Oscar De La Hoya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oscar De La Hoya
De La Hoya in 2014
Born	(1973-02-04) February 4, 1973 (age 52) East Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	The Golden Boy
Spouse(s)	Millie Corretjer ​ ​ (m. 2001; sep. 2016)​
Partner(s)	Shanna Moakler (1997–2000)
Children	6
Oscar De La Hoya Statistics Rated at Super featherweight Lightweight Light welterweight Welterweight Light middleweight Middleweight Height 5' 11" in Reach 73 in Nationality American Mexican Stance Orthodox Boxing record Total fights 45 Wins 39 Wins by KO 30 Losses 6

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. He won 11 world titles in six different weight classes. He also won championships in three weight classes that are considered "lineal" (meaning he beat the previous champion).

People called De La Hoya "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 achieved this shortly after finishing high school. In 1995, The Ring magazine named him their Fighter of the Year. He was also ranked as the best boxer in the world, pound for pound, in 1997 and 1998.

De La Hoya's fights brought in about $700 million from pay-per-view events. This made him one of the highest-earning boxers in pay-per-view history. He retired from fighting in 2009 after a 16-year career. In 2002, he started his own company, Golden Boy Promotions. This company promotes combat sports. 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. Since 2002, Oscar De La Hoya has had dual American and Mexican citizenship. This reflects his family's background.

Oscar De La Hoya's Early Life

Oscar De La Hoya was born in East Los Angeles, California. His parents moved to the United States from Mexico before he was born. 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 graduated from Garfield High School in 1991.

Oscar De La Hoya's Amateur Boxing Career

Oscar De La Hoya started boxing at a young age. 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 very impressive, with 234 wins and only six losses. He won 163 of his fights by knockout.

In 1989, he won the National Golden Gloves title. The next year, at age 17, he won the U.S. National Championship. He was the youngest U.S. boxer at the Goodwill Games that year, where he won a gold medal. This victory was bittersweet because his mother, Cecilia Gonzales De La Hoya, was very ill. She passed away that October. Her dream was for Oscar to win an Olympic gold medal.

As the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona approached, Oscar focused on fulfilling his mother's wish. He had a big victory in the first round against Cuban boxer Julio Gonzalez. Then, he defeated German boxer Marco Rudolph to win the gold medal. Rudolph was the only fighter who had beaten Oscar in the years leading up to the Olympics. The U.S. media shared his story of trying to make his mother's dream come true. They gave him the nickname "The Golden Boy," which stayed 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

• Amateur record: 223 wins and 5 losses (unofficial).

• In 2008, he was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.

Oscar De La Hoya's Professional Boxing Career

Oscar De La Hoya started his professional boxing career on November 23, 1992. He won his first fight by knockout in the first round.

First World Title Wins

In his twelfth professional fight, at just 20 years old, he won his first world title. He defeated Jimmy Bredahl to win the WBO junior lightweight title. He defended this title once.

On July 29, 1994, he won the vacant WBO Lightweight title by knocking out Jorge Páez. He successfully defended this title twice in 1994. In February 1995, he beat John-John Molina by a unanimous decision.

Unifying Titles: De La Hoya vs. Ruelas

On May 6, 1995, De La Hoya fought Rafael Ruelas, who was the IBF lightweight champion. De La Hoya won this important fight by knockout in the second round. This made him a unified champion, holding two major titles at once.

Defending the Lightweight Title

He later gave up the IBF title. He defended his WBO title against undefeated Genaro Hernández. Hernández had to stop fighting after six rounds because of a broken nose. In his final defense of the WBO lightweight title, Oscar knocked out Jesse James Leija in two rounds.

Moving Up to Light Welterweight

On June 7, 1996, Oscar De La Hoya fought the famous Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez. De La Hoya, who had a perfect record of 21 wins, defeated Chávez by a technical knockout in the fourth round. The fight was stopped because Chávez had several bad cuts above his left eye. De La Hoya then successfully defended his new title against Miguel Ángel González.

