Historic Greats and Near Greats Under the Radar Series

[Willow The Wisp]

My first in a prospective series.
I hope to present some grizzled veterans who many here might know little of, but SHOULD.
Please comment if you wish, and present your own.

Number 1. Kid Charol, Sagua La Grande, Cuba

The first boxing hero in Cuba, and, according to a Kid Chocolate interview by Jonathan Rendall, "the best fighter who ever lived." He died in 1929 of tuberculosis in Buenos Aires, Argentina after compiling a (recorded) record of 54-3-10 (34).

basic info:




best link:

[kara]

Good stuff, Willow.

[QueensburyRules]

- - Only fighters on his record that I recognize are Panama Joe Gans who sparred with Dempsey for the Willard fight and Dave Shade.

Could he have made the boxrec top 25 in his prime?

Maybe. Top 10?

Never!!!

[Willow The Wisp]

- - Only fighters on his record that I recognize are Panama Joe Gans who sparred with Dempsey for the Willard fight and Dave Shade.

Could he have made the boxrec top 25 in his prime?

Maybe. Top 10?

Never!!!

I donna tink so .

Well just imagine....

At the start of 29', Micky Walker, the toy Bulldog was Middleweight champion. These were stacked times. The number one contender was the skilled European champion Rene DeVos of Belgium, number two was "Cowboy" George Courtney, and Dave Shade, the great Hall of Famer, was perched at number three. During the year- plus, Shade would defeat Rene DeVos at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and Breeze through 16 other top flight opponents that included fellow hall of famer (WBHOF) Ace Hudkins, ranked 8 and Cowboy Jack Willis, ranked 10, before dropping a newspaper decision to another Hall of famer Len Harvey in September 1930.
During this run, Shade met Charol, on April 30, 1929. Dying of consumption, Charol had to drag himself up from a hospital bed. Yet he still managed to secure a 12-round draw with a man whom many at the time regarded as being the uncrowned middleweight champion of the world.
This was Charol’s final appearance in the ring. He died less than 5 months later, on October 7, 1929, three months before his 29th birthday.

So, let this go to show you, that when Will'o the Wisp posts, read.

[QueensburyRules]

I donna tink so .

Well just imagine....

At the start of 29', Micky Walker, the toy Bulldog was Middleweight champion. These were stacked times. The number one contender was the skilled European champion Rene DeVos of Belgium, number two was "Cowboy" George Courtney, and Dave Shade, the great Hall of Famer, was perched at number three. During the year- plus, Shade would defeat Rene DeVos at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and Breeze through 16 other top flight opponents that included fellow hall of famer (WBHOF) Ace Hudkins, ranked 8 and Cowboy Jack Willis, ranked 10, before dropping a newspaper decision to another Hall of famer Len Harvey in September 1930.
During this run, Shade met Charol, on April 30, 1929. Dying of consumption, Charol had to drag himself up from a hospital bed. Yet he still managed to secure a 12-round draw with a man whom many at the time regarded as being the uncrowned middleweight champion of the world.
This was Charol’s final appearance in the ring. He died less than 5 months later, on October 7, 1929, three months before his 29th birthday.

So, let this go to show you, that when Will'o the Wisp posts, read.

- - Cause of death?

Very obscure to modern fans. Only reason we know about Kid Chocolate is because he ended up in the US in great fights. Same deal with Jose Naples who fled Castro Cuba to land in Mexico City to start a fine run of fights where he crossed over into California in the middle of a storied era for boxing. Same with other Cuban greats, so what happened in Cuba to cap that run of greatness?

They been defecting enmasse, yet off hand I can't recall a single great among moderns. Victims of soft, candied US lifestyle?

Calling on all social scientists to step up and do your jobs...

[Willow The Wisp]

- - Cause of death?

Very obscure to modern fans. Only reason we know about Kid Chocolate is because he ended up in the US in great fights. Same deal with Jose Naples who fled Castro Cuba to land in Mexico City to start a fine run of fights where he crossed over into California in the middle of a storied era for boxing. Same with other Cuban greats, so what happened in Cuba to cap that run of greatness?

They been defecting enmasse, yet off hand I can't recall a single great among moderns. Victims of soft, candied US lifestyle?

Calling on all social scientists to step up and do your jobs...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

[The D3vil]

Damn, I just read this dude held a IBHOFer to a draw while having tuberculosis.

Man, they just gave zero fxcks back then about fighter & spectator safety

[Willie Pep 229]

Damn, I just read this dude held a IBHOFer to a draw while having tuberculosis.

Man, they just gave zero fxcks back then about fighter & spectator safety

There seems to have been a strange (and ******) attitude towards TB back then.

Much like the way ****** people blow off the danger of today's viruses.

In Sydney Kingsleys play/film Dead End, each of the kids in the street gang represents a different depression era problem/clich�. (Circa 1933)

One character named "TB" introduces himself by coughing in the other kid's face and then bragging "I'm TB, I got TB." The other kid shows no reaction to the coughing.

You realize he's going to go untreated until he dies and the others have no grasp as to the danger they're in.

[Anthony342]

Damn, I just read this dude held a IBHOFer to a draw while having tuberculosis.

Man, they just gave zero fxcks back then about fighter & spectator safety

Sounds like the fighters themselves also gave zero f***s.