Celebrity Friday: Boxer Orlando Cruz Comes Out!

Orlando Cruz, the #4 ranked professional boxer in the world in his featherweight division, has come out as openly gay. Cruz, 31, has been boxing for an astonishing 24 years and first came to fame when he represented his homeland of Puerto Rico in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Australia.

He is today's Celebrity Friday because of this statement he made this week to USA Today, will surely make him one of the most famous people in sports:

"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. I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man."

¡Felicidades, Orlando!

Rod 2.0 has more background information on Orlando and the context of his coming out in the sport of boxing.

Azarenka Defeats Li For 2012 Sydney Title

World #3 Victoria Azarenka defeated defending champion (and World #5) Li Na 6-2 1-6 6-3 in the final of the Apia Sydney International tournament, the last warm up before the 2012 Australian Open which starts on Monday. One day before, Li had come back from a set and a break down (1-6, 1-3) against 2011 Wimbledon champion (and World #2) Petra Kvitova, denying the Czech phenom her chance to reach #1 before the first Grand Slam tournament of the year started.

Interestingly, last year Li Na came back against Kim Clijsters in the Sydney final to win it and the two faced off two weeks later in the 2011 Australian Open final, which was won by Clijsters. (Li went on to win her first major title at the second major tournament of the year in Paris.)

Many are predicting great things this year for Azarenka, who reached her first grand slam semifinal last year and also reached the final of the WTA Tour Championships in Istanbul, losing to Kvitova both times in hard-fought 3-set matches.