Orlando Cruz

Last updated
Orlando Cruz
Born (1981-07-01) July 1, 1981 (age 43) [1]
NationalityPuerto Rican
Other namesEl Fenómeno ("The Phenomenon") "El Olimpico" ("The Olympian")
Statistics
Weight(s) Lightweight
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Stance Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights34
Wins25
Wins by KO13
Losses7
Draws2

Orlando Cruz (born July 1, 1981) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur, he represented Puerto Rico at the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia. [2]

Contents

Biography

On October 4, 2012, Cruz officially came out in an interview with Jessi Losada from Telemundo . [3] Scholars who studied his coming-out interviews, describe how Cruz’s coming-out process was influenced by factors like homophobia and toxic masculinity as he navigated his masculinity and sexuality in the media. [3] In doing so, he became the first boxer to come out as gay while still active professionally, stating that "I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man". [4] He won his first fight since coming out on October 20, 2012. [5] He was among the first class of inductees into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame on August 2, 2013. [6]

Puerto Rican Boxing Commissioner Dommys Delgado Berty was one of the first to give Orlando encouragement publicly, stating that: "Orlando has proven an excellent boxer with very good chances of becoming a world champion. We do know that it (boxing) is a very macho sport. (To) Those who don;t want to fight with him, well, don;t fight (him)". [7]

In July 2016, Orlando Cruz dedicated his match with Alejandro Valdez to the gay citizens murdered at the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida. Nearly half the victims were Puerto Rican, and Cruz lost four friends in this tragedy. At the weigh-in for the match, Cruz proudly wore a pair of rainbow-striped briefs, and the bell tolled once for each of the forty-nine victims killed in the shooting. In the match, Cruz knocked out Valdez in seven rounds. [8]

In an interview with El Vocero, Cruz claimed that he did not plan on retiring anytime soon and told Puerto Rican paper editors about his plans to continue making history. “At 35-years-old—I feel great. I know my opponent will come to fight but I am prepared and ready for victory and then to be crowned world champion. I’m focused on becoming the only gay world champion in boxing history." [9]

Cruz wanted to become the first openly gay world boxing champion, and stated so in multiple interviews. He claimed the WBO North American Boxing Organization super featherweight title, but during the eighth round of World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Lightweight championship match in November 2016, he lost to the undefeated Terry Flanagan. [10] After the fight, UK trainer Peter Fury (who at the time was the trainer of his nephew Tyson Fury) stated in a now-deleted tweet “That’s the difference between real men & half of something else.” Later, after being criticised for his comment, he tweeted “Don't worry about my position. Fighting men I want to see. Not something else! #BOXING” (7:08 PM November 26, 2016). Cruz offered Fury no response, instead tweeting “gracias por tu trato, apoyo y respeto dios te bendiga, de eso se trata caemos nos levantamos con más fuerza” (translation: “thank you for your treatment, support and respect god bless you, that's what it's about we fall we get up stronger”) on November 28, 2016 1:36 PM. [11] Despite this match and its resulting homophobia, the Puerto Rican boxer remains an active LGBTQ fighter. [12]

At the LGBT Ricans Conference at Hunter College, Orlando Cruz revealed the emotional pain he endured when he came out to his father as a teenager. His mother was supportive immediately, but his father was supposedly disgusted and refused to speak with him for a year. After years of tension, his father supposedly regretted his actions, and the Puerto Rican boxer now refers to his father as not only his father but also his best friend. [8] Both his mother and father attended Cruz’s wedding to his partner, Jose Manuel Colon, in Central Park in 2013. [9]

In 2017, Cruz was featured as part of a campaign launched by Lululemon (an athletic apparel company) exploring masculinity and strength through a series of short videos. The ad campaign, titled ‘Strength to Be’, aimed to challenge traditional stereotypes of masculinity by featuring five men touching upon what masculinity and what it means for them. Cruz’s video features him talking about coming out while still being a professional boxer. [13]

During Summer 2018, he was honored as Grand Marshall for the Chicago Pride Parade and “Cacique King” for the People’s Puerto Rican Parade. [14]

Career

Cruz made his professional debut on December 15, 2000, against Alfredo Valdez in Puerto Rico. He was undefeated until 2009, when he lost to Cornelius Lock by TKO. In 2018, Cruz was ranked at No. 4 among featherweights by the World Boxing Organization (WBO). [15]

He has been described by ESPN as having "quick hands and feet" and "moves well and punches in flashy combinations." [16]

