Dual Nature of Oscar De La Hoya and Lessons From the Golden Boy

Oscar’s retirement from the world of prize fighting has lead many writers and fans to assess, praise and ridicule his impact on the sweet science of boxing for the last 15 years.

If one looks at the dual nature of de la Hoya as a promoter and fighter, we can see that the rise of Golden Boy Promotions and the decline of De La Hoya as a fighter is intrinsically related. Oscar started his promotional firm in 2001. De la Hoya has a record of 34-2 with 26 knockouts before Golden Boy Promotions started. He has great wins over high calibre opponents like Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Pernell Whitaker, Hector Camacho, Ike Quartey, Wilfredo Rivera and Jorge Paez. His two losses came from Trinidad in late 1999 and from Shane Mosley in the middle of 2000. We should take note that these losses came at a time when Oscar was recording his Latin Pop Album in 1999 and releasing it in the year 2000. It is also in these years that plans and groundwork of the promotional firm where worked out. These activities outside the ring might have affected Oscar as a prize fighter. Thus, we can conclude that the year Oscar De la Hoya became a part-time fighter was in 1999. Since the Golden Boy started promoting fights, Oscar only fought 9 times in 8 years. He has a dismal record of 5 wins and 4 losses with 3 knockouts. His latest fight was with the pound for pound boxer, Manny Pacquiao, where he suffered his worst loss of his career. His life outside the ring has more than doubled. He has starred and hosted in a reality television in 2004 on Fox Sports. In 2005, he also started the Golden Boy Partners , a company focused on urban development in Latino communities. The lists are many and endless. We can safely say that these outside distractions and the role of promoting fights have really contributed to the losses of his career. During these years when he became a part time boxer, he was in his late 20s and early 30s. The age range between 26 and 35 are the years when most pugilists have their most fruitful years. If there is one lesson that Oscar’s boxing career would share into the boxing world, It is this - Boxing is a full time Jjob. But still, the question needs to be asked. What If Oscar De La Hoya was still a full Time fighter from 1999 - 2008? He could have engage in more fights. He could have more wins and knockouts. There would be many “could beens”. Reflecting and reminiscing - That is all we can do. Oscar the fighter in the early decades of the 21st century, was washed up not because his skills and reflex were declining. Oscar could not pull the trigger not because old age has caught up with him. He could not compete at the highest level because his promotional activities and life outside the ring have taken away his focus on fighting. His decline was due to being a part-time fighter. Had he been a full time dedicated fighter, his place in the world of pugilism would be different. It is in this light that I would agree with the British boxing writer and promoter, Frank Warren, when he said: “De La Hoya will go down as a good fighter — but not an all-time great.”