Name: Cristóbal Cruz Career Record: click Alias: Lacandón Nationality: Mexican Birthplace: Chiapas Hometown: Tijuana Born: 1977-05-19 Stance: Orthodox Height: 5' 7" Reach: 68"

Professional Career

CRISTOBAL “Lacandon” CRUZ (39-11-1, 23 KOs)…

Current IBF Featherweight World Champion…

Current IBO Featherweight World Champion…

Former WBC FECARBOX Featherweight Champion…

Former WBC Latino Super Featherweight Champion…

Former WBA FEDECENTRO Featherweight Champion…

Former WBC Continental Americas Featherweight Champion…

At the age of 32, Cristobal is a 18-year pro - he made his debut in Mexico at the age of 14. A tough and determined veteran at 130 pounds, he always gives good efforts and makes exciting fights.

He is coming off a knockout win in his last fight in August, 2007, and is 3-3 in his last six fights.

Cristobal is experienced against good opposition and has several impressive wins to his credit, including wins against former WBC featherweight and WBA bantamweight world champion Luisito Espinosa (KO3), and prospects Francisco Dianzo (TKO7) and Cornelius Lock (TKO8).

Pedro Moran Jr. said, “His nickname is ‘Lacandon.’ Cristobal was born in Chiapas, and Lacandon is a rough Indian in Mexico. An Indian family is ‘lacandon.’ Extremely strong Indians.”

Key Fights – 2008 – In his last fight on March 7th, 2008, he won a majority decision over Thomas Mashaba (20-1-4) of South Africa for the IBO Featherweight world title.  It was a pitch battle that saw back and forth action throughout the bout.  Cruz appeared to have broken Mashaba’s jaw in the 10th round. The 11th and 12th rounds were clearly won by Mashaba, which was the difference in the fight.  Cristobal set the Compubox Record for punches thrown in a featherweight bout…

2007 - in his last fight on 8-20-07 in Tijuana, MX, he TKO’d Alberto Garza (16-2-1): at 2:41 of the 10th round...

On 5-18-07 in Tulsa, OK, he lost a 10 round unanimous decision against contender Zahir Raheem (27-2): Cristobal pressed forward, but Raheem frustrated him with almost constant movement, outboxed him and was the more accurate puncher; Zahir fought very defensively and repeatedly clinched at close range, however, and the action was sloppy at times; scored 100-90, 100-90, 99-91...

On 4-13-07 in Cicero, IL, he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against Francisco Lorenzo (27-4): it was a fast-paced, exciting fight, and very close - there were good exchanges throughout the fight that  brought the fans to their feet; Cristobal scored a knockdown with a left hook in the 1st round – fight reports say it was really a slip - and appeared to build a lead in the early rounds; Lorenzo rallied in the middle rounds and staggered Cristobal with a right hand in the 5th, but Cristobal rallied in the 6th; the late rounds were close and some observers thought the decision could go either way, but the judges scored 115-112, 115-112, 114-113...

2006 – on 12-8-06 in Kissimmee, FL, he won a 12 round majority decision against Jose Reyes (18-3): it was a good fight, and several rounds were close; Cristobal constantly pressed forward, worked the body well, and wore down Reyes, but Reyes fought hard and consistently landed sharp punches throughout the fight; scored 116-112, 115-113, 114-114...

On 12-1-06 in Cicero he lost an 8 round unanimous decision against Francisco Lorenzo (26-3): it was a fast-paced fight, but Lorenzo was generally the more accurate puncher and had the edge in most of the rounds; scored 80-71, 79-72, 78-73...

On 9-8-06 in Tijuana, MX, he TKO’d Leonardo Resendiz (17-10): the fight headlined at El Foro Theater and drew a capacity crowd of 1,200; the early rounds were close, but Cristobal worked the body well and steadily wore down Resendiz, who did not continue after the 5th round; the local commission records it as a TKO at 0:10 of the 6th round...

NABO F TITLE CHALLENGE - on 7-21-06 in Uncasville, CT, he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against Steven Luevano (30-1): Luevano outboxed and outworked Cristobal and dominated most of the fight; Luevano scored one knockdown in the 1st round and another in the 9th, but his nose was bloodied by a clash of heads in the 10th round; scored 117-108, 116-109, 115-110...

