Gerardo González (January 6, 1926 – February 13, 2003), better known in the boxing 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 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 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, Wilfred Benítez, 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 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, 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, 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 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 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 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 and 27 wins by knockout in a career that spanned 143 professional fights.

Death On February 13, 2003, Gavilan died in Miami, Florida of a heart attack at the age of 77.New York Times obituary for Kid Gavilan, February 15, 2003; accessed January 19, 2014.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes143LossYama BahamaUD10Jun 18, 1958142Win108–29–5Ralph JonesSD10Apr 4, 1958141Loss107–29–5Ralph JonesSD10Feb 19, 1958140Win107–28–5Walter ByarsUD10Nov 20, 1957139Loss106–28–5Gaspar OrtegaSD12Oct 22, 1957138Win106–27–5Gaspar OrtegaUD10Jul 31, 1957137Loss105–27–5Vince MartinezPTS10Jun 17, 1957136Loss105–26–5Del FlanaganUD10Apr 24, 1957135Loss105–25–5Vince MartinezPTS10Feb 26, 1957134Loss105–24–5Ramon FuentesSD10Dec 20, 1956133Loss105–23–5Walter ByarsSD10Dec 4, 1956132Win105–22–5Chico VejarUD10Nov 13, 1956131Loss104–22–5Tony DeMarcoUD10Oct 13, 1956130Win104–21–5Jimmy BeechamSD10Aug 28, 1956129Draw103–21–5Louis TrochonPTS10May 12, 1956128Win103–21–4Peter WatermanPTS10Apr 24, 1956127Loss102–21–4Germinal BallarinPTS10Mar 29, 1956126Loss102–20–4Peter WatermanPTS10Feb 7, 1956125Loss102–19–4Dogomar MartinezPTS10Dec 3, 1955124Loss102–18–4Eduardo LaussePTS12Sep 3, 1955123Win102–17–4Juan Bautista BurguesKO 7 (10)Aug 13, 1955122Win101–17–4Cirilo GilPTS10Jul 24, 1955121Win100–17–4Luigi CemuliniKO3 (10)Jun 2, 1955120Loss99–17–4Bobby DykesUD10Mar 16, 1955119Loss99–16–4Hector ConstanceUD10Feb 23, 1955118Win99–15–4Ernie DurandoSD10Feb 4, 1955117Loss98–15–4Johnny SaxtonUD15Oct 20, 1954116Loss98–14–4Bobo OlsonMD15Apr 2, 1954115Win98–13–4Livio MinelliUD10Mar 8, 1954114Win97–13–4Johnny CunninghamUD10Feb 23, 1954113Win96–13–4Johnny BrattonUD15Nov 13, 1953112Win95–13–4Carmen BasilioSD15Sep 18, 1953111Win94–13–4Ralph JonesUD10Aug 26, 1953110Win93–13–4Ramon FuentesUD10Jul 15, 1953109Win92–13–4Italo ScortichiniUD10Jun 10, 1953108Loss91–13–4Danny WomberUD10May 2, 1953107Win91–12–4Livio MinelliSD10Apr 14, 1953106Win90–12–4Chuck DaveyTKO10 (15)Feb 11, 1953105Win89–12–4Vic CardellUD10Jan 21, 1953104Win88–12–4Aman PeckUD10Jan 13, 1953103Win87–12–4Billy GrahamUD15Oct 5, 1952102Win86–12–4Eduardo LaussePTS10Sep 13, 1952101Win85–12–4Rafael MerentinoTKO9 (12)Sep 6, 1952100Win84–12–4Mario DiazMD10Aug 16, 195299Win83–12–4Gil TurnerTKO11 (15)Jul 7, 195298Win82–12–4Fritzie PrudenTKO6 (10)May 28, 195297Win81–12–4Ralph ZannelliUD10May 19, 195296Win80–12–4Don WilliamsSD10Feb 28, 195295Win79–12–4Bobby DykesSD15Feb 4, 195294Win78–12–4Walter CartierTKO10 (10)Dec 14, 195193Draw77–12–4Johnny BrattonPTS10Nov 28, 195192Win77–12–3Tony JaniroTKO4 (10)Nov 7, 195191Win76–12–3Bobby RosadoKO7 (10)Oct 4, 195190Win75–12–3Billy GrahamSD15Aug 29, 195189Win74–12–3Fritzie PrudenUD10Jul 16, 195188Win73–12–3Johnny BrattonUD15May 18, 195187Win72–12–3Aldo MinelliUD10Apr 20, 195186Win71–12–3Gene HairstonUD10Mar 30, 195185Win70–12–3Tommy CiarloTKO8 (10)Mar 10, 195184Win69–12–3Tommy CiarloPTS10Feb 19, 195183Win68–12–3Paddy