
By James Blears
Graphic artist genius Eduardo de La Cruz has designed the magnificent official shirt for the World Boxing Council`s fifty seventh Convention in exquisite Cancun.
Eduardo who`s a perfectionist, is The Original Artistic Pioneer in boxing shirts, jackets, caps and other clothing, which depict images and collages of The Noble Art. They result from hours of contemplation, thoughts and even dreams, which stir and percolate the juices of creativity.
Eduardo has been inspired by the WBC`s already famous Mayan belt, which has been created, crafted , molded, and burnished to brilliance by indigenous craftsmen, thus positioning it as the centerpiece of his very own creation, which has been approved by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman.
He said: “This will be a unique Convention in Cancun with the Mayan theme and symbols. My opinion is that the Mayan Green and Gold Belt is one of the very best that I`ve ever seen. So I got some pictures and carefully put together this beautiful collage focusing on the Mayan theme with all of its symbology, together with selected flags from all over the World.
“The most important aspect is the WBC Belt, because it just stands out as the main concept, along with the Mayan calendar, with all of its diverse symbols, which are so unique and the Mayan Pyramid, plus the flags of different nations which have affiliation and loyalty to the World Boxing Council.
“This is a labor of love. When you are creative you just get the idea. It comes to you, forms, takes shape
and then you put it all together, with a selection of colors, shades and hues.”
Beautiful paintings, portraits and a myriad of works of art adorn the walls, tables and niches of Eduardo`s attractive high ceilinged Home in Estado de Mexico, where marble steps and a curling wrought iron bannister embedded into them, lead up to his studio workshop which is situated on the first floor.
After weeks and days and only when he`s fully satisfied, does perfectionist Eduardo imprint the complete design on an item of clothing via a specially designed hot press. That final process takes only seconds, fulfilling the culmination of many hours of design, proofs, the initial layout and finally the completed masterpiece, which retails for a reasonable and always competitive price.
Building up to this point, Eduardo has been working on boxing designs for more than a decade, painstakingly developing concepts into ornate reality for the elite of boxing. He has worked for Julio Cesar Chavez, Floyd Mayweather, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and many more. He designed a special shirt for Gene Kilroy, the friend of Muhammad Ali, using the iconic image of The Greatest standing over a felled Sonny Liston ending their famous and brief second encounter.
He explains: “Everything I do becomes a collectable, and that`s why my company is called Box Art Collection.”
Eduardo went to Los Angeles when he was eleven years old and lived there for seventeen years. He attended high school and then won a scholarship to the University of Los Angeles studying Fine Art, which included painting, drawing and design. All of this came together, in an exhibition of twenty five fine art pieces.
After he started work as a graphic designer, his talent was spotted by Renaldo Solozano, from Team Julio Cesar Chavez, who was involved in the production of a book about JC. On his own initiative Eduardo created and designed a huge collage, depicting the most spectacular and magical moments of the greatest Mexican fighter of all time. A confirmation and celebration of the legend!
During a meeting in Las Vegas, the delighted Julio applied his own seal of approval and appreciation by signing the finished work.
Eduardo, who had initially worked for a company on his return to Mexico, decided to take the brave, singular and decisive step of branching out, to create his very own company… and he`s never looked back.
With this shirt, he`s planning and hoping to help make the World Boxing Council`s Fifty seventh Convention in Cancun, A Spectacular to remember!
Everything Eduardo has is due to Boxing, but for him: “This is just the beginning, as there`s so much to do! My goal is to reach the sun and the stars!”