REMEMBERING ROBERTO CRUZ? SENSATIONAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 22 Mar 2014
We vividly recall that when Roberto Cruz won the vacant WBC light welterweight title with a spectacular 1st round knockout of Mexico?s ?Battling Torres? at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles which the WBC refers to as Gilmore Field, the fight was telecast on a delayed basis over IBC 13 which was then owned by the late Andres ?Andy? Soriano.
If my memory serves me well we did the coverage along with Bobby Ng with whom we did a weekly boxing show that telecast some of the great fights of the late Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde.
Cruz dropped Torres with a stunning left hook twice in the opening round and the Mexican was stopped at 2 minutes and 7 seconds of the round.
The battle between Cruz and Torres was part of a triple header in which Emile Griffith clashed with Luis Manuel Rodriguez in a welterweight title fight and Sugar Ramos battled Davey Moore in a featherweight championship bout.
It was a night that eventually ended in tragedy when Moore was rushed to hospital and passed away four days later due to a whiplash sustained when he hit the bottom rope after being knocked out in the 10th round.
Rodriguez won a 15 round unanimous decision over Griffith who, in the process, lost his WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine welterweight titles.
Cruz returned to a hero?s welcome but personal problems ruined his career and he lost in his very first title defense at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium where some 25,000 fight fans watched in anguish as Cruz, the handsome fighter from Baguio City was battered by former world champion Eddie Perkins who dropped Cruz in the opening round and had him groggy in rounds three and six before coasting to a fifteen round unanimous decision.
We covered that fight with the late ?Smokin Joe? Cantada for dzHP Radio.
Photo: Roberto Cruz (2nd from left).
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Canelo-Crawford: Betting Odds Reveal a Battle of Money vs. Public Opinion
By Dong Secuya, Fri, 12 Sep 2025BELFAST PRESS CONFERENCE: EVERYTHING LEWIS CROCKER AND PADDY DONOVAN SAID AHEAD OF HISTORIC WORLD TITLE SHOWDOWN
Fri, 12 Sep 2025GABRIELA “SWEET POISON” FUNDORA TO DEFEND UNDISPUTED CROWN AGAINST HIGHLY RANKED NEW FOE ALEXAS “IRON LADY” KUBICKI
Fri, 12 Sep 2025Chino Sy Tancontian is Sports Hero of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 12 Sep 2025Two (or Three) Lefts Make a Right: Francisco Guilledo to Luisito Espinosa
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Thu, 11 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Advances to 2025 World Boxing Championships Semifinals
Thu, 11 Sep 2025UNIFIED WORLD CHAMPION OSCAR COLLAZO HOSTS MEDIA WORKOUT
Thu, 11 Sep 2025Jerwin Ancajas Set for IBF Mandatory Eliminator Against Former World Champ Ryosuke Nishida; Winner Fights Naoya Inoue
By Carlos Costa, Thu, 11 Sep 2025“Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
Thu, 11 Sep 2025Local Favorite Bryce Mills Tops First Boxing Card At del Lago Resort & Casino
Thu, 11 Sep 2025Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaiman: It´s Fightweek Fight: Canelo vs. Crawford
By Mauricio Sulaimán, Wed, 10 Sep 2025Casimero comeback next month in Kyrgyzstan?
By Nick Giongco, Wed, 10 Sep 2025Team USA Concludes Day Six of 2025 World Boxing Championships
Wed, 10 Sep 2025Andrade, Garras rule Milo marathon in Tagum
Wed, 10 Sep 2025CROCKER-DONOVAN II: INSIDE LOOK AT FIRST FACE-OFF IN BELFAST
Wed, 10 Sep 2025