De La Hoya's career ended in shame in December 2008, when he quit on his stool after the eighth round of a bout against Manny Pacquiao. De la Hoya announced his retirement a few months later, at the age of 36.
He had been plagued by injuries for much of his career and never won the world championship he was so desperately seeking.
Oscar de la Hoya made his professional debut on January 19, 1995, beating Rafael Rivera by second-round knockout. He went on to have a successful career, winning championships at both the junior middleweight and light heavyweight levels of the game. In addition to his victories over recognized boxers, de la Hoya also faced off against some of sports' most recognizable names, including Mike Tyson and George Foreman.
His final fight was a loss to Manny Pacquiao in November 2008. The match was scheduled for eight rounds, but de la Hoya retired after the seventh. He was given a farewell gift by Pacquiao, who agreed to pay his medical bills. The total cost of de la Hoya's surgeries came to $3 million.
After retiring from boxing, de la Hoya opened an entertainment complex called "City Center" in downtown Los Angeles. The complex included a casino, a nightclub, and 300 seats for watching movies.
Few fighters have been on the covers of Ring Magazine and Newsweek. The 38-year-old De La Hoya had predicted to reporters before the fight that he would win by knockout. He went on to claim afterward that he had suffered a brain injury during the bout.
Oscar De La Hoya was born on January 4th, 1969 in San Pedro, California. His father was a Filipino boxer who fought under the name "El Gran Oso" (the Great Bear). His mother was American. When he was five years old, his family moved to Las Vegas, where his father hoped to make it as a boxer. However, due to many injuries, he was never able to compete at the highest level.
When he was just eleven years old, De La Hoya started training under legendary boxing coach Elvis Trujillo. He turned pro in 1993 at the age of fifteen, with a victory over Rafael Rivera. In 1994, he won his first ten fights, including one against future world champion Richie Killion. In 1995, he defeated future champion Arturo Gatti to become the WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion. In 1996, he lost this title to Andrew Maynard.
Oscar De La Hoya has returned! The former boxer, 48, stated his intention to return to the sport later this year. "I'm coming back," he said in an interview with ESPN's Darren Rovell. "I've been working out and I feel great."
De La Hoya, who turned 49 earlier this month, last fought in 2009 when he lost by knockout to Manny Pacquiao. Since then, he has run into financial problems with his gym, managed by his brother, planning a major expansion and filing for bankruptcy. But he says he now has everything under control and is ready to get back into the ring.
His comeback was expected after he announced his retirement. However, some reports have him wanting to fight again this year. It's possible that he could make another run at the WBC welterweight title which belongs to Jeff Horn since it was not defended during his suspension. If De La Hoya wins this title he will become only the second person to do so (the other being Pacquiao).
Besides the bankruptcy issue, there are no other known problems for De La Hoya. He just needs a promoter to work with and the money to be made in the boxing industry is too good to turn down.
Oscar De La Hoya has announced his retirement from boxing and will fight in July. He moved aside from active competition to focus on Golden Boy Promotions, although he retired with a career record of 39-6 and world championships in six weight classes. He said in a press release that he's planning to marry his girlfriend of two years, Jennifer Hernandez, in August.
De La Hoya made his professional debut in 1996 and quickly became one of the top fighters in his division, winning the WBC lightweight title in 1999. He defended it three times before losing it to Jorge Linares in an exciting fight in 2002. After that loss, De La Hoya decided to move up to the welterweight class, where he has remained since. He was undefeated in welterweight competition until 2007, when he lost a decision to Victor Hugo Ramirez. Since then, he has won four fights in a row and is looking to rebound from his first professional defeat.
De La Hoya has earned over $50 million during his career and was considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. He is now focused on promoting boxing events in Mexico and around the world through Golden Boy Promotions.
He's already booked several big fights for 2015, including a bout against former champion Miguel Cotto on May 9th at Las Vegas.
Trinidad defeated De La Hoya in a 12-round unanimous decision for the WBC welterweight championship in front of a record-breaking number of viewers watching the fight on pay-per-view television. A second loss against Sugar Shane Mosely in 2000 forced De La Hoya to retire from boxing. He returned to the ring in 2004 but lost another fight by TKO to Victor Hugo Martinez.
De La Hoya has had more than 50 fights in his career and is one of only eight active world-class welterweights available for competition. He is also one of only three active world-class welters with no losses recorded (the others are Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Marcos Maidana).
In addition to his work as a boxer, de la Hoya has been involved in politics. He was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2001 and served one term before being defeated in 2005 by Eric Garcetti. He then turned his attention back to boxing and was given an opportunity to challenge Mayweather for the WBA title but he declined the offer. Instead, he fought Miguel Angel Torres for the WBC belt but lost again by TKO in 2006. After these two losses de la Hoya retired for a second time and hasn't returned to the ring yet.
He has remained active in boxing politics and was elected president of the World Boxing Organization in 2008.
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