Becoming a Welterweight Champion

In 1997, De La Hoya moved up to the welterweight division. He fought Pernell Whitaker, a very skilled defensive boxer. De La Hoya won by a unanimous decision. This victory made him the WBC welterweight champion. He also became The Ring Magazine's number-one ranked pound-for-pound fighter.

He defended his WBC welterweight title several times. He defeated boxers like David Kamau, Héctor Camacho, and Wilfredo Rivera. In June 1998, he beat Patrick Charpentier.

Rematch with Chávez

On September 18, 1998, De La Hoya had a rematch with Julio César Chávez. De La Hoya won again by technical knockout in the eighth round.

Challenging Ike Quartey

In his next fight, he faced undefeated former WBA Welterweight Champion Ike Quartey. De La Hoya won by a split decision. He then defeated Oba Carr by technical knockout.

Big Fight: De La Hoya vs. Trinidad

After defending his welterweight titles seven times, De La Hoya fought Félix Trinidad on September 18, 1999. This was one of the biggest pay-per-view events in history for a non-heavyweight fight. De La Hoya used his jab and combinations well for most of the fight. However, in the later rounds, his corner told him he was far ahead, so he avoided trading punches. Trinidad was given a majority decision win, which many fans and experts questioned. A rematch never happened.

Later Welterweight Fights

On February 26, 2000, De La Hoya won a fight that earned him the vacant IBA welterweight title. He then lost his WBC and IBA welterweight titles to Shane Mosley by a split decision on June 17, 2000. De La Hoya later defeated Arturo Gatti by technical knockout on March 24, 2001.

Moving to Light Middleweight

Oscar then moved up to the light middleweight division. He challenged the WBC champion Javier Castillejo. De La Hoya won the fight by a unanimous decision, winning almost every round. This made him a world champion in a sixth weight class.

Rivalry with Fernando Vargas

De La Hoya did not fight for 15 months. During this time, a rivalry grew between him and WBA champion Fernando Vargas. They had known each other as amateurs. The unification fight, called "Bad Blood," happened on September 14, 2002. The fight was close for the first six rounds. De La Hoya took control in the seventh round. In the eleventh round, De La Hoya knocked Vargas down and then stopped him. Many people consider this the biggest win of De La Hoya's career.

Defending the Light Middleweight Title

De La Hoya defended his unified title against Yori Boy Campas with a seventh-round stoppage. He then faced Shane Mosley in a rematch on September 13, 2003. De La Hoya seemed to be landing more effective punches. However, the judges gave Mosley a controversial unanimous decision win.

Becoming a Middleweight Champion

De La Hoya next challenged Felix Sturm for the WBO middleweight title on June 5, 2004. The winner would also get a chance to fight the undisputed world middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. De La Hoya was awarded a unanimous decision, becoming the first boxer in history to win world titles in six different weight divisions. The decision was very controversial, with many believing Sturm had won.

De La Hoya vs. Hopkins

De La Hoya fought Bernard Hopkins in a unification match on September 18, 2004. Hopkins held several middleweight titles and was considered one of the best boxers in the world. The fight was at a slightly lower weight than middleweight. Many thought De La Hoya was too small for the weight class.

After eight rounds, De La Hoya was ahead on one judge's scorecard. In the ninth round, Hopkins landed a powerful left hook to De La Hoya's body. Oscar fell to the canvas and was counted out. It was the first time De La Hoya had been knocked out in his career. He later said the pain from the punch was unbearable. Even though he lost, De La Hoya made over $30 million from the fight.

Comeback Fights

De La Hoya took a break from boxing for 20 months. He then returned to fight WBC light middleweight champion Ricardo Mayorga. He knocked Mayorga out in the sixth round to win his tenth world title.

De La Hoya vs. Mayweather Jr.

In early 2007, De La Hoya agreed to defend his title against undefeated WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.. The fight took place on May 5, 2007, in Las Vegas. De La Hoya pushed the action throughout the fight, using his left jab effectively. Mayweather controlled the later rounds and won by a split decision. This was a huge fight, setting a record for pay-per-view buys at the time.

