Orlando Cruz

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]

Orlando Cruz
Statistics
Nickname(s)El Fenómeno ("The Phenomenon")
Weight(s)Lightweight
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
NationalityPuerto Rican
Born (1981-07-01) July 1, 1981[1]
Yabucoa, Puerto Rico
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights34
Wins25
Wins by KO13
Losses7
Draws2

Personal life

On October 4, 2012, Cruz 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".[3] He won his first fight since coming out on October 20, 2012.[4] He was among the first class of inductees into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame on August 2, 2013.[5]

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.[6]

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." [7]

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.[8] 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 homophobic 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.[9] Despite this match and its resulting homophobia, the Puerto Rican boxer remains an active LGBTQ fighter.

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.[6] Both his mother and father attended Cruz’s wedding to his partner, Jose Manuel Colon, in Central Park in 2013.[7]

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.[10]

During Summer 2018, he was honored as Grand Marshall for the Chicago Pride Parade and “Cacique King” for the People’s Puerto Rican Parade.[11]

Career

Cruzz 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. Cruz is currently ranked at No. 4 among featherweights by the World Boxing Organization (WBO).[12]

He has been described by ESPN as having "quick hands and feet" and "moves well and punches in flashy combinations."[13]

Professional Record

25 Wins (12 Knockouts), 6 Defeats (3 Knockouts), 1 Draw
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Draw 25-6-2 Lamont Roach Jr. SD 12 2018-04-20 José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Loss 25-6-1 José López UD 12 2017-06-11 Roger Mendoza Coliseum, Caguas, Puerto Rico WBO International super featherweight title
Loss 25–5–1 Terry Flanagan TKO 8 (12), :43 2016-11-26 Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff For WBO Lightweight title
Win 25–4–1 Gabino Cota TKO 7 (10), 2:38 2016-10-07 A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida For WBO NABO Super Featherweight title
Win 24–4–1 Alejandro Valdez KO 7 (10), 1:24 2016-07-15 Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida For WBO NABO Super Featherweight title
Win 23–4–1 Romulo Koasicha UD 10 2016-03-04 A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, Florida For WBO NABO Super Featherweight title
Win 22–4–1 Gabino Cota UD 10 2015-10-09 Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida For vacant WBO Latino Super Featherweight title.
Win 21–4–1 Edwin Lopez TKO 4 (8), 1:50 2015-06-27 Palacio de los Deportes, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Loss 20–4–1 Gamalier Rodriguez UD 10 2014-04-19 Bahia Shrine Temple, Orlando, Florida
Loss 20-3-1 Orlando Salido TKO 7 (12), 1:05 2013-10-12 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada For vacant WBO Featherweight title.
Win 20–2–1 Aalan Martinez TKO 6 (12), 1:19 2013-03-15 Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida
Win 19–2–1 Jorge Pazos UD 12 2012-10-19 Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida
Win 18–2–1 Alejandro Delgado KO 11 (12), 2:59 2012-02-10 Community Center, Palm Bay, Florida
Win 17–2–1 Michael Franco KO 1 (12), 2:29 2011-10-14 Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida
Loss 16–2–1 Daniel Ponce de León KO 3 (12), 2:37 2010-02-20 Auditorio Plaza Condesa, Mexico City, Mexico For WBC Latino Featherweight title
Loss 16–1–1 Cornelius Lock TKO 5 (10), 2:08 2009-09-19 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada For WBO NABO Featherweight title
Win 16–0–1 Leonilo Miranda KO 5 (10), 0:45 2009-01-16 Million Dollar Elm Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Win 15–0–1 Carlos Guevara UD 12 2008-03-22 Coliseo José Miguel Agrelot, Hato Rey Won IBA Featherweight title
Win 14–0–1 Wilfredo Acuna UD 10 2007-11-17 Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo
Draw 13–0–1 Jesús Salvador Pérez SD 4 2007-06-22 Mahi Temple Shrine Auditorium, Miami, Florida
Win 13–0 Armando Córdoba UD 8 2007-05-11 Champion Sport Complex, Orlando, Florida
Win 12–0 Ricardo Medina UD 6 2007-04-07 Shrine Mosque, Springfield, Missouri
Win 11–0 Francisco Huerta TKO 1 (10), 2:21 2007-03-10 Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium, Ponce
Win 10–0 Juan Ramón Cruz TD 9 (10) 2006-11-11 Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo
Win 9–0 Ricardo Barrera KO 1 (8), 2:05 2006-06-17 Pedrín Zorrilla Coliseum, Hato Rey
Win 8–0 Pedro Rincón Miranda UD 8 2006-04-01 Mario Morales Coliseum, Guaynabo
Win 7–0 Osvaldo Cedeño UD 6 2005-12-17 Tomás Dones Coliseum, Fajardo
Win 6–0 Michael Connolly UD 4 2005-08-26 Thunderbird Wild West Casino, Norman, Oklahoma
Win 5–0 Javier Hernández UD 4 2004-11-19 Salon Marbet Plus, Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico
Win 4–0 Alberto Cepeda TKO 2 (4), 3:00 2002-06-22 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 3–0 Willie Thomas TKO 5 (6) 2001-07-21 Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum, Bayamón
Win 2–0 Eugenio Ventura KO 2 2001-04-19 Diamond Palace Hotel, Condado
Win 1–0 Alfredo Valdez KO 1 2000-12-15 Carolina Professional debut

See also

References

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