Óscar De La Hoya
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Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born February 4, 1973) is an American
boxing promoter A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in the business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view ...
and former
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including lineal championships in three weight classes. De La Hoya was nicknamed "The Golden Boy of Boxing" by the media when he represented the United States at the
1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...
where, shortly after having graduated from James A. Garfield High School, he won a gold medal in the
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...
division. He is regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time and is ranked the 16th greatest boxer by
BoxRec BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopedia of boxing. The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
. De La Hoya was named ''The Ring'' magazine Fighter of the Year in 1995, and was its top-rated fighter in the world,
pound for pound Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, adjusted to compensate for weight class. As fighters in different weight classes do not compete directly, determining the best fighter pound for ...
, in 1997 and 1998. De La Hoya generated approximately $700 million in
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
income, making him the top pay-per-view earner before being surpassed by
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (né Sinclair; born February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed between 1996 and 2017. He list of undefeated boxing world champions, retired with an undefeated record a ...
and
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. ( ; ; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician, businessman, and professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He previously serv ...
. He announced his retirement as a fighter in 2009, following a professional career spanning 16 years. In 2002, De La Hoya founded
Golden Boy Promotions Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is an American boxing promotional firm based in Los Angeles, California. The company was established in 2002 by eight-time world champion (in six divisions) Oscar De La Hoya, borrowing his nickname "Golden Boy." Hist ...
, a combat sport promotional firm that also owns a 25% stake in the
Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...
. He is the first American of Mexican descent to own a national boxing promotional firm, and one of the few boxers to take on promotional responsibilities while still active. In 2018, he began promoting MMA matches as well, beginning with a 2018 trilogy bout between long-time rivals
Chuck Liddell Charles David Liddell (born December 17, 1969) is an American former professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2018, Liddell is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion (from 2005 to 2007) and i ...
and
Tito Ortiz Jacob Christopher "Tito" Ortiz () is an American politican and retired mixed martial artist and Submission grappling, submission grappler. Ortiz is best known for his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC ...
, with the inaugural Golden Boy MMA event taking place on November 24, 2018. De La Hoya has held dual American and Mexican citizenship since 2002, when the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles granted him Mexican citizenship, reflecting his heritage.


Early life

He was born in
East Los Angeles, California East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, ...
into a boxing family; his grandfather, Vicente, was an amateur fighter during the 1940s, and his father, Joel Sr., had been a professional boxer during the 1960s. His brother, Joel Jr., was also a boxer. De La Hoya graduated from Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, California in 1991.


Amateur career

De La Hoya won the national Junior Olympics 119-pound title at age 15, After he lost a tournament in Whittier to Leon Hernandez from Santa Monica he won the 125-pound title the following year. His amateur career included 234 wins — 163 by knockout. Two were to
Shane Mosley Shane Mosley (born September 7, 1971), often known by his nickname "Sugar" Shane Mosley, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2016. He held multiple triple champion, world championships in three weight classes, incl ...
. In 1989, he won the National
Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...
title in the
bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...
division. In 1990, at age 17, he won the U.S. National Championship at
featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...
and was the youngest U.S. boxer at that year's
Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...
, winning a gold medal. The joy of victory was tempered by the news that his mother, Cecilia Gonzales De La Hoya (November 22, 1950 – October 28, 1990), was terminally ill with breast cancer. She died that October, expressing the hope that her son would one day become an Olympic gold medalist. As the
1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...
in Barcelona approached, De La Hoya turned his mother's dream into a strong focus for his training. After an upset victory in the first round over the Cuban boxer Julio Gonzalez; De La Hoya defeated German boxer
Marco Rudolph Marco Rudolph (born 22 May 1970 in Zittau, Saxony) is a retired German boxer, who won the Lightweight Silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Professional career Rudolph began his professional career in 1995 and had limited success. He fou ...
to win the gold medal. Rudolph had been the only fighter to defeat him in the years leading up to the fight, adding drama. The U.S. media publicized his quest to fulfill his mother's dying wish and nicknamed him "The Golden Boy", which has remained with him throughout his career. In 2000, the Cecilia Gonzalez De La Hoya Cancer Center was formally opened by De La Hoya and his siblings at the
White Memorial Medical Center Adventist Health is a Seventh-day Adventist nonprofit organization headquartered in Roseville, California, that operates facilities in 3 states across the Western United States. History In the 1960s, the General Conference transferred owner ...
(WMMC), with a $350,000 donation from De La Hoya, in honor of their mother.


