Orlando Cruz was born on July 1,1981 and is a retired Puerto Rican professional boxer.
14 Facts About Orlando Cruz
1.
2.
On October 4,2012, Cruz officially came out in an interview with Jessi Losada from Telemundo.
3.
Orlando Cruz won his first fight since coming out on October 20,2012.
4.
Orlando Cruz 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.
6.
At the weigh-in for the match, Orlando 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.
7.
Orlando Cruz wanted to become the first openly gay world boxing champion, and stated so in multiple interviews.
8.
Orlando Cruz claimed the WBO North American Boxing Organization super featherweight title, but during the eighth round of World Boxing Organization World Lightweight championship match in November 2016, he lost to the undefeated Terry Flanagan.
9.
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.
10.
Orlando Cruz's mother was supportive immediately, but his father was supposedly disgusted and refused to speak with him for a year.
11.
In 2017, Orlando Cruz was featured as part of a campaign launched by Lululemon exploring masculinity and strength through a series of short videos.
12.
Orlando Cruz made his professional debut on December 15,2000, against Alfredo Valdez in Puerto Rico.
13.
Orlando Cruz was undefeated until 2009, when he lost to Cornelius Lock by TKO.
14.
In 2018, Orlando Cruz was ranked at No 4 among featherweights by the World Boxing Organization.