Boxer Orlando Cz buoyed by support sce announcg he's gay

orlando cruz gay boxer

Orlando Cz ed to worry what would happen if the boxg muny disvered he's gay. He now feels more fortable than ever wh how he's been accepted.

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ORLANDO CZ FIGHTS TO BEE BOXG’S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHAMPN

John Flor and Ouisie Shapiro wre about Orlando Cz, who hop to bee the first openly gay world champn the sport. * orlando cruz gay boxer *

When the boxer Orlando Cz issued a prs release on October 3, 2012, announcg to the world that he is gay, a strange thg happened: nothg. He is also boxg’s first openly gay profsnal fighter, and he is eager to bee s first openly gay world champn.

Both of his parents attend their son’s weddg to his longtime partner, José Manuel Colón, an timate gatherg that took place 2013, Central Jul Serrano, a well-known gay activist who, like Cz, is om Puerto Ri, helped facilate Cz’s announcement 2012. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man. ”Serrano, speakg om his office San Juan, said that he saw Cz’s g out as helpg to dispel two myths: that Latos are homophobic, and that the ultra-macho sport of boxg has no place for a gay fighter.

GAY BOXER ORLANDO CZ STGGLED WH G OUT

The world's only openly gay boxer, Orlando Cz nonts stereotyp and ph for clivy boxg, fearg the sport may lag behd. * orlando cruz gay boxer *

Griffh is probably bt known for his 1962 fight agast the Cuban welterweight Benny Paret: after endurg anti-gay slurs om Paret at the weigh- before the fight, he unleashed his fury the rg, knockg Paret unnsc. When he steps to the rg at Motorpot Arena, Cardiff, Wal, he expects to see symbols of gay pri, which fans have begun wavg at his fights, to cheer him on.

"I have to w whether he is gay or not, but I don't thk about that, " Pazos said. Has his first fight sce announcement on FridayFirst active boxer to publicly e outHas gaed support the gay munyKISSIMMEE, Fla.

BOXER ORLANDO CZ A 'PROUD GAY MAN'

Puerto Rin featherweight Orlando Cz announced to the world that he is gay on Wednday, beg the first practicg prizefighter to clare he is homosexual. * orlando cruz gay boxer *

— For so many years, Puerto Rin featherweight Orlando Cz stggled wh nflictg emotns regardg his place as a gay man the tradnally mascule, btal and often-remorsels enavor that is profsnal boxg. "I was aaid I uld be discrimated agast bee there is a lot of discrimatn agast the gay muny.

''Two weeks ago, the 31-year-old boxer beme the first active pro fighter to publicly clare that he was gay. In 2005, Ee Griffh, the Hall of Fame former world welterweight and middleweight champn, revealed his homosexualy three s after his fal 's story has generated world-wi media attentn for the ge tle ntenr and journeyman.

''Cz's publicly issued statement that he is a "proud gay man'' was a rare acknowledgement and unprecented among active pro athlet major sports. "Osr asked me before the fight, 'Are you gog to tell people you are gay? ''While Cz said his cisn to e out has been well received om fay and iends, pl the gay and lbian muni, he scribed a recent overt act of discrimatn that sadned him.

BOXER ORLANDO CZ BUOYED BY SUPPORT SCE ANNOUNCG HE'S GAY

The out gay boxer won a North Amerin tle and had a world-tle shot. * orlando cruz gay boxer *

''Cz said he is unncerned about potential tnts om fans — or future opponents tryg to distract him wh homophobic, Cz's Friday opponent, said he don't re about his challenger's sexual preference.

"I have to w whether he is gay or not, '' he said.

He said she spected he was gay even though he said, "I ed to like girls. "When I fish boxg, '' he add, "I want people to remember me: 'Orlando Cz was gay — and he was a good boxer and a good guy. In a sport historilly fed by toughns and masculy, boxg has long grappled wh the stigma surroundg homosexualy.

GAY BOXER WILL HONOR ORLANDO VICTIMS WH UPG FIGHT

* orlando cruz gay boxer *

While progrs has been ma other sports, boxg has seen few openly gay male athlet. This environment has created a signifint barrier for gay men to openly exprs their sexual orientatn. The srcy of openly gay boxers throughout history highlights the endurg challeng faced by athlet who do not f wh tradnal expectatns.

However, Orlando Cz, the sole openly gay boxer the sport today, ntu to challenge nventns and advot for cln. Orlando Cz emerged as a trailblazer when he me out as gay 2012, beg the first publicly gay male boxer. Now, eleven years later, he stands as a solary figure wh the sport, fightg for clivy and support for gay fighters.

