Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya
The GreaT hispanic heriTaGe Isabel Allende Jorge Luis Borges Miguel de Cervantes César Chávez Roberto Clemente Salvador Dali Francisco Goa Oscar De La Hoa Dolores Huerta Frida Kahlo Jennifer Lopez Gabriel García Márquez José Martí Pedro Martinez Ellen Ochoa Pablo Picasso Tito Puente Juan Ponce de León Diego Rivera Carlos Santana Samm Sosa Pancho Villa
Oscar De La Hoya Susan Muaddi Darraj and Rob Maaddi
Oscar De La Hoya
Copyright©2008byInfobasePublishing Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedorutilizedinanyformor byanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyany informationstorageorretrievalsystems,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthe publisher.Forinformation,contact: ChelseaHouse AnimprintofInfobasePublishing 132West31stStreet NewYorkNY10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Darraj,SusanMuaddi. OscarDeLaHoya/SusanMuaddiDarrajandRobMaaddi. p.cm.—(ThegreatHispanicheritage) Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN978-0-7910-9692-5(hardcover) 1.DeLaHoya,Oscar,1973—Juvenileliterature.2.Boxers(Sports)—United States—Biography—Juvenileliterature.I.Maaddi,Rob.II.Title.III.Series. GV1132.D37D372008 796.83092—dc222007032007 ChelseaHousebooksareavailableatspecialdiscountswhenpurchasedinbulk quantitiesforbusinesses,associations,institutions,orsalespromotions.Pleasecall ourSpecialSalesDepartmentinNewYorkat(212)967-8800or(800)322-8755. YoucanfindChelseaHouseontheWorldWideWebathttp://www.chelseahouse.com TextdesignbyTakeshiTakahashi CoverdesignbyKeithTregoandJooyoungAn PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica BangEJB10987654321 Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper. AlllinksandWebaddresseswerecheckedandverifiedtobecorrectatthetime ofpublication.BecauseofthedynamicnatureoftheWeb,someaddressesandlinks mayhavechangedsincepublicationandmaynolongerbevalid.
Contents 1
Winning the Gold
2
Growing Up in the Barrio
12
3
The Development of a Champion
21
4
Turning Pro
33
5
Becoming a Champion
44
6
The Big Fight
54
7
Celebrit Status
63
8
Accepting Defeat
73
9
The End Is Not Near
83
10
Famil Man
94
6
Chronolog
100
Notes
103
Bibliograph
104
Further Reading
106
Index
108
1 Winning the Gold Cecilia De La Hoa was ding of cancer. She had been ding forsometime.WhenCeciliawasfirstdiagnosedwithbreast cancer,onlyherhusband,JoelSr.,knewit.Shehadtriedto protectherchildrenfromtheterribletruthwhilesheunderwentvarioustreatments,includingchemotherapyandradiation. She especially did not want her second son, Oscar, to knowabouthercondition. For11years,sincehewassixyearsold,Oscarhadbeen dedicated to one goal: becoming a professional boxer. The idea,however,hadnotbeenhis.Itwasthatofhisfather,Joel DeLaHoyaSr.,aformeramateurboxerhimself.Sincethefirst timehehadsteppedintothering,Oscarhadbeentoldthat hehadtowin,nomatterwhat.JoelSr.appliedthepressure. Oscar’smom,Cecilia,helpedhimtoreleaseit. Ceciliawasaseamstress,whoworkedlonghourstohelp support her family of three children: Joel Jr., Oscar, and 6
Winning the Gold
Oscar De La Hoya is considered one of the all-time boxing champions. He has won six world titles in six different weight classes and an Olympic gold medal. As an amateur boxer, De La Hoya posted an amazing 223-5 record with 163 knockouts.
