Cuban boxer Gerardo Gonzalez, known as Kid Gavilan, competing during the golden age of boxing in the 1940s and 1950s, and became a legend whose name is still known today.
Kid Gavilan: The biography behind the legend
“Throughout his history, there were things about him that made him popular with some and very unpopular with others. This was the existence of a man who, unfortunately, spent his last days in quite precarious conditions in Miami and silenced in Cuba, the country where he was born. However, in the history of boxing, he is recognized as one of the true greats,” explains Michel Contreras about Kid Gavilán, the subject of his most recent book: Kid Gavilán: The Life of a Champion.
This book, a co-authorship between Contreras and the journalist Damarys Rodríguez, published under the Miami-based Unos & Otros Publishing, delves into the life of Gerardo González, known worldwide as Kid Gavilán, who was “a flag bearer during the time when boxing truly experienced its heyday, back in the 1940s and 50s.”
Michel Contreras, a sports journalist and contributor to CubaNet, points out that while other Cuban boxers like Kid Chocolate enjoy greater recognition in Cuba, Gavilán, despite reaching the pinnacle of world boxing, remains relatively unknown in his homeland. This was one of the reasons that motivated him to write his biography.
Kid Gavilán: The Life of a Champion, available on Amazon, covers the childhood of Gerardo González in Palo Seco, where, from a very young age, he had to face a life of hard work, delivering food and cutting sugarcane, still far from becoming the legend who would face other greats like Sugar Ray Robinson, Carmen Basilio, and Billy Graham, and whose fights would set attendance records in the United States.
“Gavilán achieved immortality through a daily dedication to perfecting his athletic qualities: the harmony of all his virtues—developed to the fullest—placed him on the path to glory,” describes a passage from Kid Gavilán: The Life of a Champion. But the greatness of the pugilist was not limited to his feats in the ring. As detailed in the book, he became a polarizing figure throughout his career. For some, he was an undeniable hero; for others, he turned out to be a controversial character. Part of this controversy stemmed from his relationship with Fulgencio Batista and his desire to excel not only in sports but also in the world of entertainment. He set trends, such as wearing white shoes. Inspired by his idol, Sugar Ray Robinson, he tried to emulate him by organizing tours with dancers…
The meticulous research that supports the content of the book includes information obtained over two decades ago, when it was still possible to interview people who knew Gavilán closely: “Much of the information in the book was collected 20 years ago. Now it would have been almost impossible because many of the living sources I used are people who, unfortunately, have passed away: Elio Menéndez, boxing trainers, boxing referees, people connected to the press who knew Gavilán, rivals who faced him… I interviewed all these people and obtained information,” explains Michel Contreras.
Additionally, the work involved hours of dedication in the National Library of Cuba, reviewing historical archives and publications like Diario de la Marina, Carteles, and Bohemia, key sources that allowed Contreras and Rodríguez to construct a well-documented account of the champion’s life. The more than one hundred and fifty photographs, press notes, and interviews included in the book are a testament to this dedication.
Reflecting on the book, Michel Contreras notes that he began the research knowing that Gavilán was a great champion, but by the end of the project, he considered him to be the greatest.
As indicated in the back cover note, Kid Gavilán: The Life of a Champion is a book where boxing enthusiasts will find “a story that transcends the sport and offers lessons on the pursuit of greatness.”
Sorry, but this was pre-1959, so either it’s an aberration or it doesn’t count. Everyone knows that black Cubans were nothing before Massah Castro made humans out of them. So stop spreading misinformation.