Orlando Cruz failed to snatch the title for the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Featherweight Championship bout against Orlando Salido. Cruz was knocked out on the seventh round by the Mexican boxer.

Cruz was the first professional boxer to have admitted openly that he is gay. "I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican," Cruz said in an interview after he came out. "I have always been and always will be a proud gay man," Cruz added. He was among the first class of inductees into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame on Aug 2, 2013.

Cruz did wear his rainbow boxing shorts and pink gloves when he stepped on to the ring, as previously reported.

Cruz is currently at the fourth position among featherweights by the WBO. He had won four straight victories but he had not triumphed on the featherweight level.

Salido was a fighter with great tactics and mind play. He started to throw combination of punches targeting Cruz's body, and we all know that punches thrown to the body are the ones that hurt the most. However, Cruz also did throw numerous hard shots but Salido was just far too physically powerful and too good for Cruz.

"Cruz is fast and strong," Salido said in an interview after the match. "I had to fight him with intelligence, and I need to put a lot of pressure on him," Salido said. "This is a very big win for me because my career has been like a rollercoaster ride, I have had my ups and downs and this is the biggest moment of my life," Salido added.

"I went to the corner and Salido struck me with a really good shot," Cruz said.

On the seventh round, Cruz was knocked out with a left hand punch on the face. Cruz immediately fell on the corner and was unable to get back up.

Despite the loss, Cruz was still regarded as a hero by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. A lot of Cruz supporters have expressed their admiration for the gay boxer through Twitter and other social media Web sites.