| Julio César La Cruz | |
| Realname: | Julio César De La Cruz Peraza |
| Nickname: |
|
| Weight: | Heavyweight |
| Reach: | 78 in |
| Birth Date: | 1989 8, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Camagüey, Cuba |
| Style: | Orthodox |
| Total: | 3 |
| Wins: | 3 |
| Ko: | 2 |
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. As a professional, he has qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
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] citing the national motto of Cuba which was created by Fidel Castro. In 2021, he again won the gold at the men's heavyweight held in Tokyo.[11]
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Austine Nnamdi | 10 | 16 Dec 2023 | ||||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Juan Rodolfo Juarez | 4 (6) | 28 Aug 2022 | ||||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Deivis Casseres | 2 (6), | 20 May 2022 |