Legends of Boxing: Oscar De La Hoya

I flew to Las Vegas to watch this legend box in the flesh!

Name: Oscar De La Hoya

Nickname: Golden Boy

Date of First Fight: 23rd November 1992

Date of Retirement: 6th December 2008

Titles: World titles at super-featherweight, lightweight, light-welterweight, welterweight, super-welterweight and middleweight

Biography:

Oscar De La Hoya was born on 4th February 1973 in Los Angeles, California. De La Hoya has American Mexican citizenship, as his parents emigrated from Mexico before he was born.

Boxing was in De La Hoya’s blood, and he enjoyed an excellent amateur career that ended with a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At this time, Oscar’s mother was seriously ill, and (allegedly) her dying wish was that her son would win the gold medal - which he did.

De La Hoya’s medal not only earned him the nickname ‘Golden Boy’ but also brought back interest in the American boxing scene. Oscar’s appeal and personality meant that many new fans followed him throughout his 16 years as a pro.

De La Hoya turned pro in late 1992 and knocked out several early opponents before winning his first world title in 1994. That was the WBO strap at super-featherweight when he made the undefeated champion, Jimmi Bredahl, retire after 10 rounds.

After a single defence De La Hoya moved up to lightweight to win the WBO belt. As the years went by, Oscar gradually climbed the weights and started adding notable names to his record. Even though the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker and Hector Camacho had seen better days, Oscar was building a stronger resume.

He also defeated two quality unbeaten fighters along the way, Miguel Gonzalez and Ike Quartey, before running into Felix Trinidad and suffering his first loss. Shane Mosley was a fighter who always seemed to find a way of beating De La Hoya.

They fought twice and Mosley won both times by tight points decisions. De La Hoya’s beef with Fernando Vargas was personal and the pair settled the score in 2002 when Oscar knocked out his rival in 11 rounds.

Oscar moved up to middleweight in 2004 but was stopped by Bernard Hopkins with a body shot. At a more natural weight class, Oscar caused Floyd Mayweather trouble before Floyd pulled away to win on points. In his final bout, Oscar boiled down in weight to face the exceptional Manny Pacquiao but lacked the speed and strength to compete.

Oscar won many awards throughout his career, including the Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year for 1995 and he was regularly on pound-for-pound lists. For years, De La Hoya was a Pay-Per-View star who was believed to have generated around $700 million in PPV revenue.

De La Hoya had a strong left jab and was famous for his left hook. In the Felix Trinidad fight, he was criticised for easing off and moving too much in the final rounds, allowing Trinidad to close the gap and win.

Oscar has always been busy outside of the ropes. He has released a music CD of ballads, been featured on the cover of computer games and authorised a children’s picture book.

His charitable foundation helps underprivileged children, especially within Latino communities. Golden Boy Promotions has been one of America's top boxing promotional companies since his retirement. Oscar has also delved into the world of comedy video creation with his weekly roasts of enemies via Twitter.

Image Credits: Sky Sports, DAZN.