Professional record

25 Wins (12 Knockouts), 7 Defeats (3 Knockouts), 2 Draws
Res.RecordOpponentTypeRd., TimeDateLocationNotes
Draw25–6–2 Flag of the United States.svg Lamont Roach Jr. SD122018-04-20 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Loss25–6–1 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg José LópezUD122017-06-11 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Roger Mendoza Coliseum, Caguas, Puerto Rico WBO International super featherweight title
Loss25–5–1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Terry Flanagan TKO8 (12), :432016-11-26 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff For WBO Lightweight title
Win25–4–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Gabino CotaTKO7 (10), 2:382016-10-07 Flag of the United States.svg A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, FloridaFor WBO NABO Super Featherweight title
Win24–4–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Alejandro ValdezKO7 (10), 1:242016-07-15 Flag of the United States.svg Civic Center, Kissimmee, FloridaFor WBO NABO Super Featherweight title
Win23–4–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Romulo KoasichaUD102016-03-04 Flag of the United States.svg A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, FloridaFor WBO NABO Super Featherweight title
Win22–4–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Gabino CotaUD102015-10-09 Flag of the United States.svg Civic Center, Kissimmee, FloridaFor vacant WBO Latino Super Featherweight title.
Win21–4–1 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Edwin LopezTKO4 (8), 1:502015-06-27 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Palacio de los Deportes, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Loss20–4–1 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Gamalier Rodriguez UD102014-04-19 Flag of the United States.svg Bahia Shrine Temple, Orlando, Florida
Loss20–3–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Orlando Salido TKO7 (12), 1:052013-10-12 Flag of the United States.svg Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada For vacant WBO Featherweight title.
Win20–2–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Aalan MartinezTKO6 (12), 1:192013-03-15 Flag of the United States.svg Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida
Win19–2–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Jorge PazosUD122012-10-19 Flag of the United States.svg Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida
Win18–2–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Alejandro DelgadoKO11 (12), 2:592012-02-10 Flag of the United States.svg Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida
Win17–2–1 Flag of the United States.svg Michael FrancoKO1 (12), 2:292011-10-14 Flag of the United States.svg Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida
Loss16–2–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Daniel Ponce de León KO3 (12), 2:372010-02-20 Flag of Mexico.svg Auditorio Plaza Condesa, Mexico City, MexicoFor WBC Latino Featherweight title
Loss16–1–1 Flag of the United States.svg Cornelius Lock TKO5 (10), 2:08 2009-09-19 Flag of the United States.svg MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada For WBO NABO Featherweight title
Win16–0–1 Flag of Mexico.svg Leonilo MirandaKO5 (10), 0:452009-01-16 Flag of the United States.svg Million Dollar Elm Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Win15–0–1 Flag of Nicaragua.svg Carlos GuevaraUD122008-03-22 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Coliseo José Miguel Agrelot, Hato Rey Won IBA Featherweight title
Win14–0–1 Flag of Nicaragua.svg Wilfredo AcunaUD102007-11-17 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo
Draw13–0–1 Flag of Colombia.svg Jesús Salvador Pérez SD42007-06-22 Flag of the United States.svg Mahi Temple Shrine Auditorium, Miami, Florida
Win13–0 Flag of Panama.svg Armando CórdobaUD82007-05-11 Flag of the United States.svg Champion Sport Complex, Orlando, Florida
Win12–0 Flag of Mexico.svg Ricardo MedinaUD62007-04-07 Flag of the United States.svg Shrine Mosque, Springfield, Missouri
Win11–0 Flag of Nicaragua.svg Francisco HuertaTKO1 (10), 2:212007-03-10 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium, Ponce
Win10–0 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Juan Ramón CruzTD9 (10)2006-11-11 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo
Win9–0 Flag of Mexico.svg Ricardo BarreraKO1 (8), 2:052006-06-17 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Pedrín Zorrilla Coliseum, Hato Rey
Win8–0 Flag of Colombia.svg Pedro Rincón MirandaUD82006-04-01 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo
Win7–0 Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Osvaldo CedeñoUD62005-12-17 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Tomás Dones Coliseum, Fajardo
Win6–0 Flag of the United States.svg Michael ConnollyUD42005-08-26 Flag of the United States.svg Thunderbird Wild West Casino, Norman, Oklahoma
Win5–0 Flag of Mexico.svg Javier HernándezUD42004-11-19 Flag of Mexico.svg Salon Marbet Plus, Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico
Win4–0 Flag of Mexico.svg Alberto CepedaTKO2 (4), 3:002002-06-22 Flag of the United States.svg MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win3–0 Flag of the United States.svg Willie ThomasTKO5 (6)2001-07-21 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum, Bayamón
Win2–0 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Eugenio VenturaKO22001-04-19 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Diamond Palace Hotel, Condado
Win1–0 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Alfredo ValdezKO12000-12-15 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Carolina Professional debut

See also

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References

  1. "Orlando Cruz - Boxer". Boxrec.com. 1981-07-01. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  2. "Sports News | Latest Sports Results & Fixtures". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  3. 1 2 Feliciano Ortiz, Raúl J., and Eddy Francisco Alvarez. “‘And in the Rainbow Corner’: Orlando Cruz and Performances of Masculinity, Homonormativity, and Liberation.” Latino Studies, November 19, 2022. doi : 10.1057/s41276-022-00392-1.
  4. "Orlando Cruz 'proudly gay'". ESPN. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  5. Orlando Cruz, gay boxer, wins first fight since coming out, USA Today, October 20, 2012
  6. "National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame's Inaugural Class Announced | Out Magazine". Out.com. 2013-06-18. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  7. "Boxer Cruz announces he's gay". Times Union. October 5, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Orlando Cruz Fights to Become Boxing’s First Openly Gay Champion
  9. 1 2 Today In Gay History: Orlando Cruz Came Out As the First Openly Gay Boxer
  10. Orlando Cruz Loses Bout to Become First Openly Gay World Boxing Champion
  11. Trolls punch out boxer Orlando Cruz after he loses shot at world championship
  12. Feliciano Ortiz, Raúl J., and Eddy Francisco Alvarez. “‘And in the Rainbow Corner’: Orlando Cruz and Performances of Masculinity, Homonormativity, and Liberation.” Latino Studies, November 19, 2022. doi : 10.1057/s41276-022-00392-1.
  13. Lululemon’s First Men’s Campaign Features LGBTQ Trailblazers
  14. Malagon, Elvia (June 15, 2018). "He's Professional Boxing's First Openly Gay Athlete — and Chicago's Honoring Him at Pride, Puerto Rican Parades". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  15. "Boxer reveals he is gay". YardBarker. 7 October 2018.
  16. Collins, Nigel (April 18, 2018). "Lamont Roach Jr. on the road again, faces Orlando Cruz in Puerto Rico". ESPN. Retrieved March 8, 2019.