Highlights

* Amateur record: 223–5 (unofficial) Gold Medalist — 1989
National Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...
(57 kg), May,
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
: * Finals: Defeated Ivan Robinson (United States) by split decision, 3–2 Gold Medalist — 1990 U.S. National Championships (57 kg), February,
Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...
: * 1/4: Defeated
Julian Wheeler Julian Wheeler (born April 22, 1971) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2002. He is the former World Boxing Council, WBC Continental Americas super featherweight and International Boxing Federation, USBA lightweigh ...
by unanimous decision, 5–0 * 1/2: Defeated Sandtanner Lewis RET 1 * Finals: Defeated Ivan Robinson by majority decision, 4–1 Winner — 1990 United States Olympic Cup (57 kg), June, Salt Palace Exhibition Hall,
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
, Utah: * Defeated
Kirkor Kirkorov Kirkor Kirkorov (; born March 4, 1968, as Krikor Kirkorian) is a retired Bulgarian boxer who competed for his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There he was defeated in the first round of the Men's Featherweight Di ...
(Bulgaria) by split decision, 2–1 Gold Medalist — 1990 Goodwill Games (57 kg), July – August,
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Washington: * 1/4: Defeated Lee Sang Hun (South Korea) RSC 3 * 1/2: Defeated Airat Khamatov (Soviet Union) by majority decision, 4–1 * Finals: Defeated Ivan Robinson (United States) by majority decision, 4–1 Gold Medalist — 1991 U.S. National Championships (60 kg), February – March,
Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...
: * 1/4: Defeated Rogelio Cabral by unanimous decision, 5–0 * 1/2: Defeated Teddy Randolph by unanimous decision, 5–0 * Finals: Defeated Patrice Brooks by unanimous decision, 5–0 Gold Medalist — 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival (60 kg), July, The Forum,
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California: * 1/2: Defeated Dezi Ford on points, 37–6 * Finals: Defeated Patrice Brooks on points, 44–15 Participant — 1991 World Championships (60 kg), November,
State Sports Centre The State Sports Centre (known commercially as the Quaycentre) is a multi-use indoor arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and was opened in November 1984. With a total of 3,854 fixed and retractable seats the main arena is a focal point ...
,
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, Australia: * 1/8: Lost to
Marco Rudolph Marco Rudolph (born 22 May 1970 in Zittau, Saxony) is a retired German boxer, who won the Lightweight Silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Professional career Rudolph began his professional career in 1995 and had limited success. He fou ...
(Germany) on points, 13–17 Gold Medalist — 1992 Olympic Games (60 kg), July – August, Palau dels Esports,
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Spain: * 1/16: Defeated Adilson Rosa Silva (Brazil) RSC 3 * 1/8: Defeated
Moses Odion Moses Odion (born 10 June 1972) is a Nigerian boxer. He competed in the men's lightweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona ...
(Nigeria) on points, 16–4 * 1/4: Defeated Toncho Tonchev (Bulgaria) on points, 16–7 * 1/2: Defeated
Hong Sung-sik Hong Sung-Sik (, born November 13, 1967, in Gochang, Jeollabuk-do) is a retired South Korean amateur boxer. Career Hong won a bronze medal in the men's Lightweight (60 kg) category at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He defeated ...
(South Korea) on points, 11–10 * Finals: Defeated
Marco Rudolph Marco Rudolph (born 22 May 1970 in Zittau, Saxony) is a retired German boxer, who won the Lightweight Silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Professional career Rudolph began his professional career in 1995 and had limited success. He fou ...
(Germany) on points, 7–2 2008 —
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inductee.


Professional career


Super featherweight

On November 23, 1992, De La Hoya made his professional debut by scoring a first-round KO victory over Lamar Williams in 1 minute 42 seconds.


De La Hoya vs. Concepción cancellation

De La Hoya was scheduled to fight Jesús Vidal Concepción in a ten-round junior lightweight bout on December 9, 1993, televised by ESPN's "Thursday Night Fights" at the Paramount Theatre in New York City, but pulled out due to a wrist injury. Some found the injury suspicious and speculated that Oscar was being overdramatic. Oscar said that he aggravated an old ligament injury while hitting the heavy bag a week before. Later that month De La Hoya would fire his co-managers Mittleman and Nelson over money issues.


First title shot and defense

In his twelfth professional fight, he won his first world title at age 20, stopping
Jimmy Bredahl Jimmi Bredahl Johansen (born 26 August 1967), known professionally as Jimmi Bredahl or Jimmy Bredahl, is a Danish former professional boxer. He is the former WBO world super featherweight champion. He is the older brother of former two-division ...
(16–0) in the tenth round to win the
WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxin ...
junior lightweight Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a weight division in professional boxing, contested between and . The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although first founded by the New ...
title. He defended the title once, stopping Giorgio Campanella (20–0) in three rounds.


Lightweight

On July 29, 1994, he knocked out
Jorge Páez Jorge Adolfo Páez (born October 27, 1965) is a Mexican actor, circus performer and former professional boxer. In boxing he held the WBO and IBF featherweight titles. Paez's nickname of ''"El Maromero"'' is in honor of the somersault (referred ...
(53–6–4) in the second round to win the vacant WBO
Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...
title. He would successfully defend the title twice to close 1994, defeating fringe contenders Carl Griffith and John Avila, both by technical knockout. In February 1995, he defeated
John-John Molina Juan Molina (born March 17, 1965), better known as John John Molina in the world of boxing, is a former boxer whose career transcended boxing in Puerto Rico. A multiple time world champion, this boxer was also known as quite a socialite. Molina ...
(36–3), who had recently vacated his IBF Super Featherweight title, by unanimous decision.


De La Hoya vs. Ruelas unification

On May 6, 1995, De La Hoya defeated IBF lightweight champion
Rafael Ruelas Rafael Ruelas (born 26 April 1971) is a Mexican real estate agent in Granada Hills, California. He was a professional boxer who held the IBF lightweight world championship from 1994 until 1995. Rafael is the younger brother of former WBC sup ...
(43–1–0) in a unification bout. De La Hoya knocked Ruelas down twice before the fight was stopped in the second round. The IBF then ordered De La Hoya to defend against Miguel Julio.


De La Hoya vs. Hernández

He relinquished the IBF title and defended the WBO title against undefeated Genaro Hernández (32–0–1), who relinquished the WBA super-featherweight title to fight De La Hoya.


De La Hoya vs. Leija

Hernandez quit after six rounds because of a broken nose. In his sixth and final defense of the WBO lightweight title, he knocked out
Jesse James Leija James Leija (born July 8, 1966), best known as Jesse James Leija, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2005. He held the WBC super featherweight title in 1994, and challenged twice each for world titles at lightw ...
(30–1–2) in two rounds at New York's Madison Square Garden.


