Oscar De La Hoya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oscar De La Hoya
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De La Hoya in 2014
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| Born | February 4, 1973 |
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| Other names | The Golden Boy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Millie Corretjer
(m. 2001; div. 2016) |
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| Partner(s) | Shanna Moakler (1997–2000) |
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| Children | 6, including Atiana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Daisy De La Hoya (cousin) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Oscar De La Hoya (born February 4, 1973) is a famous American boxing promoter and a former professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 1992 to 2008. Oscar won 11 world titles in six different weight classes, which is a huge achievement in boxing!
People called him "The Golden Boy of Boxing." This nickname came about when he won a gold medal for the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He is considered one of the greatest boxers ever.
After his boxing career, De La Hoya started Golden Boy Promotions in 2002. This company helps promote boxing and other combat sports events. He was the first American of Mexican descent to own a national boxing promotion company. He even promoted fights while he was still an active boxer!
Oscar De La Hoya has dual citizenship, meaning he is both an American and a Mexican citizen. He received his Mexican citizenship in 2002, honoring his family's heritage.
Contents
Early Life and Family Roots
Oscar De La Hoya was born in East Los Angeles, California. Boxing was a big part of his family. His grandfather, Vicente, was an amateur boxer in the 1940s. His father, Joel Sr., was a professional boxer in the 1960s. Oscar's brother, Joel Jr., also boxed. Oscar finished high school at Garfield High School in 1991.
Amateur Boxing Career
Oscar started boxing at a young age and quickly became very good. At 15, he won the national Junior Olympics title in the 119-pound division. The next year, he won the 125-pound title.
His amateur record was impressive, with 234 wins, and 163 of those were knockouts! In 1989, he won the National Golden Gloves title. In 1990, at just 17, he won the U.S. National Championship. He was also the youngest U.S. boxer at the Goodwill Games that year, where he won a gold medal.
A sad event happened around this time: his mother, Cecilia, was very sick with breast cancer. She passed away in October 1990. Her dream was for Oscar to win an Olympic gold medal.
Olympic Gold Medal Dream
Oscar trained very hard for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, determined to make his mother's dream come true. He had a tough first fight but won. Then, he defeated German boxer Marco Rudolph to win the gold medal. This was a big deal because Rudolph was the only fighter who had beaten Oscar in the years leading up to the Olympics.
The media followed his journey closely and gave him the nickname "The Golden Boy." This name stuck with him throughout his career. In 2000, Oscar and his siblings opened the Cecilia Gonzalez De La Hoya Cancer Center. They donated $350,000 in honor of their mother.
Amateur Career Highlights
- Won Gold Medal at the 1989 National Golden Gloves (57 kg).
- Won Gold Medal at the 1990 U.S. National Championships (57 kg).
- Won Gold Medal at the 1990 United States Olympic Cup (57 kg).
- Won Gold Medal at the 1990 Goodwill Games (57 kg) in Seattle.
- Won Gold Medal at the 1991 U.S. National Championships (60 kg).
- Won Gold Medal at the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival (60 kg) in Los Angeles.
- Won Gold Medal at the 1992 Olympic Games (60 kg) in Barcelona, Spain.
- Inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2008.
Professional Boxing Journey
Oscar De La Hoya started his professional boxing career on November 23, 1992. He won his first fight by knockout in the very first round.
Winning First World Titles
In his twelfth professional fight, at just 20 years old, Oscar won his first world title. He defeated Jimmy Bredahl to become the WBO junior lightweight champion. He defended this title once.
Then, on July 29, 1994, he won the vacant WBO Lightweight title by knocking out Jorge Páez. He successfully defended this title multiple times.
Moving Up in Weight Classes
Oscar kept moving up in weight classes, facing tougher opponents and winning more titles.
Chávez vs. De La Hoya
On June 7, 1996, Oscar fought the legendary Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez for the WBC light welterweight championship. Oscar won the fight in the fourth round because Chávez had bad cuts above his eye.
Becoming a Welterweight Champion
In 1997, De La Hoya moved up to the welterweight division. He fought Pernell Whitaker and won a tough fight to capture the WBC welterweight title. This made him the top-ranked boxer in the world, pound for pound. He defended this title several times against strong fighters like Héctor Camacho and Wilfredo Rivera.