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Cecilia,thebabyofthefamilywhomeveryonecalled“Ceci.” Cecilia, like her husband, wanted to see her son become a boxingchampion,butshealsowantedhimtobehappy.Byall accounts,shewasoneofthefewpeopletowhomyoungOscar couldtalkopenlyabouthisfeelings,hisemotions,andhisprivatethoughts.Aformersinger,Ceciliaoftenindulgedherson bysingingtohimandwasthrilledwhenhewouldjoinher. ThefamilylivedinEastLosAngeles,California.Itwasa roughneighborhood,andlifetherewasdifficult.Theareawas plaguedwithcrimeanddrugs,andformanyyoungmen,the onlyroutetogettingoutand“makingitbig”wastosucceed intheboxingring.Fewamateurboxers,however,showedthe promise that Oscar demonstrated. Everyone in the family, including aunts, uncles, and cousins,knew that Oscar’s fists couldonedayliftthemalloutoftheghetto. In order not to distract Oscar from his training, Cecilia keptthetruthlargelytoherself.Infact,inAugust1990,she skippedaweekofradiationtreatmentsjusttoattendOscar’s fightattheGoodwillGames,wherehewastheyoungestfighter toevercompeteintheevent.Proudly,shewatchedhersonas hedefeatedhisopponentandwonthegoldmedal.Medically, however, thingsweregrowingworseforher.Sheknewitwas timetotellhimofherseriousillness. A PROMISE
TimKawakami,authoroftheOscarDeLaHoyabiography, Golden Boy: The Fame, Money and Mystery of Oscar De La Hoya,writesoftheirmother’sillness,“TheDeLaHoyaboys wereindenial. ”1BothJoelJr.andOscarwerestunnedbythe newsoftheirmother’scondition,buttheycouldnotunderstand or accept how serious their beloved mother’s illness reallywas.Onlytheirsister,Ceci,whospentmoretimewith theirmother,couldseetheinevitable. PerhapsthatwasbecausemotherCeciliadownplayed the situationtoher sons, saying,“Don’tworryaboutme.I’ll be
Winning the Gold
As a young boy, De La Hoya never thought about becoming a fighter. He enjoyed playing baseball in the park and skateboarding with his friends near his house. His older brother, Joel Jr., claimed that Oscar was never violent, saying, “Oscar hated physical confrontations. He never had a street fight.”
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okay.Don’tworry.” 2Yet,Oscarsteadilybecamemoreawareof whatwashappening,especiallywhenhesawthatthetherapy madeherhairfallout. The situationput pressureonJoelSr. aswell,for hewas working full-time in addition to managing his son’s boxing career.ComingupwithmoneyforCecilia’scancertreatments provedtobeatremendouschallenge,andheoftensoughtout helpfromsomeofthescoutsandmanagerswhohadtheireyes onOscar.JoelSr.knewthathissonwouldbeahotcommod ityoneday,soheusedtheonlycardhecouldplay,promising managers that Oscar would sign with them once he turned professional.Inreturn,hereceivedmoney,whichheusedto payhiswife’smountinghospitalbills. Intheend,though,nothingcouldhelpCecilia.InOctober 1990,herconditionbecameevenworse.Oscarrecallsoneof thelastconversationshehadwithher,whenshewasstilllucid and aware of her surroundings. “She told me she was very confidentafterwatchingmewintheGoodwillGames....She toldme,‘Iwantyoutowinthegoldmedal.’” 3 CeciliawasreferringtotheOlympicGames,whichwould beheldinBarcelona,Spain,in1992.Everyone’shopeswere pinnedonOscartowinthegoldmedal,anachievementthat would launch his career into professional boxing. Cecilia, however,knewshewouldnotbetheretoseehimwin.On October29,1990,shedied.Shewasonly38yearsold.Oscar wasnotwithherwhenshepassedaway.Instead,heshowed upatthehospitallaterforavisit,onlytobetoldthedevastatingnews. Oscarkepthisemotionsinsideuntilherfuneral.Hewas theonlymemberofthefamilytocryathismother’sburial, andhedidthat“loudlyandstirringly.Hemournedherhard. For the firsttime anyonecouldremember, the pensivelittle boywaslettingtheworldseehowhefelt,exposinghimselfas hebrokeintopieces.Forhismother.” 4 For a while after her death, Oscar toyed with the idea ofquittingboxing.Hewasgoingthroughaphasewherehe
Winning the Gold
questioned the importance and the relevance of everything inhislife.Yet,herememberedthepromisehehadmadeto his mother that he would bring back the gold medal from Barcelona.Then,whenhecamehome,hewouldplaceitather gravestoneanddedicateittoher.