Light welterweight


Chávez vs. De La Hoya

On June 7, 1996, Oscar De La Hoya fought Mexican legend
Julio César Chávez Julio César Chávez González (; born July 12, 1962), also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was liste ...
(96–1–1) for the lineal and WBC
light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
championship. De la Hoya, with a record of 21–0 with 19 K.Os, defeated Chavez by a fourth-round TKO. The fight was stopped due to several bad cuts suffered by Chavez above his left eye. Until their rematch in 1998, Chávez stated that De La Hoya did not defeat him since the fight was stopped.


De L Hoya vs. González

De La Hoya successfully defended his titles with a twelve-round unanimous decision against undefeated former WBC Lightweight Champion and number one light welterweight contender Miguel Ángel González (41–0–0).


Welterweight


Whitaker vs. De La Hoya

In 1997, De La Hoya moved up to the
welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
division and fought
Pernell Whitaker Pernell Whitaker Sr. (January 2, 1964 – July 14, 2019) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2001, and subsequently worked as a boxing trainer. He was a four-weight world champion, having won titles at lightweight, ligh ...
(40–1–1). The fight proved to be a difficult one. Whitaker frustrated De La Hoya with his defense, and landed more overall shots than De La Hoya, but De La Hoya's power punches and aggression swayed the judges more in his favor. De La Hoya won a twelve-round unanimous decision to capture the lineal and WBC titles. He also became the Ring Magazine's number-one ranked pound-for-pound fighter.


De La Hoya vs. Kamau

On June 14, 1997, De La Hoya made the first successful defense of his WBC welterweight title, defeating David Kamau by second-round KO.


De La Hoya vs. Camacho

On September 13, 1997, De La Hoya defeated
Héctor Camacho Héctor Luís Camacho Matías (May 24, 1962 – November 24, 2012), commonly known by his nickname "Macho", which also refers to strong men who do not show weakness. Camacho was a Puerto Rican professional boxer anentertainer Known for his qui ...
(63–3–1) by unanimous decision.


De La Hoya vs. Rivera

On December 6, 1997, De La Hoya defeated Wilfredo Rivera by eighth-round TKO.


De La Hoya vs. Charpentier

On June 13, 1998, De La Hoya defeated mandatory challenger
Patrick Charpentier Patrick Charpentier (born 18 June 1970) is a French boxer who had a boxing record of 27 wins, five losses, and one draw. He had 23 knockouts. Charpentier began boxing in 1989 and held two titles: the French welterweight title and the European B ...
by third round TKO.


De La Hoya vs. Chavez II

On September 18, 1998, De La Hoya fought a rematch with Julio César Chávez (100–2–2) and defeated him by eighth-round TKO.


De La Hoya vs. Quartey

In his next bout, he faced undefeated former WBA Welterweight Champion
Ike Quartey Isufu "Ike" Quartey (November 27, 1969) was a Ghanaian former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2006. He held the WBA welterweight title from 1994 to 1998, and challenged once for IBF junior-middleweight title in 2000. Early years ...
(34–0–1) and won by a somewhat disputable split decision. De La Hoya was knocked down once in the fight, while Quartey was down twice. He then defeated
Oba Carr Oba Diallo Carr (born May 11, 1972) is an American former professional boxer. A product of trainer Emanuel Steward's Kronk Gym in Detroit, he fought three times unsuccessfully for a welterweight world title. Professional career Among Carr's losse ...
(48–2–1) by eleventh-round TKO.


De La Hoya vs. Trinidad unification

After seven defenses of his lineal and WBC welterweight titles, De La Hoya fought rival and IBF Champion
Félix Trinidad Félix Juan Trinidad García (born January 10, 1973), popularly known as "Tito" Trinidad, is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2008. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes and is considere ...
(35–0) on September 18, 1999, in one of the biggest pay-per-view events in history, setting a record for a non-
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
fight. De La Hoya stayed just outside Trinidad's range while generating much success with his stiff jab and blitzing combinations, but in the last 2-3 rounds of the fight, heeding the strict instructions of his corner, who felt that De La Hoya was way ahead on the scorecards, De La Hoya shut down much of his offense and evaded trading with Trinidad. De La Hoya virtually gave away the last couple of rounds. Though landing well over 100 more punches, Trinidad was ultimately awarded a majority decision. The judges scorecards came under question after the decision. Fans and boxing analysts called for a rematch, which never happened.


De La Hoya vs. Opponents

On February 26, 2000, De La Hoya knocked out Derrell Coley (34–1–2) in a WBC eliminator. The WBC later awarded De La Hoya its welterweight title after Trinidad vacated it, which he lost to
Shane Mosley Shane Mosley (born September 7, 1971), often known by his nickname "Sugar" Shane Mosley, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2016. He held multiple triple champion, world championships in three weight classes, incl ...
(34–0) by a split decision on June 17, 2000. One judge scored the fight 115–113 for De La Hoya, and the other two scored it 116–112 and 115–113 for Mosley. De La Hoya successfully sued Bob Arum in 2000 to break his contract with the promoter. The courts ruled in favor of De La Hoya in February 2001." De La Hoya defeated
Arturo Gatti Arturo Gatti (April 15, 1972 – July 11, 2009) was a Canadian professional boxer who competed from 1991 to 2007. A world champion in two weight class (boxing), weight classes, Gatti held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightwei ...
(33–4) by fifth-round TKO on March 24, 2001.


Light middleweight

He then moved up to
light middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the Intern ...
, challenging the lineal and WBC champion
Javier Castillejo Francisco Javier Castillejo Rodríguez (born 22 March 1968), commonly known as Javier Castillejo, is a Spanish former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2009. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the ...
. De La Hoya won the fight, winning almost every round and knocking Castillejo (51–4) down with ten seconds to go to win the title by a unanimous decision.


