[yt]eEh3IBo_RIg[/yt] This is the second fight between LaBarba and Chocolate - Nov. 3, 1930. Background: Chocolate, "The Cuban BonBon," was an ultra talented, fast rising featherweight prospect from Cuba. He reportedly won something like 160 straight fights (combined amateur and pro) before losing for the first time ever, to Jackie Berg. Since coming to America, he had amassed a huge following in and around New York, and it seemed more a matter of when, not if, he would become a world champion. By contrast, LaBarba was the masterful technician who whose style perhaps was not as appealing to mainstream boxing fans as Chocolate's, but who was revered among more dedicated fans. He was an Olympic gold medalist, and set the trend for gold winners parlaying their medals into a moneymaking pro career. He had already proven his greatness down at flyweight, where he cleaned out the division and unified the titles. He then vacted the titles to attend college, but dropped out after a year and returned to the ring as a bantamweight, eventually moving up to feather. In their first fight, Chocolate had a won a very close, fast-paced action fight on a somewhat disputed decision. Despte his recent loss to Berg, he looked to be on the verge of a title shot against the champion Battling Battalino. However, LaBarba reversed the outcome of the first fight by taking it to Chocolate and giving him a mugging on the inside. Post-script: Both men went on to get shots at Battalino's title shortly after this - though strangely, Chocolate got his first. Following in LaBarba's footsteps, Battalino mugged and bullied Chocolate on the inside throughout and won a close decision. Battalino was not a particularly highly regarded champion, and many "experts" figured LaBarba would be the man to "expose" him when they fought. Instead, Battalino shocked and silenced his critics by shutting down LaBarba and winning a clear decision. Choclate would eventually win a title just as he figured to do, yet despite being obviously successful, in many people's eyes, his career just didn't seem to live up to expectations. He claimed titles at both featherweight and jr. lightweight, lost an exciting and hotly disputed title challenge of Tony Canzoneri up at lightweight, but only a year after that he was basically through as a top fighter. After crushing KO losses to Canzoneri and Frankie Klick he basically faded into oblivion, and spent the remainder of his career fighting in obscurity against second-raters and no-hopers. As for LaBarba, he would never accomplish his goal of winning a second world title. He persevered on, and always was in the mix as a top contender, but always fell short in his most important fights. His last hurrah came when he got a rubber match with Chocolate, with his featherweight title claim on the line. In training, LaBarba suffered a serious eye injury that eventually blinded him. Nevertheless, he chose to go through with the fight, and he ended up giving Chocolate yet another whale of a battle. Most spectators felt LaBarba won, but Chocolate was given a highly controversial decision. LaBarba fought on for a couple more fights and then retired. He had never been KO'd or stopped in his career. After retiring, his eye was removed.
