 Oscar De La Hoya - This "Golden Boy" of
boxing was born on February 4th 1973 in East Los Angeles, California. He was one
of America's top amateur boxers during the late 80-s and early 90's, until he
turned pro right after winning a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona,
Spain. The following November, Oscar De La Hoya fought Lamar Williams and won
the match with a first-round KO.
At 5'11 with an impressive 72-inch reach, Oscar De La Hoya is one of today's
most respected boxers, with a tremendous appeal to a broad audience of sports
fan. His smooth character in the ring probably emanates from the fact that he
"learned long ago to live with fear- controlled fear. Being relaxed,
anticipating punches, translates into fear under control." Oscar De La Hoya
realizes that he is still young and that he still has a long road ahead, where
he learns something new every time he finishes a daily workout. "The is always
space for improvement, no matter how long you've been in the business."
Take away all the fame and glamour of this pretty boy of boxing, Oscar De La
Hoya still enjoys the time spent at home with his family. His entire family is
very proud of Oscar's career, even if his brother Joel Jr. says that "Oscar
hated physical confrontations." Part of Oscar's calling for boxing had to do
with the time his father caught him playing, and said to him "How many times
have I told you not to play baseball? I don't want you to get hurt. You can get
killed out here. Go to the gym and learn how to defend yourself. That's what
you've got to do." From that point on, it was clear that boxing was a tradition
in the family, and he was going to be part of it.
Oscar De La Hoya does his press conferences in Spanish, his mother tongue. His
love for his roots and background make him a god-like creature among his own. He
won his first world title in 1994 against Jimmi Bredahl.
In 1995, Oscar De La Hoya defeated Rafael Ruelas, later winning over Genaro
Hernandez and Jesse James Leija. In June 1996, he clearly dominated his long
time idol Julio Cesar Chavez in a fourth-round TKO. His 1997 defeat over the
previously undefeated Miguel Gonzalez, won him the WBC lightweight title.
Pernell Whitaker was his next in-ring victim with a close decision over the
champ.
With an amazing record as a boxer, Oscar De La Hoya seems to follow in the
footsteps of other boxing legends like Sugar Ray Leonard, the one previously
referred to as the "Golden Boy".
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