De La Hoya vs. Karmazin cancellation

On October 8, 2001 it was announced that De La Hoya would return to the Grand Olympic Auditorium where he won his first title to defend his WBC light middleweight championship against the WBC No.1 challenger
Roman Karmazin Roman Alexandrovich Karmazin (born January 2, 1973) is a Russian former professional boxer. He held the International Boxing Federation, IBF Light Middleweight title. Professional career Karmazin suffered his first loss in 2002, a twelve-round d ...
, but on November 8, 2001 it was announced the fight was cancelled. Suffering from a torn cartilage in his left wrist, De La Hoya has been forced to cancel his December 8 title defense. He was hoping to fight again on May 4, a date he had already reserved before the injury. It was an old injury, one that De La Hoya incurred in the first round of his 1999 fight against Oba Carr. "It was from a left hook I threw in that fight," De La Hoya said, "and the pain has been there ever since. "On a scale of one to 10, I would say it was a five or six." Ten days ago, on his first day of sparring for the Karmazin match, De La Hoya threw a punch that severely aggravated the wrist. De La Hoya planned on facing a major opponent in May—Trinidad, Mosley, Hopkins, or Vargas—and says he still hopes to do so if he can get WBC approval to put off his mandatory match. De La Hoya said the hand bothered him in his losses against Trinidad and Mosley. "It was always bothering me," he said, "but we are fighters and we have to tough it out." The fight seemed to have been cursed from the start. When Karmazin's two trainers, his manager and his doctor were all denied visas, the Russian fighter had threatened to go home to train. Karmazin's promoter, Frank Moloney, went further, questioning whether the fight would happen.


Rivalry with Fernando Vargas

De La Hoya did not fight for the 15 months and in this time the rivalry between him and WBA champion "Ferocious"
Fernando Vargas Fernando Javier Vargas (born December 7, 1977) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2007. He was a two-time light middleweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 1998 to 2000, and the WBA title from 2 ...
(22–1) grew. They knew each other as amateurs and it is said the rivalry began when Vargas was angered by De La Hoya laughing at him after he fell into a snowbank. De La Hoya said he would never fight him. Eventually, however, De La Hoya accepted a match. The fight was scheduled for May 2002, but De La Hoya had to withdraw because of a hand injury. The unification bout, labeled "Bad Blood," finally took place on September 14, 2002, at the Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip. The fight was even for the first six rounds, with Vargas landing punches on the ropes in the odd rounds, while De La Hoya outboxed him in the even rounds. De La Hoya took over the fight in the seventh round and hurt Vargas with a left hook in the tenth. In the next round, De La Hoya knocked Vargas down with a left hook and stopped him moments later. The win is widely considered to be the biggest of De La Hoya's career. Vargas tested positive for
stanozolol Stanozolol (Abbreviation, abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is a synthetic androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American ph ...
after the fight.


De La Hoya vs. Mosley II

De La Hoya defended his unified title against
Yori Boy Campas Luis Ramón "Yori Boy" Campas Medina (born August 6, 1971) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1987 to 2019. He held the International Boxing Federation, IBF light middleweight title from 1997 to 1998. Background He is a n ...
(80–5) with a routine seventh round stoppage then faced Shane Mosley (38–2) in a rematch. The fight, billed as "Retribution" and staged at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, was more of a boxing match than their first encounter, and while some rounds were close, De La Hoya's game plan utilizing his jab seemed to be paying off, leaving Mosley visually frustrated. It was De La Hoya who seemed to be landing the cleaner, more effective punches, and obliterated Mosley in Compubox, landing over 100 more. But judges apparently didn't see it that way awarding Mosley with the controversial unanimous decision. Mosley was later connected to the BALCO Labs steroid scandal.
Jeff Novitzky Jeff Novitzky (born December 15, 1967) is the current Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance for the UFC, the world's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. He previously served as a special agent for the Food and Drug Admini ...
, a lead investigator on the BALCO case, reported that documents seized from the lab show that Mosley received "
the clear Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), known by the nickname The Clear, is a synthetic compound, synthetic and oral administration, orally active anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) which was never marketed for medical use. It was developed by Patrick Arnold ...
" and "
the cream "The cream" is a testosterone-based ointment that is used in conjunction with anabolic steroids such as tetrahydrogestrinone (THG, also known as "the clear") in order to mask doping in professional athletes. The drug was made public when the ...
," both designer
steroids A steroid is an organic compound with four fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter mem ...
. Mosley reportedly began his doping regimen prior to his rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley would later admit to using performance-enhancing drugs from
BALCO The Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) was an American company that operated from 1983 to 2003 led by founder and owner Victor Conte. In 2003, journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigated the company's role in a drug s ...
for this bout, saying he thought they were legal supplements.


Middleweight


Sturm vs. De La Hoya

De la Hoya next challenged
Felix Sturm Adnan Ćatić (born 31 January 1979), known as Felix Sturm, is a Bosnian-German professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, at middleweight and super-middleweight. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at the ...
(20–0) for the WBO
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...
title, on June 5, 2004, with the winner also getting a shot at the undisputed world middleweight champion
Bernard Hopkins Bernard Hopkins Jr. (born January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight class ...
. De La Hoya was awarded a unanimous decision, becoming the first boxer in history to win world titles in six different weight divisions. All three judges scored the bout 115–113 in favor of De La Hoya. The decision was very controversial, far more so than his decision wins over Pernell Whitaker or Ike Quartey. Whereas the Whitaker and Quartey fights were considered close bouts that could have gone either way or been called a draw, general opinion was that De La Hoya lost to Sturm, with Compubox counting Sturm as landing 234 of 541 punches, while counting De La Hoya as landing 188 of 792. There had been some rumblings throughout the boxing community already before the fight, that a decision would be made to insure that De La Hoya would fight Hopkins in a mega-dollar fight that would've drawn more money than a Hopkins-Sturm matchup would. Iain Darke of ''Sky Sports'' said the decision looked "tailor made" to set up De La Hoya versus Hopkins. "(De La Hoya) got the benefit of high charity," Darke said. Sturm & his promotional team, Universum Box-Promotion, filed a protest with the Nevada State Athletic Commission over the decision, but it was to no avail, and the decision still stands today.


