Who would’ve ever imagined that a poor kid from East LA would grow up to be the face of boxing at one point in time. I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to be like the Golden Boy growing up. Oscar was much more than an athlete he was a symbol of its (REAL) we can actually make it to many first generation American born latinos. I grew up in an era where you could count the Latino faces in media on one hand. I felt a sense of pride seeing Oscar on TV. It’s not like today where the Latino or if I want to get with the times the Latinx presence is so much stronger and visible then in decades past. While Oscar is laughed at nowadays and seen as a joke to many, there was a point in time where he ran boxing and everyone wanted to sign with Golden Boy Promotions. Oscar for me was the bar of success that as a Latino athlete I wanted to achieve. Of course, my life didn’t turn out that way, but that level of success he achieved is what many Latino athletes from urban areas looked up to. That East LA Kid, The Good Old Latino Boy Next Door, Olympic Gold Medal Winner.
The Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya.
Oscar De La Hoya’s accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championship in three weight classes. He is ranked as the 29th best boxer of all time, pound for pound. 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.”
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. 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, 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
While Oscar has so many accolades to his name he still has many demons inside. In a recent interview with Mike Tyson and Henry Cejudo I could still see the pain and demons Oscar is still fighting. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it hurt to see. Here is a man who has it all but yet the pain and the demons are so strong that still to this day they have a hold on him. Regardless of those demons and pain, Oscar remains a legend in the sport of boxing, and in my book, he played an important role in setting the blueprint for which many Latino athletes strive for in today’s era.
Remember before that was a Ryan Garcia, a Canelo Alvarez, a Danny Garcia there was an Oscar. Ironic how there were all signed to him at one point.
This series of posts will chronicle the golden boy! his highs and lows. His impact on the sport of boxing and myself.
Always remember nobody is perfect we all make mistakes take the good never the bad.
