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.
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 | 3 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Wins by KO | 2 |
Medal record | |
Amateur career
editAt 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 | 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. 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 Cesar la Cruz from BoxRec (registration required)
- Julio Cesar La Cruz at AIBA.org (archived) (archive)
- Julio César la Cruz at Olympedia
- Julio Cesar La Cruz at Olympics.com
- Julio Cesar la Cruz Peraza at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
- Julio César La Cruz Peraza at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games
