The only out gay pro boxer in the world is blasting his sport for not supporting LGBTQ+ fighters
told the publication Bad Left Hook. “They have nowhere to turn and depression hits them. Our sport is doing nothing to help them.”Cruz’s coming out story isn’t all rosy.
He came out to his parents when he was 19 years old, and though his mother was supportive, his father shunned him for a year. “My father, he was disgusted.
He acted like a typical father. He wasn’t talking to me for a year. No conversation, nothing,” he told the New Yorker in 2016.Nowadays, Cruz describes his dad as his “best friend,” and a guiding force in his life.
As the only out gay pro boxer in history, he’s well aware of his standing, and the power of his visibility. “I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career,” he said to the New Yorker.
