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By Kirk Jackson
Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin 30-0 (22 KO’s) is an undefeated world middleweight champion. He came from hardships, was able to endure various trials and tribulations, and reached the top level his profession. Amidst all of the struggles and hurdles he was faced with, what propelled Quillin to top was self-motivation and insistence on becoming great.
Quillin and others may call that drive or level of motivation, “Animal Status.” It is a combination of his self-imposed philosophy “Animal Status,” and his pride that derives from his Cuban ancestry that has led to his success.
“I’m a Cuban-American, I fight for Cuban pride, and I’m very prideful to fight for what Cuba stands for,” said Peter Quillin in a recent interview with BoxingInsider.
“I love when Cuba fights for opportunity because that’s what it’s all about when it comes to being able to fight for a better day. Me going to Cuba in 2010, I learned a lot about myself, and being a Cuban-American, and them being able to fight for things we never thought we would get.”
Quillin also has admiration for his fellow Cuban fighters, referring to them as brothers and wants to see the continued success of his brothers. Some of the most recent successful Cuban fighters being Guillermo Rigondeaux 13-0 (KO’s), Erislandy Lara 19-1-2 (12 KO’s), Yuriorkis Gamboa 23-0 (16 KO’s) and Peter Quillin.
When talking about Rigondeaux, “You have to give the guy (Rigondeaux) some credit for being a champion of world with only a handful of professional fights. The guy is just amazing to watch. When you see him fight, there is a science to it,” said Quillin.
“At this point, he’s one of the best, at the science of boxing. Some people may say oh he’s boring, but watching him, you get to see technique and you get to see a boxer perform at the highest level a boxer can perform at.”
With Lara landing a huge fight with one of boxing’s biggest stars Saul “Canelo” Alvarez 43-1-1 (31 KO’s), and with Gamboa potentially fighting one of boxing’s rising stars Mikey Garcia 34-0 (28 KO’s), the Cubans aim to further establish their dominance on the sport.
Lara is targeting some of the bigger names that neighbor his division and one of those names could potentially be Quillin. But from all accounts, Lara and Quillin have a good relationship, they both train in New York and a fight between the two seems unlikely.
“I’m not interested in fighting my brother (Lara). For my personal reasons, there’s no amount of money in the world they could give me to fight my brothers.”
Quillin’s nickname originates from former Super Featherweight Champion Eligio Sardiñas Montalvo, who was the original Kid Chocolate. Montalvo was a legendary Cuban fighter and because of Quillin’s strong resemblance to Montalvo along with his ancestry, adopted the nickname “Kid Chocolate” to pay homage.
The Cuban-American Quillin, is very prideful; fighting hard for his family, his strong knit group of friends, while representing both The United States and Cuba. Due to his persistence and the collective contributions of not only himself, but other current Cuban elite fighters such as Rigondeaux, Lara, Gamboa and even Joel Casamayor from a decade and a half prior, the legacy of Cuban boxing on a professional level remains strong.
The pride of Cuba will be on display April 19th against Lukáš Konečný 50-4 (23 KO’s) at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C.