YoungMD10Jan 26, 195182Win67–12–3Joe MiceliSD10Dec 22, 195081Win66–12–3Tony JaniroUD10Dec 4, 195080Win65–12–3Billy GrahamMD10Nov 17, 195079Loss64–12–3Gene HairstonSD10Oct 30, 195078Draw64–11–3Tommy CiarloPTS10Oct 23, 195077Win64–11–2Johnny GrecoKO6 (10)Aug 16, 195076Win63–11–2Phil BurtonPTS10Jul 13, 195075Win62–11–2Sonny HornePTS10Jul 3, 195074Win61–11–2Bobby MannPTS10Jun 19, 195073Win60–11–2Mike KoballaUD10Jun 8, 195072Win59–11–2Georgie SmallUD10May 26, 195071Loss58–11–2George CostnerMD10May 8, 195070Loss58–10–2Robert VillemainSD10Mar 20, 195069Win58–9–2Otis GrahamSD10Mar 6, 195068Loss57–9–2Billy GrahamSD10Feb 10, 195067Win57–8–2Bobby LeePTS10Dec 17, 194966Win56–8–2Laurent DauthuilleUD10Nov 21, 194965Loss55–8–2Lester FeltonSD10Oct 21, 194964Win55–7–2Beau JackUD10Oct 14, 194963Win54–7–2Rocky CastellaniUD10Sep 9, 194962Loss53–7–2Sugar Ray RobinsonUD15Jul 11, 194961Win53–6–2Cliff HartTKO2 (10)Jun 2, 194960Win52–6–2Al PriestUD10May 2, 194959Win51–6–2Ike WilliamsUD10Apr 1, 194958Win50–6–2Ike WilliamsMD10Jan 28, 194957Win49–6–2Abdeslam ben BukerPTS10Dec 11, 194856Win48–6–2Tony PelloneUD10Nov 12, 194855Win47–6–2Vinnie RossanoTKO6 (10)Oct 21, 194854Loss46–6–2Sugar Ray RobinsonUD10Sep 23, 194853Win46–5–2Buster TylerUD10Aug 12, 194852Win45–5–2Roman AlvarezUD10Jul 22, 194851Win44–5–2Rocco RossanoKO1 (10)May 28, 194850Win43–5–2Tommy BellSD10Apr 26, 194849Loss42–5–2Doug RatfordUD10Apr 13, 194848Loss42–4–2Ike WilliamsUD10Feb 27, 194847Win42–3–2Vinnie RossanoUD10Feb 13, 194846Win41–3–2Joe CurcioTKO2 (10)Jan 23, 194845Draw40–3–2Gene BurtonPTS10Jan 12, 194844Draw40–3–1Buster TylerPTS10Dec 29, 194743Win40–3Bee Bee WrightTKO10 (10)Nov 3, 194742Win39–3Billy NixonUD8Oct 23, 194741Win38–3Billy JustineUD8Sep 18, 194740Win37–3Charley MilanTKO1 (10)Sep 15, 194739Loss36–3Doug RatfordPTS10Sep 2, 194738Win36–2Bobby LeeUD10Aug 18, 194737Win35–2Charley WilliamsKO2 (10)Aug 11, 194736Win34–2Vince GambillKO2 (10)Apr 26, 194735Win33–2Nick MoranPTS10Mar 12, 194734Win32–2Baby CoullimberPTS10Feb 22, 194733Win31–2Jose Garvia AlvarezPTS10Feb 8, 194732Win30–2Julio PedrosoPTS10Jan 25, 194731Win29–2Johnny WilliamsPTS10Dec 13, 194630Win28–2Johnny WilliamsUD10Dec 2, 194629Win27–2Johnny RyanTKO5 (6)Nov 1, 194628Win26–2Hankin BarrowPTS10Sep 7, 194627Win25–2Jack LarrimoreKO3 (10)Aug 24, 194626Win24–2Hankin BarrowKO7 (10)Aug 3, 194625Win23–2Chico VaronaPTS10Jun 22, 194624Loss22–2Tony MarPTS10May 4, 194623Win22–1Santiago SosaPTS10Mar 9, 194622Win21–1Jose ZorillaKO4 (10)Mar 2, 194621Win20–1Kid BururuPTS10Feb 9, 194620Win19–1Kid BururuPTS10Jan 26, 194619Win18–1Johnny SuarezPTS10Nov 17, 194518Win17–1Carlos MalacaraPTS10Nov 3, 194517Loss16–1Carlos MalacaraPTS10Sep 25, 194516Win16–0Pedro OrtegaKO6 (10)Sep 8, 194515Win15–0Julio Cesar JimenezPTS10Aug 11, 194514Win14–0Joe PedrosoKO4 (12)Jul 7, 194513Win13–0Pedro OrtegaPTS10Jun 23, 194512Win12–0Julio Cesar JimenezPTS10May 26, 194511Win11–0Kid BeboKO4 (10)May 13, 194510Win10–0Santiago SosaKO9 (10)Apr 21, 19459Win9–0Joe PedrosoPTS10Mar 10, 19458Win8–0Bombon OrientalPTS10Feb 10, 19457Win7–0Miguel AcevedoPTS10Dec 23, 19446Win6–0Bombon OrientalPTS10Nov 25, 19445Win5–0Juan VillalbaTKO9 (10)Oct 1, 19444Win4–0Sergio PrietoTKO5 (6)Sep 11, 19433Win3–0Nanito Kid DustetPTS6Aug 7, 19432Win2–0Bartolo MolinaPTS4Jun 12, 19431Win1–0Antonio DiazPTS6Jun 5, 1943

Titles in boxing Major world titles NYSAC welterweight 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

References

External links

Kid Gavilan biodata, IBHOF.com; accessed January 19, 2014. boxrec.com boxrec.com boxrec.com boxrec.com boxrec.com