Jose Santa Cruz, the father and trainer of the retired world champion Leo Santa Cruz and of Leo’s fellow professionals Jose Armando, Antonio and Roberto, has died at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer. 

He is most widely recognised for overseeing Leo – active until 2022 – winning world titles at bantamweight, junior featherweight and featherweight, but was similarly influential in all four of his sons boxing professionally. 

Jose Santa Cruz admirably and resiliently resisted stage-three myeloma – bone cancer, of the spine – while Leo was at his peak. 

“Cancer’s a tough disease, but we’re going to face it straight on,” he told the Los Angeles Times in July 2016, when he was 56. “I’m still on medication, but on the day of the fight [against Carl Frampton], I’ll be there.”

Doctors had told his family that they expected him to die of Covid in 2020. “When he was in the hospital, his lungs were failing, his heart stopped,” Leo Santa Cruz told BoxingScene. “He caught [Covid] two times, so he kind of died in bed, but they brought him back.” 

It was when watching the activity at a boxing gym in Mexico as a young adult that Jose Santa Cruz became so consumed by the sport that he vowed that he would make one of his four sons a world champion. While working in the Southland cooking and painting, his afternoon routine involved him accompanying his young boys to a gym for training. The older boys, Antonio, Jose Armando and Robert, didn’t become champions, but his youngest did.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jose Santa Cruz, beloved father and trainer of former world champion Leo Santa Cruz,” Premier Boxing Champions, Leo’s one-time promoters, posted on social media. “Jose was the heart of Team Santa Cruz – an unwavering presence in his son’s corner and a true fighter in his own right.

“Our thoughts are with the Santa Cruz family during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Jose.”

“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of Don Jose Santa Cruz after a ferocious battle against cancer,” posted Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the WBC. “He is now in a better place and will always be remembered as a great boxing man. Our condolences and solidarity to Leo and siblings and wife during this difficult time.”

As well as his four sons, Jose is reportedly survived by two daughters and his wife, Elodia.