Herbert Lewis Hardwick

During his career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Hardwick fought the top African-American fighters of the era in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. This group included, but was not limited to Charley Burley, Holman Williams, Jack Chase, Lloyd Marshall, Bert Lytell and Eddie Booker.[6] Hardwick fought Williams thirteen times, winning eight, losing three, and drawing in two.[7]

The group came to be known as the "Black Murderers' Row" or Murderers' Row and was made up primarily of highly rated African-American boxing contenders in the 1940s, who competed around the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions. Hardwick was the only Hispanic of African descent in the group.[4] Renowned for their toughness and great boxing ability, they were feared throughout the boxing world and were the most avoided fighters of their generation. According to boxing pundit Jim Murray, the Murderers’ Row was the most exclusive men’s club the ring had ever known. They were so good and so feared that they had to have their own tournament.[8] The term "murderers’ row" was coined by writer Budd Schulberg, screenwriter of On the Waterfront.[9]

Amongst the many boxers whom Hardwick fought and defeated during his career were Louis "Kid" Kaplan. The fight occurred on February 2, 1933 at the Arena in New Haven. Kaplan was a champion who held the World Featherweight title until 1927. On December 5, 1933 he faced Lou Ambers and lost the match.

From April through September 1940, Hardwick was the number one welterweight contender in the world. However Henry Armstrong, who held the World Welterweight Championship, refused to give him a title shot.[2] On October 9, 1943, Hardwick made the cover of Knockout Magazine as "The Cocoa Kid."[4]

The World Colored Welterweight title was created in 1936. On July 26 of that year, Hardwick met Young Peter Jackson, the holder of the Pacific Coast and Mexican lightweight titles, at Heinemann Park in New Orleans, Louisiana in a 10-round title bout referred by Harry Wills, a three-time World Colored Heavyweight Champ. Hardwick won via a technical knock-out in the second round.[10]

He made four defenses of the title. On September 22 of that year at the same venue, he defeated Jackie Elverillo on points in 10 rounds. On June 11, 1937, at the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans, Hardwick fought his old nemesis Holman Williams, prevailing in a close fight, winning a decision in the 12-rounder. Ring Magazine had donated a championship belt for the bout.

Hardwick successfully defended his title against Black Canadian boxer Sonny Jones at the Valley Arena in Holyoke, Massachusetts on November 15, 1937, in a bout refereed by then former world heavyweight champion Jack Sharkey. Hardwick scored a technical knock out in the sixth round of their 15-round bout. He had devastated Jones in the third with a right to his jaw and with a right opened a cut over Sonny's left eye. Sharkey stopped the fight when Jones could barely see.[11]

The ascension of Henry Armstrong as the world welterweight champ on May 31, 1938 (when he beat Barney Ross) seemingly made the title redundant (the World Colored Heavyweight Championship expired when Joe Louis became world heavyweight champ in 1937 and the World Colored Middleweight Championship became defunct for 10 years after Gorilla Jones lost the world middleweight title in 1932), but continued to be contested during Armstrong's reign.

Hardwick lost the title to Charley Burley on August 22, 1938, at Hickey Park in Millvale, Pennsylvania. Burley won a unanimous decision in the 15-round bout, knocking Hardwick to the canvas three times and defeating him decisively, taking his title.[12][13] Burley never defended the title, probably out of a desire to get a title shot with Armstrong. To fill the vacant title, Hardwick and Holman Williams met in a rematch on January 11, 1940 at the Coliseum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Hardwick won a unanimous decision in their 15-round title bout, winning the title for a second time. Hardwick never defended his second title.

Hardwick faced Holman Williams for his World Colored Middleweight Championship on January 15, 1943 at the Victory Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hardwick took the title from Williams on points in the 12-round bout.[14]

He never defended the title, which became extinct. Instead, he met Williams at New Orleans' Coliseum Arena on September 15, 1944 for the "Duration Middleweight World Title". This time, the result was a draw after 12 rounds. It was his second fight after being discharged from the U.S. Navy.

In 1944, a controversy erupted between Hardwick and a boxer named "Oakland Billy Smith." When the fighters met on November 24, in the Civic Auditorium of San Francisco, California, the betting odds favored the Cocoa Kid over Smith by 2 to 1.[3] When Hardwick was knocked down four times, referee Frankie Brown became suspicious and stopped the fight, declaring it a "no-contest."[5] During an investigation carried out by the California Boxing Commission, Hardwick claimed his poor performance was due to personal anxiety about his “sick mother” (meaning his aunt Antonia). According to the Oakland Tribune, the commission felt that Hardwick threw the fight. In addition to withholding his earnings, the commission fined him $500, and suspended him from boxing for six months.[3]

On September 17, 1945, Hardwick fought and lost to Archie Moore. He lost his last professional fight on August 24, 1948, against Bobby Mann at Ball Park in Trenton, New Jersey.[15] In 1949, Sugar Ray Robinson entered into, and then broke, two agreements to fight against Hardwick.[2]

That same year of 1949, Hardwick was Robinson's sparring partner at the welterweight king's training camp in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. Robinson was training for a fight with Steve Belloise and was at his peak. In one session, Hardwick landed a short overhand right to Robinson's chin and dropped him in the second round.[3][2]

By the end of his boxing career, Hardwick had fought a total of 244 professional fights, of which he won 176 with 48 knockouts (KO). He lost 56 fights, 7 by way of KOs and 10 of his fights were classified as draws (ties).[4] Among the Champions which he faced during his career were: Louis Kaplan, Johnny Jadick, Lou Ambers, Christopher "Battling" Battalino, Chalky Wright and Archie Moore. Of these he defeated Kaplan, Jadick and Wright in non-title fights.[2]