Battling Battalino, most underrated champion ever, in action vs. Kid Chocolate

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A classic meeting of style and flash vs. substance and grit.

In the late '20s and early 30s, Chocolate was one of the most heavily hyped fighters in history. Almost as soon as he stepped off the boat from Cuba, he was pretty much pegged as the next featherweight champion. He was reportedly undefeated in his first 160 fights, combined amateur and pro. His handlers thought so highly of him that they even put him in with the current jr. welterweight champion (and fellow future HOFer) Kid Berg, who managed to hustle his way to a close decision win. After that, Chocolate surprisingly lost another fight to Fidel LaBarba, who he had previously beaten, but most experts still picked him to unseat the reigning featherweight king Battling Battalino, who they dismissed as just an overblown clubfighter, and who had been dropping non-title fights like flies. However, the battle-hardened veteran Battalino shocked Chocolate and his supporters by hustling him through 15 rounds, ploughing through his punches, never allowing him to settle into any kind of boxing rhythm, and ultimately earning a close decision.

Chocolate eventually would become a champion after moving up to jr. lightweight and beating Benny Bass. Meanwhile, Battalino would continue on a run of impressive defenses, beating other HOFers like LaBarba and Freddie Miller, before voluntarily relinquishing the title. His title reign is among the most unfairly unappreciated in boxing history.

 

I think he fought a lot of times injured, on short notice, etc.

I also suspect (though without proof) that he might've taken dives in some fights too. Certainly, he did attempt to lose his title on a flagrant and admitted dive.