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Puerto Rican lightweight Orlando Cruz said he is not only fighting for himself but also for the gay community.Cruz, who came out in 2012 as boxings first openly gay fighter, will challenge lightweight world titleholder Terry Flanagan on Saturday (beIN Sports Espanol, 11 p.m. ET, same-day tape) at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.Terry Flanagan is a true world champion and will defend his title with everything he has. However, I am prepared and ready for victory and to be crowned the new world champion. I want to inspire the gay community by becoming a world champion on Saturday, Cruz said this week. Terry is a great champion and a real peoples person. More importantly, he respects my life and my choices.He sees the man boxing him and that is it. Everyone has been very supportive since I came out three years ago. I have the support of my family, friends and fans.Cruz, 35, who was a 2000 Olympian for Puerto Rico, lost his first shot at a world title, getting knocked out by then-featherweight titlist Orlando Salido in the seventh round in October 2013 in Las Vegas. Six months later, Cruz lost a 10-round decision to Gamalier Rodriguez.Since then, Cruz (25-4-1, 13 KOs), a southpaw, has won five fights in a row at junior lightweight. He will be moving up from the 130-pound division to the 135-pound lightweight division to face Flanagan.When I look at my story, it makes me hopeful that more people will be inspired to come out, Cruz said. Right now my focus is fully on the big fight on Saturday and winning the WBO lightweight belt. Ive been feeling the love from the British people since I arrived here on Monday. Everyone has been very welcoming to me and I have nothing but respect for them. I am very happy to be here in Cardiff and fighting for another world title.Flanagan (31-0, 12 KOs), a 27-year-old southpaw from England who will be making his fourth title defense, hopes to take care of Cruz and then move on to a bigger fight -- perhaps a unification against the winner of an expected rematch between champion Jorge Linares and Anthony Crolla, Flanagans Manchester, England rival.He said he respects Cruzs lifestyle, but that it makes no difference to him.Look, it was very brave of Orlando to come out, but Im not interested in either his sexuality or his personal life, Flanagan said. Im only interested in him as a boxer; an opponent. Hes a good fighter, but Im going to deal with him. Cheap Air Max Plus All Blue . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Cheap Air Max Plus Red .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. http://www.cheapairmaxplusshoes.com/ . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Cheap Air Max Plus Purple . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Cheap Air Max Plus All Red . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. VILLARS LES DOMBES, France -- Nairo Quintana must seize every chance in the Tour de France to gain time on race leader Chris Froome -- starting with Sundays 15th stage -- to keep his winning hopes alive, believes former world champion Maurizio Fondriest.Quintana, 26 and runner-up to Froome in 2013 and 2015, has perplexed many with his race so far in light of his scintillating form coming in to the Tour.Some believe the Colombian is biding his time for the third and last week in the Alps to strike -- such an approach might be fraught with danger as he could run out of time. However, there is now growing belief that Quintanas form may possibly be dipping.Such a prospect was triggered Thursday by his laboured attacks on Froome in stage 12 to Mont Ventoux. They came before Froome, Australian Richie Porte (BMC) and Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) broke away, only to crash into a French television motor bike blocked by the crowds, which allowed Quintana and the others to catch and pass them.Then in Fridays stage 13 time-trial from Bourg-Saint-Andèol to La Caverne du Pont DArc Quintana lost 2:05 to Froome, who was second at 1:03 seconds to Dutch winner Tom Dumoulin (Trek-Segafredo). Quintana fell from third to fourth overall at 2:59 to Froome.The top overall places remained unchanged after Saturdays 14th stage, 208.5km from Montélimar to Villars les Dombes where British flyer Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) claimed his fourth stage win this years Tour and the 30th of his career; this time outsprinting beating German Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) and Slovakian Peter Sagan (Tinkoff).Froome still leads overall by 1:47 over second placed Mollema and 2:45 over Briton Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange), who is in third and also has the white best young riders jersey.Like many, Fondriest, who won the 1988 world road title in Ronse, Belgium, believes Froome is box seated to win a third Tour when the race finishes in Paris on Sunday week.I think so because we saw him [make] a move in the descent [of the Col de Peyresourde to win stage eight], on the flat stage [stage 11 to Montpellier where Froome was second] and [on] Mont Ventoux, Fondriest told ESPN Saturday. He is the strongest rider in the Tour.Yesterday [Friday] he gained two minutes against Quintana. I think hes the favourite for this Tour.But Fondriest will not discount Quintana, so long as he makes inroads into his time deficit.He must try something. Maybe tomorrow, Fondriest said,, referring to Sundays 15th stage from Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz that includes six categorised climbs, among those the Hors category Grand Colombier and Lacets du Grand Colombier inside the last 60 kilometres.ddddddddddddHe [has] to try because the last week is very tough ... a lot of mountain stages and one time trial, but the time trial is uphill. He [has]to try because otherwise his Tour is finished. But ... the Tour de France is three weeks and until the end you dont know whats happened.Meanwhile, Fondriest was less optimistic about the opportunities for fellow Italian Fabio Aru (Astana) who made the Tour his main goal this year, hoping to make the podium.Aru, who won the Vuelta a Espa?a last year after finishing second in the Giro dItalia, was placed 10th overall at the start after stage 14, at 5:16 to Froome and 3:29 off the podium.Aru is confident he can come strong next week in the Alps, but he realises that he needs others who are placed higher than him to have bad days as much as he requires good days.Asked if the podium was out of reach for Aru, Fondriest said: I dont know because he lost time yesterday too. Maybe it is difficult. But at the Vuelta last year he showed a good thing in the last week. I guess he can try. He can try to dot he podium but its not easy for him.Fondriest was more optimistic about how -- or where to -- Nibali is tracking in this Tour. After winning the Giro on May 29, the Sicilian took 10 days off without even riding the bike.The reason was not just to recover from his taxing efforts in the Giro, but also to allow him re-build towards another form peak for the Olympic Games road race at Rio next month. Nibali, the 2014 champion, came to the Tour to help Aru.Nibali, 33rd overall at 50:47, helped Aru in stage nine to Andorra Arcalis in the Pyrénees. After Aru was dropped, Nibali helped him limit his time loss to Froome to one minute.But Nibali, who has also suffered a back complaint, has otherwise been unable to provide Aru with the consistent optimal help that had been intended throughout the Tour so far. Still, Fondriest is also confident that Nibali will come strong in the third week of the Tour.He is not in good form, but he can find the form in the last week, Fondriest said. He can try to gain ... to win a stage and prepare the Olympic Games. This is the main goal. ' ' '