De La Hoya vs. Forbes

On May 3, 2008, De La Hoya fought Steve Forbes. This was a warm-up fight for a possible rematch with Mayweather. De La Hoya won by a unanimous decision. However, Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement from boxing shortly after, ending talks of a rematch.

De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao

De La Hoya in 2008

De La Hoya faced Manny Pacquiao on December 6, 2008. The fight was a non-title welterweight bout. Many thought Pacquiao might be too small for the weight, but his trainer, Freddie Roach, was confident. De La Hoya was expected to be heavier, but Pacquiao weighed more in the ring.

De La Hoya took a lot of punches, and his corner stopped the fight after the eighth round. Pacquiao was ahead on all judges' scorecards. After the fight, De La Hoya told Roach, "You're right, Freddie. I don't have it anymore." He later said that while his heart still wanted to fight, his body could no longer respond.

Retirement and Possible Comeback

Oscar De La Hoya officially announced his retirement from boxing on April 14, 2009. In 2009, he had an exhibition boxing match against basketball player Shaquille O'Neal for a TV show.

In 2020, De La Hoya said he was thinking about returning to boxing. In 2021, it was announced he would fight Vitor Belfort in an official boxing match. However, De La Hoya had to cancel the fight because he got COVID-19. He shared that he was fully vaccinated and receiving hospital treatment.

Thinking About Running for President

In September 2018, news reports said that De La Hoya was "seriously considering" running for president of the United States. He told TMZ that he was putting together a team to see if a presidential campaign would be possible. He stated that if the numbers looked good, he would go for it.

Oscar De La Hoya's Personal Life

Oscar De La Hoya married Millie Corretjer on October 5, 2001. They have three children together. He also has two sons and a daughter from previous relationships. De La Hoya and Corretjer separated in 2016.

On December 12, 2002, Oscar De La Hoya was granted Mexican citizenship. He said, "I've always felt that my blood is Mexican."

Business and Other Projects

Oscar De La Hoya has been featured on the covers of several video games, including Fight Night Round 3 and Knockout Kings.

In 2000, he released a self-titled Latin pop music album. It had 13 songs in English and Spanish and was nominated for a Grammy.

In 2004, he launched his own line of casual clothing. That summer, he hosted a boxing reality TV show called The Next Great Champ. In 2005, his company, Golden Boy Enterprises, started Golden Boy Partners. This company focuses on building projects in Latino communities.

In 2006, a children's picture book called Super Oscar was published in his name. The book tells the story of a young Oscar who uses his physical abilities to prepare a picnic for his neighborhood. It was written in English and Spanish and received positive reviews.

In September 2007, a part of Golden Boy Enterprises bought The Ring, KO Magazine, and World Boxing Magazine.

On May 1, 2007, the Staples Center in Los Angeles announced that a 7-foot bronze statue of Oscar De La Hoya would be placed there. It joined statues of other famous Los Angeles sports stars. The statue was unveiled on December 2, 2008.

De La Hoya in 2010

In February 2008, Golden Boy bought a 25% share of the Major League Soccer team Houston Dynamo.

De La Hoya also started a charity to help educate young people who are not as fortunate. In 2008, he donated $3.5 million to the De La Hoya Animo Charter High School.

In June 2008, his autobiography, American Son: My Story, was released.

In 2008, De La Hoya appeared in a commercial for a Mexican lottery. The commercial was inspired by the movie 300 and featured Mexican boxing champions fighting giants.

In early 2011, De La Hoya visited U.S. military personnel in Kuwait and Iraq. He held boxing clinics and met with the troops.

In 2014, Sports Illustrated named De La Hoya "promoter of the year."

In 2021, De La Hoya appeared on the TV show The Masked Dancer as "Zebra." He finished in fourth place.

Oscar De La Hoya's Boxing Record Summary

• Total Fights: 45
• Wins: 39
  • By Knockout (KO): 30
  • By Decision: 9
• Losses: 6
  • By Knockout (KO): 2
  • By Decision: 4

Images for kids

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  De La Hoya in 2014

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  De La Hoya in 2010