While progrs has been ma other sports wh athlet g out as gay and servg as spiratns for others, Cz fears that boxg is laggg behd and that young men, particular, will endure the nsequenc. Thankfully we are begng to see athlet om other sports e out as gay and act as spiratn for others to follow, but I fear that boxg will be left behd and young men, specifilly, will suffer. ” he saidCz’s ncern for the well-beg of young boxers is rooted the alarmg statistics among gay and bisexual men.

HE'S PROFSNAL BOXG'S FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE — AND CHIGO'S HONORG HIM AT PRI, PUERTO RIN PARAS

As the first openly gay profsnal boxer wds down his reer, Orlando “El Fenomeno” Cz wants to be a mentor to aspirg boxers so that they not only bee fierce fighters but are also te to themselv. * orlando cruz gay boxer *

Dpe this, Cz has e out as a bean of hope for the boxers after revealg that some gay fighters have ma him their close ris as a mentor for gay boxers worldwiLater the terview, the Puerto Rin revealed that he has bee a lifele for other gay boxers. Moreover, he claimed that he was ntact wh six gay boxers om different parts of the world.

This clud boxers om Spa, Colombia, the USA, the Uned Kgdom, and ’s ditn to supportg gay boxers reflects his firm belief that no athlete should have to sacrifice their te self. It remas to be seen whether the world chang the stigma regardg gay boxers. He wr about boxg for ESPN The Magaze and is the news edor for Rin featherweight Orlando Cz announced to the world that he is gay on Wednday, beg the first practicg prizefighter to clare he is homosexual.

He said he heard mors that Cz was gay, and assumed he was gay, but never broached the subject wh the fighter "bee I rpect him, and would have been sensive to ask him.

BOXER ORLANDO CZ ANNOUNC HE'S GAY

Dcribg himself as "a proud gay man," Puerto Rin featherweight Orlando Cz on Thursday beme what is believed to be the first pro boxer to e out as openly homosexual while still petg. * orlando cruz gay boxer *

Ten days after that btal battle at Madison Square Garn, Paret, who had teased Griffh wh a gay slur,, the 74-year-old Griffh, who left the rg 1977, suffers om mentia. After g out publicly as gay he add a rabow flag to his boxg attire, even at one pot showg up for a weigh- wearg jt rabow-lored unrwear. He was clever and cunng and had the abily to dictate the way a match, though, wasn't pletely at is gay, and proudly so, and wanted to share the news wh the world.

He'd hear the gay slurs g om a fight crowd, directed not only at him, but toward anyone they didn't believe was fearls enough, tough enough. "Boxg is a macho sport, everyone yellg gay slurs all the time, " he was through livg a lie, tryg to pretend he is someone other than who he is.

4, 2012, Cz told the world what he had known for years, that he is gay.

ORLANDO CZ IS BOXG'S FIRST OPENLY GAY ATHLETE WHILE STILL PETG

In a historic revelatn, featherweight boxer Orlando Cz has bee the first openly gay man the sport's history, scribg himself as a 'proud gay man.' * orlando cruz gay boxer *

He beme the first openly gay man profsnal boxg, a sport not exactly overn wh people known for tolerance and that announcement, Cz has won back-to-back fights and he'll rry a 20-2-1 mark and 10 knockouts to the rg when he meets Orlando Salido for the vant WBO featherweight belt Saturday at the Thomas & Mack speakg a few short words, a great burn was lifted om Cz's shoulrs. The LGBT muny embraced him, and on June 18 Chigo, he was a part of the first class of the Natnal Gay and Lbian Sports Hall of Fame.

He was ducted alongsi such lumari as tennis stars Billie Jean Kg and Marta Navratilova, diver Greg Louganis and NBA player Jason, as tough and hard-nosed a petor as there is the game, sentially shgged when asked about fightg an openly gay profsed his rpect for Cz for havg the urage to e out of the closet, but otherwise, saw ltle noteworthy about . There are people who say their relig beliefs forbid homosexualy, but thoands of people have given their liv for our right to be ee and to make those personal choic. He's here to fight, and wasn't terted talkg at length about his personal praised Salido's abily and said he'd have to be "telligent all the time, very smart, and give him [a lot of lateral] movement" orr to 's probably always gog to be the guy wh the asterisk after his name: Orlando Cz, first openly gay fighter.

The untry’s first openly gay boxer will take to the rg to honor the memory of those killed the June 12 mass shootg Orlando, Florida. “Gay people have rights jt like everybody else and everyone needs to realize that we serve to live openly and happy.

ORLANDO CZ BE FIRST OPENLY GAY MAN BOXG

“I am very angry bee people are homophobic, so they attacked my muny, ” he told the Sentel.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* ORLANDO CRUZ GAY BOXER

He's profsnal boxg's first openly gay athlete — and Chigo's honorg him at Pri, Puerto Rin paras .

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