De La Hoya vs. Hopkins

De La Hoya fought Bernard Hopkins (44–2–1) in a unification match on September 18, 2004, in Las Vegas. Hopkins held the WBC, WBA, and IBF middleweight titles, was recognized as lineal and ''The Ring'' champion, and was considered by many to be the number one pound for pound fighter in the world. Although the fight was at a
catchweight A catchweight is a term used in combat sports, such as boxing or mixed martial arts, to describe a weight limit that does not adhere to the traditional limits for weight classes. In boxing, a catchweight is negotiated prior to weigh-ins, which are ...
of , many thought De La Hoya was too small for the weight class and Hopkins was considered a heavy favorite. Several days before the fight, De La Hoya's hand was cut when his wraps were being cut off after training, requiring eleven stitches to close. He and his corner both maintained it was not an issue going into the bout. De La Hoya fought a tactical fight. After eight rounds, De La Hoya was ahead 77–75 on one scorecard and behind 78–74 and 79–73 on the other two. In the ninth round Hopkins threw a left hook towards De La Hoya's body, sending him crumbling to the canvas, where he was counted out. It was the first time in De La Hoya's career that he had been KO'd. De la Hoya later stated that he couldn't get up because the pain of a well-placed liver shot was unbearable. Despite losing, De La Hoya made over $30 million from the fight. Hopkins eventually became a minor shareholder in Golden Boy, and served as the east coast representative for the company. Bob Arum claimed De La Hoya "quit." Like Mosley, Hopkins would subsequently be represented by Golden Boy Promotions.


Comeback


De La Hoya vs. Mayorga

De La Hoya took a layoff of 20 months before signing to fight WBC light middleweight titleholder
Ricardo Mayorga Ricardo Antonio Mayorga Perez (born October 3, 1973) is a Nicaraguan professional boxer and former mixed martial artist. In boxing he is a former two-weight world champion, having held the unified WBA (Unified), WBC, ''Ring'' magazine, and li ...
(27–5–1). In the buildup to the fight, Mayorga insulted everything from De La Hoya's sexuality to his wife and child,Boxing News and Views :: May :: 2006
Eastsideboxing.com.
but when they fought on May 6, 2006, De La Hoya knocked Mayorga down in the first minute of the fight with a left hook. He knocked him out in the sixth round to take his tenth world title.


De La Hoya vs. Mayweather Jr.

In early 2007, De La Hoya signed to defend his title against WBC welterweight champion
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (né Sinclair; born February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed between 1996 and 2017. He list of undefeated boxing world champions, retired with an undefeated record a ...
(37–0–0). De La Hoya was a two to one underdog in the fight. The fight took place on May 5, 2007, at a sold-out arena at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. De La Hoya pressed throughout, doing best when using his left jab. Mayweather controlled the later rounds and was awarded a split decision, with judge Chuck Giampi scoring the bout 116–112 for Mayweather, Jerry Roth 115–113 for Mayweather, and Tom Kaczmarcek 115–113 for De La Hoya. The Associated Press had it for Mayweather, 116–112. Although Oscar chased Mayweather and threw many combinations en route to throwing over 100 more total punches, Mayweather landed at a higher rate; according to Compubox he connected on 207 of 481 punches thrown, De La Hoya on only 122 of 587.


De La Hoya vs. Forbes

On May 3, 2008, at the
Home Depot Center Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignit ...
in Carson, California, De La Hoya fought
Steve Forbes Malcolm Stevenson Forbes Jr. (; born July 18, 1947) is an American publishing executive and politician who is the editor-in-chief of ''Forbes'', a business magazine. He is the son of longtime ''Forbes'' publisher Malcolm Forbes and the grandso ...
(33–5) in a tuneup for a possible rematch with Mayweather. De La Hoya showed a more relaxed style, throwing a constant jab and always staying on his toes. He opened a cut near Forbes' eye in the sixth round, going on to win by unanimous decision in 12.` On June 6, 2008,
Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (né Sinclair; born February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed between 1996 and 2017. He list of undefeated boxing world champions, retired with an undefeated record a ...
announced his first of many subsequent retirements from boxing, effectively ending talk of a rematch.


