmen Basilio (born Carmine Basilio, April 2, 1927 – November 7, 2012) was an American professional boxer who was a two-time Undisputed Welterweight Champion and Undisputed Middleweight champion, beating Sugar Ray Robinson for the latter ...
and by a decision in 15 against Bratton. He had seven non-title bouts, losing to Danny Womber, but beating Ralph Tiger Jones. In 1954 Gavilan went up in weight. After two more points wins, he challenged world Middleweight champion
Bobo Olson Carl "Bobo" Olson (July 11, 1928 – January 16, 2002) was an American boxing, boxer. He was the World Middleweight champion between October 1953 and December 1955, the longest reign of any champion in that division during the 1950s. His nickname ...
for the world title, but lost a decision in 15. Then, he went down in weight, and lost his world Welterweight championship, by a decision in 15 to Johnny Saxton. That same year, he appeared on a Telemundo Puerto Rico poster that promoted that country's first television transmission.


Personal life

Gavilan's wife, Leonor, gave birth to their daughters, Elena 1950,Victoria 1954, and son Gerardo in 1953. After retiring from boxing Gavilán became one of
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...
and was jailed under the Castro regime for preaching. In the 1980s he made a living selling sausages in Chicago.


Later career and retirement

From that point until 1958, when he retired, he had a career of ups and downs. He lost to Dykes, Jones, Eduardo Lausse, former world champion Tony DeMarco, Vince Martinez and Gaspar Ortega, but he also beat Ortega, Jones and Chico Vejar, among others. After losing to Yama Bahama by decision in ten on June 18, 1958, he never fought again, announcing his retirement on September 11 of that year. Gavilan was never knocked out in his professional career. He had a record of 107 wins, 30 losses and 6 draws, with one
no contest ''Nolo contendere'' () is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an ...
and 27 wins by knockout in a career that spanned 143 professional fights.


Death

Gavilan died in Miami, Florida of a heart attack at age 77.''New York Times'' obituary for Kid Gavilan
February 15, 2003; accessed January 19, 2014.


Professional boxing record


Titles in boxing


Major world titles

* NYSAC
welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
champion (147 lbs) * NBA (WBA) welterweight champion (147 lbs)


''The Ring'' magazine titles

* ''The Ring'' welterweight champion (147 lbs)


Undisputed titles

* Undisputed welterweight champion


See also

*
List of welterweight boxing champions Beginning with Mysterious Billy Smith to Harry Lewis, the welterweight world champions listed below are more widely recognized in the United States and are not as widely sanctioned as the boxers that follow. Beginning with boxer Pat Bradley, is a ...


References


External links

*
Kid Gavilan biodata
IBHOF.com; accessed January 19, 2014. * https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1949 * https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1951 * https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1952 * https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1953 * https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1954 * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gavilan, Kid 1926 births 2003 deaths World boxing champions Welterweight boxers International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Cuban expatriates in the United States Cuban male boxers Cuban Jehovah's Witnesses Converts to Jehovah's Witnesses 20th-century Cuban sportsmen