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.
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Julio César La Cruz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Cruz at the 2016 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Real name | Julio César De La Cruz Peraza | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname(s) |
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Weight(s) | Cruiserweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reach | 78 in (198 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | (1989-08-11) 11 August 1989 (age 33) Camagüey, Cuba | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total fights | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wins | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wins by KO | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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] After returning to Cuba, La Cruz received a fish and two bottles of soft drink as rewards for his competition in the Olympics.[11] In 2021, he again won the gold at the men's heavyweight held in Tokyo.[12]
1 fight | 1 win | 0 losses |
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By knockout | 1 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
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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 |
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1904–1908: +158 lb (71.7 kg) · 1920–1936: +175 lb (79.4 kg) · 1948: +80 kg · 1952–1980: +81 kg · 1984–2012: 81–91 kg · 2016–: 82–91 kg | |
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1920–1936: 160–175 lb (72.6–79.4 kg) · 1948: 73–80 kg · 1952–2012: 75–81 kg · 2016–: 76-81 kg | |
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World amateur boxing champions – men's light heavyweight | |
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World amateur boxing champions – men's heavyweight | |
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Pan American Champions in Boxing – Men's Light Heavyweight | |
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81 kg (1951–) | |
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