Phenom Boxer Orlando Cruz Reveals He’s Gay

Phenom Boxer Orlando Cruz Reveals He’s Gay

Orlando Cruz is currently one of the most promising boxers in the world. And just recently, he confessed he’s gay.

He's a world-class professional boxer who, with one more win, could be fighting for a version of the featherweight title. He aspires to be a role model, hoping to inspire children to ignore the naysayers and reach for their dreams. He plans to begin a campaign to end bullying.

There are, and have been, scores of lesbian and gay athletes in professional sports. Some of the greatest stars in sports history are or were gay, such as tennis players Bill Tilden, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, diver Greg Louganis and boxer Emile Griffith.

It remains so rare, though, particularly in male sports, that when an athlete comes out of the closet mid-career, it's big news.

He explained himself quite well in his statement, however, even though the cost of doing so could be quite painful.

Cruz, who fights Jorge Pazos on Oct. 19 in Kissimmee, Fla., is closing in on a shot at the WBO featherweight title. He is believed to be the first openly gay active male boxer.

Women's boxing star Christy Martin announced she is gay as her legendary career was ending.

But Cruz, a 2000 Puerto Rican Olympian, is still in the midst of his career. It took an enormous amount of courage to make his statement in this far-too-often hate-filled world.

People dislike others for many reasons, but their race, their religion or their sexual orientation should not be among those.

No doubt, Cruz will face ridicule and scorn from those who are involved in the testosterone-addled sport he loves, much like the great Jackie Robinson did when he broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. It may hurt Cruz in the rankings. Judges may quietly score against him. Some foes might not want to fight him.

Posted by James Fried on Sunday October 07 2012, 8:05 AM EDT. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0