2005 - on 10-28-05 in Las Vegas, NV, he had a no decision against Gerardo Zayas (17-10-2): Zayas was cut by a clash of heads in the 2nd round; the cut worsened, and the referee stopped the fight on the cut at 1:53 of the 4th round…

On 5-6-05 in Tijuana, MX, he TKO’d Francisco Dianzo (20-5): at 2:27 of the 7th round…

On 2-18-05 in Stockton, CA, he knocked out 37 year-old former WBC featherweight and WBA bantamweight world champion Luisito Espinosa (47-12): Cristobal scored a knockdown in the 1st round; he scored another knockdown in the 3rd round that put Espinosa flat on his back, and he was counted ouit at 2:13…

On 1-7-05 in in Tijuana he TKO’d Jose Navarette (5-6-2): at 0:31 of the 4th round…

2004 - on 10-29-04 in Las Vegas he TKO’d Cornelius Lock (13-1-1): Cristobal rocked Lock in the 1st round, but Lock came back and boxed effectively for a few rounds; but Cristobal constantly pressured him, pounded him with body punches, and wore him down; Lock was cut over both eyes, his lip was bloodied, and his face was swollen; Cristobal scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 8th round - Lock got up, but the referee stopped the fight at 2:59; after seven rounds, Cristobal led by one point on two scorecards, and two points on the other…

On 10-8-04 in Tijuana he won a 6 round unanimous decision against previously undefeated Mario Flores (6-0-1): Cristobal scored a knockdown in the 3rd round…

On 7-23-04 in in Oxnard, CA, he lost a 10 round split decision against hometown prospect Jose Aguiniga (23-0): it was a close, hard fight; Cristobal constantly pressed forward, but Aguiniga boxed effectively and outworked him in the early rounds; Cristobal rallied in the second half of the fight, but the judges scored 95-94, 95-94 Aguiniga, 95-94 Cruz…

On 6-7-04 in Tijuana he knocked out Julio Acosta (0-5): at 1:40 of the 1st round…

On 2-27-04 in Las Vegas he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against Juan Ruiz (16-1): Cristobal took the fight on four days’ notice; it was a good, close fight; every round was fast-paced and close, but Ruiz was a little busier and had an edge in most of them; scored 118-110 on all three scorecards…

2003 - on 12-11-03 in Los Angeles, CA, he lost a 10 round unanimous decision against Mexican featherweight champion Jorge Solis (21-0): Cristobal pressed forward, but Solis boxed and counterpunched effectively; Solis staggered Cristobal with a body punch in the 3rd round and consistently landed the sharper punches; scored 99-91, 98-92, 97-93…

On 9-12-03 in Las Vegas, NV, he lost a 10 round unanimous decision against contender Heriberto Ruiz (28-2-2): Ruiz consistently outworked him and landed the sharper punches; Ruiz was cut under the left eye in the 7th round and over the right eye by a clash of heads in the 10th, but knocked down Cristobal in the 10th; scored 99-90, 98-91, 97-92…

On 6-20-03 in Tijuana, MX, he TKO’d Edgar Barcenas (20-7-4): Barcenas was favored to win, but Cristobal pressed forward, wore him down and stopped him in the 9th round…

On 4-12-03 in San Luis Rio Colorado, MX, he TKO’d Eduardo Gutierrez (0-2): in the 3rd round…

WON BAJA CALIFORNIA STATE JF TITLE - on 3-21-03 in Mexicali, MX, he TKO’d Cesar Huizar (3-2-1): in the 6th round…

On 1-1-03 in Mexicali he won an 8 round unanimous decision against hometown favorite Ricardo “Piollo” Castillo (11-1): Castillo is the younger brother of former two-time WBC lightweight world champion Jose Luis Castillo…

2002 - on 8-10-02 in Mexico City, MX, he was knocked out against hometown prospect Martin Honorio (10-2): in the 1st round…

On 1-26-02 in Tuxtla Gutierrez, MX, he TKO’d Francisco Dianzo (18-2): in the 11th round…

2001 - on 8-16-01 in Macuspana, MX, he fought to a 10 round draw against Agustin Lorenzo (27-13-2)…

On 6-16-01 in Macuspana he won a 10 round decision in a nontitle fight against Mexican jr. featherweight champion Ruben Estanislao (12-2-1)…

He debuted at the age of 14 on 1-17-92 and won his first 15 fights…

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Cristobal is a native of Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state on the Guatemalan border...he said that he had around 62 amateur fights (note: reportedly 54-8)…he has five brothers, all of whom boxed at one time…Cristobal is married and has three children, two boys and one girl…he is a fulltime fighter...

STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style and good skills…a good body puncher…tough, determined and durable…is experienced against good opposition…