Cocoa Kid rec'd a horrible tribute at hall of fame weekend

burt bienstock · Jun 16, 2012

Stoney, let no good deed go unrecognised...Thanks...

Legend X · Jun 17, 2012

I have recently found highlights of the Izzy Jannazzo v Cocoa Kid fight on 8mm film. Pretty good fight, both of them quite impressive.

johnmaff36 · Jun 17, 2012

Stonehands89 said: ↑

Okay.... Ed Brophy, the director of the IBHOF just called. He said that he was encouraged to contact Carlos Ortiz and ask him to do Cocoa Kid's induction. Carlos is a Puerto Rican Hall of Famer and it would be appropriate, so they reasoned.

I have no problem with that. Carlos was, he reassured, contacted before the weekend and he said that he would do the induction. Unfortunately, Oritz failed to mention that he didn't know who Cocoa Kid was before the ceremony.

That's what happened.

Brophy et al. assumed that Carlos knew about his Puerto Rican countryman through "stories from his childhood." I told Brophy that such would be impossible because no one was really sure of Cocoa Kid's ethnicity until only a year ago.

During Cocoa Kid's career, he was considered Cuban -in an effort to ride the tails of Kid Chocolate; Puerto Rican, particularly in local Connecticut papers; and African American. In fact, one of his managers was interviewed years after Cocoa Kid had disappeared and he laughed at how they sold everyone the myth that he was Puerto Rican when he was, said the manager "as much an American Negro as Joe Louis."

--It turns out that he was two out of the three!

I told Brophy that "of all the fighters in modern history, none this side of the ring-deaths sacrificed more than Cocoa Kid," and that the damage that was done at his induction has to be undone. Brophy said that he will have me to do a ringside seminar in Canastota next year to honor and inform the fans about Cocoa Kid.

That would make this better. I give Brophy credit. There was, after all, good faith on his part in asking Ortiz to induct Cocoa Kid, he did call me after I emailed him, and he is going to let me make it right next June.
Click to expand...

Kudos to you Stonehands. Fair play to ya:thumbsup

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Cocoa Kid rec'd a horrible tribute at hall of fame weekend

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Cocoa Kid rec'd a horrible tribute at hall of fame weekend

burt bienstock Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

Legend X Boxing Addict banned Full Member

johnmaff36 Boxing Addict Full Member