By Jake Donovan

MAYAGUEZ --Orlando Cruz earned his first win in more than two years after stopping Edwin Lopez in four rounds Saturday evening at Palacio de los Deportes in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.


The bout snapped a two-fight losing streak for Cruz (21-4-1, 11KOs), who is now competing as a junior lightweight. His return came as a bit of a surprise as many figured he was done with the sport following an upset loss to eventual featherweight title challenger Gamalier Rodriguez.

Cruz had previously suffered a stoppage loss to Orlando Salido in Oct. '13, a fight that carried a considerable amount of hype. Cruz was angling to make history on two fronts: a title win would've given Puerto Rico its third champion from the Olympic Boxing Class of 2000, which included Miguel Cotto and Ivan Calderon, both of whom have led Hall of Fame careers.

Capturing more headlines at the time was the scenario where a win would have made him the first openly gay boxer to win a major title, having come out the year prior. It wasn't meant to be on that night, nor did Cruz have his best stuff in a subsequent loss to Rodriguez, prompting what was believed to be his retirement soon thereafter.

The knockout win on Saturday was his first victory since stopping Aalan Martinez in March '13. While aspirations of a junior lightweight title lie ahead, the veteran boxer—who turns 35 in July—plans to take the slow road back to stardom. 

"It feels good to be back," Cruz said after the win. "We are going to take it one fight at a time and see where it goes." 

Also on the show, promising featherweight prospect Alberto Machado—among the top stars in the Miguel Cotto Promotions stable—enjoyed an easy night's work in stopping Mexico's Alvaro Ortiz. 

"I'm very happy and am thrilled with the opportunity Miguel Cotto has given me," noted Machado (11-0, 9KOs) of the opportunity to expand his fan base to the western side of the island. 

Machado was supposed to appear on the undercard of Cotto's knockout win over Daniel Geale earlier this month in Brooklyn, New York. However, he was pulled from the show and his schedule pushed back three weeks due to a lack of opposition. The 24-year old prospect was due to face Mexico's Ruben Tamayo, who apparently missed his flight and was unable to make it to New York in time for the fight.

Coincidentally, Tamayo resurfaced on Saturday evening, dropping a landslide decision another unbeaten featherweight prospect, countryman Oscar Valdez in a 10-round heat on HBO live from Carson, California.

Cruz-Lopez and Machado-Ortiz both aired live on DirecTV's 'Noche de Campeones' series. 

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox