Julio César La Cruz

Julio César La Cruz Peraza (born 11 August 1989) is a Cuban amateur boxer. He won the light heavyweight world title in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, Gold at the Pan American Games in 2011, 2015, and 2019, as well as the Olympic gold medal in 2016.

Julio César La Cruz
Julio César La Cruz at the 2016 Olympics
Statistics
Weight(s)81 kg (179 lb)
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
NationalityCuban
Born (1989-08-11) 11 August 1989
Camagüey, Cuba
Boxing record[1]
Total fights208
Wins191
Wins by KO32
Losses17
Draws0
No contests0

Career

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]

References
  1. "Boxing record for Julio César La Cruz". BoxRec.
  2. "No rest bite for Cuban squad". AIBA. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  3. Florencio Rodriguez, Luis (17 October 2011). "Boxers of Camagüey to Ratify their Worth in Pan-American Games". cadenagramonte.cu. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  4. "Cuba's Panamerican supremacy". AIBA. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  5. "Cuba win a total of eight gold medals in Guadalajara". AIBA. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  6. 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.
  7. Elisinio Castillo (4 January 2014). "Cuban Amateur Star, WSB Fighter is Shot in Camaguey". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  8. "Julio Cesar la Cruz". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  9. http://www.worldseriesboxing.com/boxers/la-cruz-julio-cesar/
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