Las Vegas, USA – Red Dela Cruz, a former office worker from the Philippines, recently garnered significant public attention in her role as a ring girl during a high-stakes Super Middleweight world championship boxing match. The highly anticipated bout featured Mexican boxing sensation Canelo Alvarez against American star Terence Crawford, which took place on September 13.
Ahead of the momentous fight at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Dela Cruz shared her excitement with her followers on Instagram. Her post, which quickly gained numerous likes and comments, read: ‘Thank you for the opportunity to be a Ring Girl at Allegiant Stadium for the Canelo vs. Crawford match!!!’ Many admirers lauded her ‘flawless beauty’ in the comments section.
At 35 years old, Dela Cruz embarked on an inspiring career transition. She previously spent eight hours a day in a corporate environment as an office worker before stepping into the dynamic world of combat sports as a ring girl. Her path to fame began in 2015 when she emerged victorious in the UFC Octagon Girl Search in Asia. This competition, orchestrated by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), aimed to discover new, talented, and beautiful individuals for the prestigious ring girl position. Her win made Dela Cruz the first Filipino ring girl to secure an official contract with the UFC, leading to her involvement in nearly a decade of UFC events.
Hailing from the Philippines, Dela Cruz has continued to pursue her career as a model and ring girl, driven by a desire to fulfill her mother’s aspiration for her to become a beauty queen. She expressed her sentiments in an interview, stating, ‘Now I am living that dream; I am following this path for myself, but also to make my mother proud.’
The Super Middleweight championship contest at Allegiant Stadium on September 13 saw Terence Crawford defeat Canelo Alvarez. After 12 rounds of intense action, Crawford was declared the winner by a unanimous decision from the judges, with scorecards reading 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113.
At 37 years old, Crawford successfully claimed all of Canelo’s major championship belts—the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring titles—thereby solidifying his status as the new Super Middleweight world champion. This victory further enhanced Crawford’s impressive professional record, which now stands at an undefeated 42 wins, with 31 of those victories coming by way of knockout.
The high-profile global boxing event also proved lucrative for both fighters. Reports indicated that Canelo Alvarez earned an estimated $100 million to $150 million from the September 13 encounter, while Terence Crawford took home a minimum of $10 million for his triumphant performance.
