Julio César La Cruz
Julio César La Cruz | |
---|---|
![]() Cruz at the 2016 Olympics | |
Born | Julio César De La Cruz Peraza 11 August 1989 Camagüey, Cuba |
Other names |
|
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) |
Reach | 78 in (198 cm) |
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 2 |
Wins | 2 |
Wins by KO | 2 |
Medal record |
Julio César De La Cruz Peraza (born 11 August 1989)[1] is a Cuban professional boxer. As an amateur he won gold medals at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, and the 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships. As a professional, he has qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Amateur career
[edit]At the 2011 World Championships, he captained the Cuban national team,[2] where he beat number 1 seeded Egor Mekhontsev from Russia on points (21–15) in semi-final, and defeated Adilbek Niyazymbetov from Kazakhstan after 3 rounds by 17–13 finishing score in final, being the 4th World amateur boxing champion boxer from Camagüey.[3] He grasped the gold medal at 2011 Pan American Games in which Cuba national team topped the medal table with 8 golds and 1 silver.[4] He beat Carlos Gongora of Ecuador in the semi-finals and Yamaguchi Falcão Florentino of Brazil in the final on points (22–12).[5]
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he was upset by Falcão Florentino in the quarterfinals in a rematch from the 2011 Pan American Games.[6] At the 2013 World Championships in Almaty, he beat Serge Michel, Oleksandr Ganzulia, Abdelhafid Benchabla and Joe Ward, before again beating Niyazymbetov in the final. On 4 January 2014, Julio Cesar la Cruz was hospitalized after being shot outside of a recreation center in his hometown of Camagüey.[7] In 2015, he again won the gold at the AIBA World Boxing Championships held in Doha.
He won the gold medal at the men's light heavyweight event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[8] La Cruz sports a 21–3 record in the World Series of Boxing.[9] In the 2020 Summer Olympics, he gained attention for expressing his support for the Cuban government by declaring after his quarterfinal win over a Cuban-born Spanish opponent, "Patria y vida, no. ¡Patria o Muerte, Venceremos!",[10] citing the national motto of Cuba which was created by Fidel Castro. In 2021, he again won the gold at the men's heavyweight held in Tokyo.[11]
Professional boxing record
[edit]3 fights | 3 wins | 0 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 2 | 0 |
By decision | 1 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Win | 3–0 | Austine Nnamdi | UD | 10 (10) | 16 Dec 2023 | Palais du Peuple, Conakry, Guinea | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Juan Rodolfo Juarez | TKO | 4 (6) | 28 Aug 2022 | Club Social y Deportivo El Porvenir, Quilmes, Argentina | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Deivis Casseres | KO | 2 (6), 1:40 | 20 May 2022 | Palenque de la FNSM, Aguascalientes, Mexico |
References
[edit]- ^ "Boxing la CRUZ Julio - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "No rest bite for Cuban squad". AIBA. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ Florencio Rodriguez, Luis (17 October 2011). "Boxers of Camagüey to Ratify their Worth in Pan-American Games". cadenagramonte.cu. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Cuba's Panamerican supremacy". AIBA. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Cuba win a total of eight gold medals in Guadalajara". AIBA. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Julio César La Cruz". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- ^ Elisinio Castillo (4 January 2014). "Cuban Amateur Star, WSB Fighter is Shot in Camaguey". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ "Julio Cesar la Cruz". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "World Series of Boxing". Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ ""Patria y vida, no": Mensaje polémico de boxeador cubano tras ganar su pelea en Tokyo 2020".
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Julio Cesar la Cruz wins heavyweight final for Cuba's third boxing gold". BBC Sport.
External links
[edit]- Boxing record for Julio César La Cruz from BoxRec (registration required)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Julio César La Cruz at AIBA.org (archived) (archive)
- Julio César La Cruz at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- 1989 births
- Living people
- Boxers at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Boxers at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Boxers at the 2019 Pan American Games
- Light-heavyweight boxers
- Heavyweight boxers
- Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba
- Boxers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Boxers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Olympic boxers for Cuba
- Cuban male boxers
- Sportspeople from Camagüey
- AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists
- Olympic gold medalists for Cuba
- Olympic medalists in boxing
- Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Pan American Games medalists in boxing
- Shooting survivors
- Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba
- Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games
- Competitors at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games
- Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in boxing
- Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Boxers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- 21st-century Cuban people
- Boxers at the 2023 Pan American Games
- Boxers at the 2024 Summer Olympics