Roberto Cruz
Encyclopedia
Roberto de la Cruz is a former Filipino professional boxer
. Cruz won the WBA
World Light Welterweight title in a career that spanned from 1955 to 1968.
. Cruz's first title success came on October 1, 1959 when he beat Leo Espinosa over twelve rounds for the Philippines Games & Amusement Board (GAB) Featherweight
title. Over the next three years Cruz also won the GAB Welterweight
title but also suffered five defeats in non-title bouts.
On March 21, 1963 Cruz fought outside the Philippines for the first time as he travelled to the United States
to fight the Mexican
boxer Battling Torres for the vacant WBA Light Welterweight title. The fight took place at Dodger Stadium
, Los Angeles
as part of a title triple-header which also featured; Emile Griffith
vs Luis Manuel Rodriguez
at welterweight
and Sugar Ramos
vs Davey Moore at featherweight. Cruz, who was the underdog, knocked Torres out in the first round to win the title. However, the night will be remembered more for the hospitalization and eventual death of Moore following his fight with Ramos.
For the first defence of his title Cruz returned to the Philippines to fight the American Eddie Perkins
on June 15, 1963. Perkins, a former world champion, won the fight with a fifteen round points victory in front of 25,000 fans at the Rizal Baseball Stadium
. The fight started badly for Cruz as he was knocked down in the opening round and badly hurt in the third and sixth rounds. Although he was able to last the distance, he was unable to retain his title and would never fight for a world championship again.
The final fight of Cruz's professional career took place on September 28, 1968 in Angeles City
, Philippines, where he was knocked out in the third round by Fel Pedranza.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. Cruz won the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
World Light Welterweight title in a career that spanned from 1955 to 1968.
Professional career
Cruz made his professional debut on February 10, 1955, losing to Laureano Llarenas via a four round points decision. It took unitil his third fight to achieve his first victory, beating Peping Cortez with a third round knockoutKnockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
. Cruz's first title success came on October 1, 1959 when he beat Leo Espinosa over twelve rounds for the Philippines Games & Amusement Board (GAB) Featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
title. Over the next three years Cruz also won the GAB Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
title but also suffered five defeats in non-title bouts.
On March 21, 1963 Cruz fought outside the Philippines for the first time as he travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to fight the Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
boxer Battling Torres for the vacant WBA Light Welterweight title. The fight took place at Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
as part of a title triple-header which also featured; Emile Griffith
Emile Griffith
Emile Alphonse Griffith is a former boxer who was the first fighter from the U.S. Virgin Islands ever to become a world champion. He is perhaps best known for his controversial third fight with Benny Paret in 1962 for the welterweight world championship...
vs Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Luis Manuel Rodriguez
Luis Manuel Rodríguez was a professional boxing champion. Known as "El Feo", Rodriguez began his career in pre-Castro Havana. In Cuba, Rodriguez twice defeated the ill-fated future welterweight champion Benny Kid Paret.After the Cuban Revolution, Rodríguez campaigned in the United States...
at welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
and Sugar Ramos
Sugar Ramos
Ultiminio Ramos is a Cuban-Mexican boxer who is better known as Sugar Ramos. Ramos fought out of Mexico where he was adopted as a national hero...
vs Davey Moore at featherweight. Cruz, who was the underdog, knocked Torres out in the first round to win the title. However, the night will be remembered more for the hospitalization and eventual death of Moore following his fight with Ramos.
For the first defence of his title Cruz returned to the Philippines to fight the American Eddie Perkins
Eddie Perkins
Eddie Perkins was an American light welterweight boxer.-Professional career:Perkins turned professional in 1956 and captured the World Boxing Association light welterweight title with a decision win over Duilio Loi in 1962, but lost the belt in a rematch later that year...
on June 15, 1963. Perkins, a former world champion, won the fight with a fifteen round points victory in front of 25,000 fans at the Rizal Baseball Stadium
Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium
The Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium is a baseball stadium located inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, Philippines. It has a seating capacity of 10,000. It served as the main baseball stadium of the 1954 Asian Games and also hosted the baseball of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. Babe...
. The fight started badly for Cruz as he was knocked down in the opening round and badly hurt in the third and sixth rounds. Although he was able to last the distance, he was unable to retain his title and would never fight for a world championship again.
The final fight of Cruz's professional career took place on September 28, 1968 in Angeles City
Angeles City
The City of Angeles , located within the province of Pampanga in the Philippines, is locally classified as a first-class, highly-urbanized city. Its name is derived from El Pueblo de los Ángeles in honor of its patron saints, Los Santos Ángeles de los Custodios , and the name of its founder, Don...
, Philippines, where he was knocked out in the third round by Fel Pedranza.