Big Fights and Rivalries
Oscar had many memorable fights. He had a rematch with Julio César Chávez in 1998 and won again. He also faced undefeated champion Ike Quartey and won by a close decision.
One of his biggest fights was against Félix Trinidad in 1999. It was a huge event that many people watched. De La Hoya landed more punches, but Trinidad was given the win by a close decision. Many fans wanted a rematch, but it never happened.
He later lost his WBC welterweight title to Shane Mosley in 2000.
Light Middleweight Success
Oscar then moved up to the light middleweight division. He challenged and defeated Javier Castillejo to win the WBC light middleweight title.
Rivalry with Fernando Vargas
A big rivalry grew between Oscar and WBA champion Fernando Vargas. They had known each other since their amateur days. Their unification fight, called "Bad Blood," happened on September 14, 2002. It was a very exciting fight. Oscar won by knockout in the eleventh round. This win is often seen as one of the most important victories in De La Hoya's career.
He defended his unified title against Yori Boy Campas. Then, he had a rematch with Shane Mosley in 2003. Oscar seemed to land more punches, but the judges gave the win to Mosley in a controversial decision.
Middleweight Title and Retirement
Oscar challenged Felix Sturm for the WBO middleweight title in 2004. He won by a unanimous decision, becoming the first boxer to win world titles in six different weight divisions! However, this decision was also controversial, as many felt Sturm had won the fight.
Later that year, on September 18, 2004, De La Hoya fought Bernard Hopkins in a unification match. Hopkins was a very strong middleweight champion. Hopkins won the fight by knockout in the ninth round. This was the first time Oscar had been knocked out in his career.
Comeback Fights
After a break, De La Hoya returned to boxing in 2006. He fought Ricardo Mayorga for the WBC light middleweight title and won by knockout in the sixth round.
In 2007, he had another huge fight against undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.. It was a very close and exciting fight. Mayweather won by a split decision.
Oscar fought Steve Forbes in 2008 and won by unanimous decision.
De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao
Oscar De La Hoya's last professional fight was on December 6, 2008, against Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao was considered one of the best boxers in the world. Even though Oscar was bigger, Pacquiao fought incredibly well. Oscar's corner stopped the fight after the eighth round because he was taking a lot of punches. After the fight, Oscar admitted that he no longer had what it took to compete at that level.
Oscar De La Hoya officially announced his retirement from boxing on April 14, 2009, after a 16-year career.
Life After Boxing
After retiring, Oscar De La Hoya focused on his company, Golden Boy Promotions. He also had an exhibition boxing match against basketball player Shaquille O'Neal for a TV show called Shaq Vs.
In 2021, Oscar competed on The Masked Dancer as "Zebra" and finished in fourth place. In 2025, he competed on The Masked Singer as "Fuzzy Peas."
Business and Philanthropy
Oscar De La Hoya has been involved in many business ventures. He appeared on the covers of video games like Fight Night Round 3.
In 2000, he released a self-titled Latin pop music album, which was even nominated for a Grammy Award!
He also launched a line of clothing and hosted a boxing reality TV show called The Next Great Champ.
In 2005, he started Golden Boy Partners, a company that works on urban development projects in Latino communities.
Oscar also authorized a children's picture book called Super Oscar in 2006. The book tells the story of a young Oscar who uses his athletic skills to prepare a picnic. It was written in both English and Spanish and won an award for best bilingual children's picture book.
His company, Golden Boy Enterprises, also bought boxing magazines like The Ring in 2007.
In 2008, a 7-foot bronze statue of Oscar De La Hoya was unveiled at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, honoring his achievements.
Oscar has also done a lot of charity work. He started a foundation to help educate young people. In 2008, he donated $3.5 million to the De La Hoya Animo Charter High School.
His autobiography, American Son: My Story, was released in 2008.
Personal Life
Oscar De La Hoya has six children. He had a daughter with Shanna Moakler. On October 5, 2001, he married Millie Corretjer, and they have three children together. They separated in 2016. He also has two sons from other relationships.
Images for kids
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De La Hoya in 2014
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De La Hoya in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Óscar de la Hoya para niños