De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao

De La Hoya faced
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. ( ; ; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician, businessman, and professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He previously serv ...
(47–3–2) on December 6, 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Presented by
Golden Boy Promotions Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is an American boxing promotional firm based in Los Angeles, California. The company was established in 2002 by eight-time world champion (in six divisions) Oscar De La Hoya, borrowing his nickname "Golden Boy." Hist ...
and
Top Rank, Inc. Top Rank, Inc. is a boxing promotional company founded by Jabir Herbert Muhammad and Bob Arum, which was incorporated in 1973, and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since its founding, Top Rank has promoted many world class fighters, including Muh ...
, the bout was a twelve-round, non-title fight at the
welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
limit. Although Pacquiao went into the fight recognized as the leading pound for pound boxer in the world, some pundits speculated that 147 pounds could have been too far above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya. However, Pacquiao's trainer
Freddie Roach Frederick Steven Roach (born March 5, 1960) is an American boxing trainer and former professional boxer. Roach is widely regarded as one of the best boxing trainers of all time. He is the enduring boxing coach of the eight-division world champio ...
was confident of a victory as he stated that De La Hoya could no longer "pull the trigger" at that stage of his career. De La Hoya, who was favored to win the bout due to his size advantage, was expected to be the heavier of the two on fight night. However, though Pacquiao weighed and De La Hoya at the official weigh-in on Friday, De La Hoya entered the ring at 147 pounds to Pacquiao's . De La Hoya took a beating and his corner stopped the fight after the eighth round. Pacquiao was ahead on all three judges' scorecards before the stoppage, with two judges scoring the fight 80–71 and the other judge scoring it at 79–72. After the bout, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach stated, "We knew we had him after the first round. He had no legs, he was hesitant and he was shot." Confirming Roach's pre-fight predictions that he'd grown too old, De La Hoya crossed the ring to Pacquiao's corner after the bout was stopped and told Roach, "You're right, Freddie. I don't have it anymore." When asked by reporters whether he would continue fighting, De La Hoya responded, "My heart still wants to fight, that's for sure," De La Hoya said. "But when your physical doesn't respond, what can you do? I have to be smart and make sure I think about my future plans."


Retirement and proposed comeback

De La Hoya announced his retirement on April 14, 2009, ending any speculation about a potential fight with Julio César Chávez Jr., son of the former champion and Mexican icon
Julio César Chávez, Sr. Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: *Julio (given name) *Julio (surname) *Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation albu ...
Later in 2009, De La Hoya held an exhibition boxing fight versus basketball player
Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...
as an episode of the television show ''
Shaq Vs. ''Shaq Vs.'' is an American reality television series produced for ABC by Dick Clark Productions and Media Rights Capital starring American basketball star Shaquille O'Neal. It began airing on August 18, 2009. Shaquille O'Neal claims to be "the g ...
'' On November 25, 2020, De La Hoya told
DAZN DAZN (; pronounced "da zone") is a British Over-the-top media service, over-the-top sports Sports broadcasting, streaming and entertainment platform. Founded in 2007 as Perform Group via the merger of Premium TV Limited and Inform Group, it is o ...
that "I'm 90 percent positive that I'm coming back the first quarter of next year," and that he was open to fighting
Gennady Golovkin Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin (; also spelled Gennady; born 8 April 1982), often known by his nickname "GGG" or "Triple G", is a Kazakhstani professional boxer. He has held multiple middleweight world championships, and is a two-time former u ...
in a bout. On June 17, 2021, it was announced that De La Hoya would return to the ring in an exhibition bout against
Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian professional boxer and retired mixed martial artist who competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, and Middleweight d ...
on September 11, 2021, under the
Triller (app) Triller is an American video-sharing social networking service that was first released for iOS and Android in 2015. The service allows users to create and share short-form videos, including videos set to, or automatically synchronized to, musi ...
Fight Club banner. On July 21, it was announced that the match would not be an exhibition, and instead would be an official boxing match sanctioned by the
California State Athletic Commission The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the State by licensing all participants and supervising the event ...
. On September 3, De La Hoya announced that he would not be fighting Belfort due to contracting
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. In a message to his fans, he stated that he was fully
vaccinated A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...
and receiving hospital treatment.


2020 presidential candidacy speculation

In September 2018, De La Hoya was reported to be "seriously considering a run for president of the United States." In an interview, he informed
TMZ ''TMZ'' is an American entertainment-focused tabloid news organization owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested ...
that he was assembling an exploratory team to assess the viability of a candidacy, stating that, "If the numbers look right... I'm gonna go for it."


Television appearances

In 2021, De La Hoya competed in ''
The Masked Singer ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'' spin-off '' The Masked Dancer'' as "Zebra". He finished in fourth place. In 2025, De La Hoya competed in season thirteen of ''
The Masked Singer ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'' as "Fuzzy Peas". He was eliminated on "
Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...
Night".


Personal life

De La Hoya began dating actress and
Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020. ...
1995 titleholder
Shanna Moakler Shanna Lynn Moakler ( ; born March 28, 1975) is an American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. After winner Chelsi Smith won ...
in October 1997. Moakler and De La Hoya announced their engagement in October 1998. She gave birth to their daughter the following year. Moakler has said "it wasn't a planned pregnancy, but it was understood if it happened it was beautiful and if it didn't that was fine too." In September 2000, the relationship abruptly ended when Moakler, who was at home watching the
Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...
s on television, saw De La Hoya escorting another woman to the show. In December 2000, Moakler filed a $62.5 million palimony suit against her ex-fiancé, claiming he was an
alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...
, abusive to her and to their daughter, and that he used them "as props to promote his public image." The case was settled out of court in 2001 for an undisclosed amount. After the time of De La Hoya's split from Moakler, he had little contact with his daughter, although he continued to provide financial support. On October 5, 2001, De La Hoya married
Millie Corretjer Milagros Ninette Corretjer Maldonado, known as Millie Corretjer (born April 18, 1974), is a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican singer and actress. She was married to former professional boxer Oscar De La Hoya. She is the granddaughter of influential poe ...
. They have three children together. He also has two sons from previous relationships. De La Hoya and Corretjer separated in 2016. On December 12, 2002, the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles granted De La Hoya Mexican citizenship. De La Hoya stated: "I've always felt that my blood is Mexican." On September 3, 2021, De La Hoya disclosed that he was raped by a woman when he was 13. He did not disclose the name of the woman but stated that she was over 35 years of age.


