The legendary Cuban boxing great Kid Gavilan passed away on February 13, 2003, at the age of 77, in poverty and solitude. So much so that, at his burial site in a neglected area of Miami’s Our Lady of Mercy cemetery, only a simple bronze plaque was initially placed. To exhume his remains, transfer them to a more suitable location, and honor him with a proper headstone, donations from other boxing champions were needed—the most generous of which came from Mike Tyson, who contributed $5,000 despite having recently declared bankruptcy at the time. And yet, during his years of glory, the “Cuban Hawk” wrote indelible pages in boxing history, establishing himself as one of the greatest welterweights of all time.
Lacking Power, Sublime in Everything Else: The Artist of the “Bolo Punch”
When Mother Nature handed out gifts to little Gerardo Gonzalez—Gavilan’s birth name—she likely realized she had given him too many and decided to withhold power. In every other aspect, the “Cuban Hawk” had it all: as fast as a feline, as solid as a rock, technically mesmerizing, and mentally unbreakable. Had he also possessed knockout power, he might have challenged Sugar Ray Robinson for the title of the greatest boxer in history. Instead, out of 143 professional fights, he won only 28 by knockout, far more often relying on the judges—sometimes to his detriment. If the fighter from Camagüey lacked a one-punch finisher in his offensive arsenal, he made up for it with a spectacular weapon: the unmistakable bolo punch. The invention of this unique swinging uppercut—executed by winding the arm backward before striking—is traditionally credited to Filipino fighter Ceferino Garcia. However, Gavilan developed it on his own, as the motion was the same one he used when cutting sugarcane in Cuba’s vast fields!
From Early Days at Home to a World Title Shot Against the God of Boxing
Turning professional at just 17, Gavilan fought most of his early bouts in Cuba, with occasional trips to Mexico. It took four years before he moved permanently to the United States, where he immediately showcased his talent, quickly earning high-profile fights. Though he initially lost to more experienced elite fighters like Ike Williams and Sugar Ray Robinson, the young Cuban won the public’s admiration. In both cases, the crowd loudly booed the decisions, protesting the result against Robinson so fiercely that the event had to be interrupted to restore order. Growing more confident in his abilities, Gavilan won both the rematch and the rubber match against Williams, earning a shot at the welterweight world title held by that same Sugar Ray Robinson, who had previously beaten him in a non-title bout. Having never fought beyond ten rounds, Gavilan remained highly competitive through the first six but faded down the stretch, losing by decision. His date with destiny would have to wait.
Ups and Downs, a World Title, and Controversy
The following years saw fluctuating fortunes, with one constant: judges, audiences, and journalists often saw three different fights, leading to endless debates. By the end of his career, Gavilan had amassed a record 19 split decisions—11 in his favor, 8 against him. While frequently fighting on the road may have worked against him, the backing of his managers—who had ties to organized crime and connections to the notorious Italian-American mobster Frankie Carbo—might have opened some doors for him. However, there was no controversy when he finally became world champion in May 1951, dominating titleholder Johnny Bratton on points and breaking his jaw in the process. Things were quite different in his first title defense: Billy Graham lost via a controversial split decision, which became infamous when, on his deathbed, judge Arthur Schwartz confessed to favoring Gavilan out of intimidation from his entourage. To be fair, though, Graham had been too passive in the first half of the fight, which was extremely close regardless.
A Punch Against Racism and the Destruction of the Undefeated
After yet another questionable decision—an absurd draw in a non-title bout against former champion Johnny Bratton, whom Gavilan had clearly dominated—the Cuban defended his belt in a historic fight against southpaw Bobby Dykes in Miami. It was the first time in Florida’s history that a Black fighter faced a white opponent for a world title. Dykes even received death threats from fanatics accusing him of “dishonoring the white race” by agreeing to fight a Black man, but he stepped into the ring, fought courageously, and lost by a narrow margin. Not only did Gavilan never fear hostile crowds, but he also had no qualms about taking on undefeated fighters: first Gil Turner and then Chuck Davey were both dismantled by the Cuban Hawk, staining their perfect records for the first time. Between those two fights, Gavilan also granted Billy Graham another title shot, but once again, Graham had legitimate reasons to feel wronged. Upon arriving in Cuba, he was arrested on a ridiculous pretext and held in jail for several days before the fight. It was no surprise, then, that this time, the bout was completely one-sided.
The Last Trumpets of the “Cuban Hawk”
Before his inevitable decline, Gavilan still had a few tricks up his sleeve. His last two successful title defenses saw him first overcome the formidable Italian-American Carmen Basilio and then his old rival Johnny Bratton once more. At the time, Basilio had yet to carve his name into the history books—he was in the midst of making the crucial improvements that would later make him an indomitable fighter. Gavilan suffered only the second and last knockdown of his career and struggled with the challenger’s unorthodox style. However, his greater ring savvy in close quarters allowed him to recover in the second half of the fight and edge out a narrow victory. His revenge against Bratton, on the other hand, was overwhelming. This time, no judge in the world could have gifted Bratton a draw: Gavilan toyed with him like a cat with a mouse for half the fight before launching a devastating bombardment that repeatedly had the poor challenger on the verge of a knockout. Bratton’s immense pride kept him on his feet until the final bell, but Gavilan walked away with a lopsided decision victory.
The Missed Triumph and the Final Betrayal
After three years of dominance in the welterweight division, Kid Gavilan could not resist the urge to cement his legacy by chasing the middleweight crown. Before facing champion Bobo Olson, the Cuban stepped on the scale without even removing his clothes—yet the needle stopped two kilos below the middleweight limit. To make matters worse, he had suffered a right-hand injury in his previous fight, forcing him to rely almost entirely on his left. The mountain proved too steep to climb, and the Cuban Hawk was forced to return to the 147-pound division, where one last betrayal awaited him. Facing challenger Johnny Saxton—a fighter whose career was deeply entangled with mob interests—Gavilan engaged in an ugly, clinch-filled bout that lacked significant action. Still, according to most observers, he had done more than enough to win. But that wasn’t the official verdict: yet another split decision, this time against him, bringing an inglorious end to a reign that, despite all its controversies, remains extraordinary.
The path Gavilan embarked on that night eventually led to his passing in 2003, after eight years in a care facility where his health deteriorated day by day. Shamefully forgotten by those closest to him in the final phase of his life, the Hawk of Camagüey will never be forgotten by boxing fans. Thanks to the noble efforts of fighters like Roberto Duran, Leon Spinks, Buddy McGirt, Emile Griffith, and the aforementioned Mike Tyson, visitors can now pay their respects at a headstone truly worthy of a world champion.