Gay Puerto Rican boxer Orlando Cruz dedicates next fight to Orlando victims
Gay Puerto Rican boxer, Orlando Cruz, is dedicating his upcoming fight to the victims of the Orlando massacre.
Orlando Cruz, the first openly gay boxer, is dedicating his fight tomorrow to the victims of the June 12 shooting in Orlando.
During his fight in Kissimmee, Florida, Cruz will ring 10 bells to honor the victims and their families as well as wear an outfit that will pay homage to the lives lost.
Cruz, who is currently ranked fourth in the world and lives in Puerto Rico with his partner, was friends with four of the shooting’s victims.
“At first, I was said,” Cruz said to the Orlando Sentinel. “Second, angry. I am very angry because people are homophobic, so they attacked my community. They attacked me.”
The boxer was unable to attend the victim’s funerals due to training camp but visited Pulse nightclub on Tuesday to pay his respects – leaving a pair of gloves and flowers to honor his friends.
This is not the first time Cruz has fought back against homophobia (pun very intended), the boxer wore rainbow shorts as a form of protest during a fight in Las Vegas in 2013.
When Cruz came out as gay in 2012, he released a statement to the media saying, “I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career.
“I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man.”