Business pursuits and projects

Oscar De La Hoya appears on the front covers of the
PS3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
,
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
and PSP versions of
EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they imitated real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" (EASN) ...
' ''
Fight Night Round 3 ''Fight Night Round 3'' is a boxing video game developed by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to EA Sports' previous boxing title, '' Fight Night Round 2'', which was released in 2005. ''Fight Night Round 3'' was released on February 20, 2006, for ...
'', he previously was a cover athlete on ''
Knockout Kings 99 ''Knockout Kings'' (known as ''Knockout Kings 99'' in Europe) is a video game developed by American studio Press Start and published by EA Sports for the PlayStation. Gameplay ''Knockout Kings'' features 38 professional boxers with motion capture ...
'', & ''
Knockout Kings 2001 ''Knockout Kings 2001'' (known as ''Box Champions 2001'' in Germany for the PS1) is a boxing video game developed by EA Sports. The third installment in the '' Knockout Kings'' series, the game was released for PlayStation in 2000, and later for ...
'' with
Shane Mosley Shane Mosley (born September 7, 1971), often known by his nickname "Sugar" Shane Mosley, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2016. He held multiple triple champion, world championships in three weight classes, incl ...
. In 2000,
EMI International EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
released ''Oscar De La Hoya''. The self-titled CD is a
Latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
album with 13 tracks in both English and Spanish, written by
Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...
and the
Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...
, and was nominated for a
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
. Also, it was certified ''Platinum (Latin)'' by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
in June 2006. In 2004, he debuted a line of casual,
activewear Sportswear or activewear is athletic clothing, including footwear, worn for sports activity or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Typical spor ...
-inspired apparel, through
Mervyns Mervyn's was an American middle-scale department store chain based in Hayward, California, and founded by Mervin G. Morris (1920–2021). It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, bath products, furniture, jewelry, beauty product ...
department stores, and, that summer, hosted a boxing reality television series, ''The Next Great Champ'', on Fox and
Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...
Net. In 2005, Golden Boy Enterprises announced the formation of Golden Boy Partners, a company focused on urban development in Latino communities. In 2006, De La Hoya authorized a children's picture book titled ''Super Oscar'', published by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
and released in his name. The book was written by Mark Shulman and illustrated by illustrator Lisa Kopelke. The book tells the story of young Oscar as a daydreamer, who uses his great physical ability to prepare an elaborate picnic for his entire neighborhood in just fifteen minutes. Written in English and Spanish, the book received unanimously positive reviews from the publishing review journals, and was selected as the Best Bilingual Children's Picture Book at the 2007 Latino Book Awards. In September 2007, Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC, a subsidiary of Golden Boy Enterprises, acquired ''
The Ring The Ring may refer to: Arts and entertainment *The Ring (franchise), ''The Ring'' (franchise), a Japanese horror media franchise Literature * ''The Ring'', a 1967 novel by Richard Chopping * ''The Ring'', a 1988 book by Daniel Keys Moran * ''The R ...
'', ''
KO Magazine ''KO Magazine'' was a popular American boxing magazine. It was first published in 1980, to compete with '' The Ring''. It was founded by Stanley Weston Stanley Weston (né Weinburger; September 25, 1919 – April 11, 2002) was an American pub ...
'', and ''World Boxing Magazine'' from Kappa Publishing Group. On May 1, 2007, the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles announced that a bronze statue of Oscar De La Hoya would join similar tributes to Los Angeles sports stars
Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...
and
Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
at the Staples Center. The statue was unveiled on December 2, 2008. In February 2008, Golden Boy acquired a 25% stake of
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
club
Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...
, along with Brener International Group. De La Hoya started a charitable foundation to help educate underprivileged youth and, in 2008, donated $3.5 million to the De La Hoya Animo Charter High School. In June 2008, HarperCollins released De La Hoya's autobiography, ''American Son: My Story'', written with author and ''Los Angeles Times'' sportswriter
Steve Springer Steven Michael Springer (born February 11, 1961) is an American former professional baseball player who appeared in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman and pinch hitter for eight games over two seasons for the Cleveland Indians () and ...
. In 2008, De La Hoya starred in a commercial alongside several Mexican boxing champions for the Pronosticos
lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...
in Mexico. The film, ''300'', inspired the commercial, which featured the Mexican champions battling giants and other large creatures. In early 2011, De La Hoya visited U.S. military personnel in Kuwait and Iraq under the auspices of the
USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
, holding boxing clinics and greeting the troops. In 2014, De La Hoya was named promoter of the year by Sports Illustrated. De La Hoya has spoken about his intention to run for president against Donald Trump in the 2020 election.


Legal issues

In 1998, at age 25, he was accused of rape. Mexican authorities investigated, with no charges filed, and De La Hoya maintained his innocence. A lawsuit was then filed in
San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...
, California County Superior Court, alleging that De La Hoya had raped the complainant, who was 15 at the time, in a hotel room in
Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Luke the Evangelist, Saint Luke Cape (geography), Cape"), also known simply as Cabo, is a Resort town, resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the Mexican Political divisions of Mexico, state of Baja ...
, Mexico, in June 1996. The suit was heard, and was settled out of court in 2001. In 2022, De La Hoya was sued by a former employee of his tequila brand, Casa Mexico, over allegations that he sexually harassed and assaulted her in 2020. He denied the allegations against him.


Cross-dressing controversy

In 2007, photographs featuring a cross-dressed De La Hoya were posted on a tabloid website and received extensive publicity across the Internet. De La Hoya denied the authenticity of the photos. In May 2008, Mila Dravnel, the woman who sold the photographs, sued De La Hoya for slander, then dropped the lawsuit after experts suggested that the photographs had been digitally altered. Nonetheless, during De La Hoya's August 2011 interview with
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...
, he confirmed that it was indeed him in the leaked 2007 photos, attributing the aberration to poor judgement due to his first use of
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
.


