A young amateur boxer told Oscar “The Beast” Bonifacino something the Uruguayan pro hadn’t expected. Watching him compete openly as a gay man had given the young fighter the confidence to come out himself.
Bonifacino recounted the exchange in an interview with La Diaria Radio before his latest fight, as Outsports reported on November 5. The amateur had recently made his debut and told Bonifacino that his example gave him confidence to stand up for who he was.
Back in the Ring in Uruguay
On October 31, the 22-year-old super featherweight faced Argentina’s Juan Pablo Abregú in Punta del Este. Broadcaster TyC Sports reported Bonifacino’s win on the undercard. Outsports reported that all three judges gave him the six-round fight, bringing his professional record to five wins, one loss and one draw.
Bonifacino wore a rainbow flag on his shorts. Pride colors have been part of his ring gear for some time, alongside his favorite color, pink. As he told Outsports earlier this year, pink feels at home in both his personal life and his life as a fighter.
The Boxer He Wishes He’d Known About Sooner
Bonifacino has spoken about taking inspiration from Puerto Rican boxer Orlando Cruz, who came out publicly in 2012. He wishes he’d known Cruz’s story sooner. Boxing has its own ideas about how a man is supposed to look and act, and a fighter who had already challenged those expectations was someone Bonifacino could look to.
Now the young amateur has told him what it meant to see a boxer wear those colors and be open about his life. Bonifacino told Outsports that hearing how his story had helped others made him happy and that he wants to keep speaking up.
He still has a goal of becoming Uruguayan champion. The young boxer who reached out has already given him something else to be proud of.
📷 @oscar.bonifacino_