Eladio Valdes
Encyclopedia
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
of the 1920s.
Small of stature at 5 ft 3½ and weighing between 109–115 lbs, he was managed by Luis "Pincho" Gutierrez and trained by Moe Fleischer.
He made his first official appearance on September 11, 1920 aged 15 in a fight in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, his native city, where he defeated Diego Blanco in the 4th round. He continued to fight throughout the 1920s dividing his fights between Havana and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where the vast majority of his battles took place.
Although he was not a power-hitter and small, he was known for his agility and angled punches in his attack which would throw his opponents off-guard. During his career, he defeated such men as Johnny McCoy, Willie Davies
Willie Davies
Willie Davies was a Welsh international dual-code rugby fly half who played rugby union for Swansea and rugby league for Bradford Northern. He won six caps for the Wales rugby union team and nine caps for the Wales rugby league side...
, "Corporal" Izzy Schwartz, Sammy Bienfield, Eugene Huat, Happy Atherton, Genaro Pino, Marty Gold
Marty Gold
Martin Gold was a composer, pianist, and bandleader born in New York City, New York. He was the pianist and arranger for the Korn Kobblers, a popular 1940s novelty group billed as "America's most nonsensical dance band", but was probably best known as the composer of the song "Tell Me Why", which...
, Bobby Green, Henry Catena and Benny Marks.
He committed suicide while in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York City on May 14, 1933.