Substance abuse problem

Three months prior to the cross-dressing controversy, De La Hoya had publicly acknowledged that he had a substance abuse problem, stating, "After doing an honest evaluation of myself, I recognize that there are certain issues that I need to work on. Like everyone, I have my flaws, and I do not want to be one of those people that is afraid to admit and address those flaws." He underwent treatment at the
Betty Ford Center The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is an addiction treatment and advocacy organization that was created in 2014 with the merger of the Minnesota-based Hazelden Foundation and the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, in the United State ...
in Rancho Mirage, California for
alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
. In September 2013, just a few days before the Golden Boy promoted match of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Canelo Álvarez, De La Hoya announced that he was returning to a drug and alcohol treatment facility. In January 2017, De La Hoya was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Pasadena, California; to which he pled not guilty, and charges were dismissed in 2018. In 2019, during an investigation of an attempted extortion, he admitted to having used cocaine in early 2018.


Professional boxing record


Exhibition boxing record


Titles in boxing


Major world titles

* WBO super featherweight champion (130 lbs) *
IBF lightweight champion This is a list of world lightweight boxing champions by organization, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), * The World ...
(135 lbs) * WBO lightweight champion (135 lbs) * WBC light welterweight champion (140 lbs) * WBC welterweight champion (147 lbs) * WBC light middleweight champion (154 lbs) (2×) * WBA (Unified) light middleweight champion (154 lbs) * WBO middleweight champion (160 lbs)


''The Ring'' magazine titles

* ''The Ring'' light middleweight champion (154 lbs)


Minor world titles

* IBA
welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
champion (147 lbs) * IBA
light middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the Intern ...
champion (154 lbs)


Honorary titles

*
WBO Super Champion The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...


Pay-per-view bouts

Total (approximate) revenue: $700,000,000Manny Pacquiao-Oscar De La Hoya fight sells 1.25MPPVs
ESPN (December 11, 2008). Retrieved on September 4, 2016.


Filmography


See also

*
List of super featherweight boxing champions This is a list of Super featherweight boxing champions, as recognized by boxing organizations: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA). * The World Boxing Council (WBC), established in 19 ...
*
List of lightweight boxing champions This is a list of world lightweight boxing champions by organization, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), * The World ...
*
List of light welterweight boxing champions This is a chronological List of World Super Lightweight/Light Welterweight/Junior Welterweight Boxing Champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the Nati ...
*
List of welterweight boxing champions Beginning with Mysterious Billy Smith to Harry Lewis, the welterweight world champions listed below are more widely recognized in the United States and are not as widely sanctioned as the boxers that follow. Beginning with boxer Pat Bradley, is a ...
*
List of light middleweight boxing champions This is a chronological List of World Super Welterweight / Junior Middleweight / Light Middleweight Boxing Champions, as recognized by four of the better-known sanctioning organizations: * The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the ...
*
List of middleweight boxing champions Championship recognition 1884–1910 Champions were recognized by public acclamation. A champion in that era was a fighter who had a notable win over another fighter and kept winning afterward. Retirements or disputed results could lead to a cha ...
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List of WBA world champions This is a list of WBA world champions, showing every world champion certified by the World Boxing Association (WBA). The list also includes champions certified by the National Boxing Association (NBA), the predecessor to the WBA. Boxers who won t ...
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List of WBC world champions This is a list of WBC world champions, showing every world champion certificated by the World Boxing Council (WBC). The WBC is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and certifies world champions in 18 different weight cla ...
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List of IBF world champions This is a list of IBF world champions, showing every world champion recognized by the International Boxing Federation (IBF). The IBF is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and has awarded world champions in 17 different ...
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List of WBO world champions This is a list of WBO world champions, showing every world champion certified by the World Boxing Organization (WBO). The WBO is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and has awarded world championships in 17 different we ...
* List of ''The Ring'' world champions *
List of boxing sextuple champions A sextuple champion in boxing refers to a boxer who has won world titles in six different weight classes. Recognition Major sanctioning bodies There is some dispute on which sanctioning body is considered "major" enough to award championships. The ...
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List of Olympic medalists in boxing Current program Men's Flyweight *1904: up to 105 lb (47.6 kg) *1920–1936: up to 112 lb (50.8 kg) *1948–1964: up to 51 kg *1968–2008: 48–51 kg *2012–2020: 49–52 kg *2024–present: –51 kg ;Note ...
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Millie Corretjer Milagros Ninette Corretjer Maldonado, known as Millie Corretjer (born April 18, 1974), is a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican singer and actress. She was married to former professional boxer Oscar De La Hoya. She is the granddaughter of influential poe ...


References


Further reading

''American Son: My Story''
by Oscar De La Hoya, with Steve Springer, HarperCollins via Google Books, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2018.


External links

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About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...

Oscar De La Hoya Rings the NASDAQ Closing Bell
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:De La Hoya, Oscar 1973 births Living people Martial artists from Los Angeles County, California American boxers of Mexican descent American boxing promoters Boxers from California Major League Soccer executives Olympic boxers for the United States Boxers at the 1992 Summer Olympics International Boxing Federation champions World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions World Boxing Organization champions Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics American male boxers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in boxing The Ring (magazine) champions World super-featherweight boxing champions World lightweight boxing champions World light-welterweight boxing champions World welterweight boxing champions World light-middleweight boxing champions World middleweight boxing champions Mixed martial arts executives Houston Dynamo FC owners Houston Dash owners Sportspeople from Montebello, California Goodwill Games medalists in boxing Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games The Ring (magazine) people 20th-century American sportsmen