Oscar De La Hoya

He was born in East Los Angeles, California 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.

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.

Oscar De La Hoya (, ; born February 4, 1973) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008.

His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championship in three weight classes.

In 1989, he won the National Golden Gloves title in the bantamweight division.

Gold Medalist — 1989 National Golden Gloves (57 kg), May, Knoxville, Tennessee:

In 1990, at age 17, he won the U.S. National Championship at featherweight and was the youngest U.S. boxer at that year's Goodwill Games, winning a gold medal.

Gold Medalist — 1990 U.S. National Championships (57 kg), February, Colorado Springs, Colorado:

Winner — 1990 United States Olympic Cup (57 kg), June, Salt Palace Exhibition Hall, Salt Lake City, Utah:

Gold Medalist — 1990 Goodwill Games (57 kg), July – August, Seattle, Washington:

De La Hoya graduated from Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, California in 1991.

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, and six losses.

Of those six losses, two were to Shane Mosley.

Gold Medalist — 1991 U.S. National Championships (60 kg), February – March, Colorado Springs, Colorado:

Gold Medalist — 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival (60 kg), July, The Forum, Los Angeles, California:

Participant — 1991 World Championships (60 kg), November, State Sports Centre, Sydney, Australia:

De La Hoya was nicknamed "The Golden Boy of boxing" by the media when he represented the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympics where, shortly after having graduated from James A. Garfield High School, he won a gold medal in the lightweight division, and reportedly "set a sport back on its feet."

As the 1992 Summer Olympics 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 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.

Gold Medalist — 1992 Olympic Games (60 kg), July – August, Palau dels Esports, Barcelona, Spain:

On November 23, 1992, De La Hoya made his professional debut by scoring a first-round TKO victory.

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.

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, in 1997 and 1998.

De La Hoya generated approximately $700 million in pay-per-view income, making him the top pay-per-view earner before being surpassed by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

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 (WMMC), with a $350,000 donation from De La Hoya, in honor of their mother.

In 2002, De La Hoya founded Golden Boy Promotions, a combat sport promotional firm that also owns a 25% stake in the Houston Dynamo.

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.

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.

His parents immigrated from Mexico to the United States prior to his birth.

2008 — United States Olympic Hall of Fame inductee.

He announced his retirement as a fighter in 2009, following a professional career spanning 16 years.

In 2018, he began promoting MMA matches as well, beginning with a 2018 trilogy bout between long-time rivals Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, with the inaugural Golden Boy MMA event taking place on November 24, 2018.