11
2 Growing Up in the Barrio When ou enter the east side of Los Angeles, a sign in Spanish that reads Bienvenidos , or “Welcome,” greets you. The neighborhood, known as “East L.A.,” includes approximately125,000people.ItispredominantlySpanish- speaking, with a high number of immigrants from Mexico andotherLatin-Americancountries.SomehavelivedinEast L.A.forgenerations,whilesomehaverecentlyarrivedfrom othercountries. Southern California isa diverse community in general, but East Los Angeles isa special case.The Latin-American communityhereisthelargestintheUnitedStates,andthe peopleoftheneighborhoodarequiteproudoftheirheritage andculture.Yet,thecommunityisalsoplaguedwithproblems,mostofwhicharerelatedtopovertyandgangviolence. The area iseconomically depressed, with theper capita, or 12
Growing Up in the Barrio
13
Gang violence is a major problem in Los Angeles, California. Here, Los Angeles Police Department officers surround a man suspected of a crime. According to police accounts, about 250 Latino gangs operate in the Los Angeles area.
per person, income under $10,000 per year. The average householdincomeisslightlyover$30,000peryear.Roughly one thirdof the populationlivesbelow the federalgovernment’spovertyline.Furthermore,highschooldropoutrates aresomeofthehighestinthecountry,andunemployment isveryhigh. In this poor economic climate, gangs rule some of the streetsinEastL.A.TheentirecityofLos Angelesishometo approximately 500 separate gangs. They are usually highly
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organized and have access to guns and other weapons. The gangsoftenfundthemselvesthroughthesalesofillegaldrugs. AccordingtotheLosAngelesPoliceDepartment,Latinogangs arethemostnumerous,withover22,000membersinalmost 250gangs.ManyofthesegangsoperatewithintheEastLos Angelessectionofthecity. Manyofthegangs takepartinturfwars,going intoone another’s claimed territories to commit robberies and other crimes.TheMaravillagangsaresomeoftheoldestgangsin the region and originated inEast L.A., which was originally known as Maravilla, or “marvelous.” Another gang is the MexicanMafia,whichhasahistorydatingbacktothe1950s. Thehomicideratesassociatedwithgangviolencearestartling. Almosthalfofthehomicidesinthecityin2005,forexample, wererelatedtogangactivity.Inotherwords,togrowupin EastL.A.,apersonneedstoknowhowtodefendhimself.That meansknowinghowtofight. PerhapsthatisthereasonwhyboxingisoneofthepremiersportsthatisglorifiedinEastL.A.Inthisneighborhood whererespectisbasedonbeingtough,knowinghowtouse yourhandstotakedownanopponentisavitalskillto possess.InhisbiographyofOscarDeLaHoya,Kawakamiclaims that“boxingwasnotart,itwassurvival.Winningwasabout persevering,andaboutferociousness....” 5 Yet,asayoungboy,OscarDeLaHoyahardlyseemedthat he would grow up to be East L.A.’s most celebrated boxing champion. Infact, his father pushed his youngestsontoget involvedinboxingnotbecausehethoughthewouldbeagreat fighter.Instead,“hesenthimforself-defense.” 6 THE DE LA HOYA BOXING HERITAGE
BoxingisatraditionintheDeLaHoyafamily.Oscarwasfated to be involved in the sport in some way, although nobody could have predicted the level of his future achievements. Oscar’s grandfather, Vincente De La Hoya, had fought in the featherweight class (under 126 pounds, or 57kg) in his
Growing Up in the Barrio
15
Oscar De La Hoya’s grandfather, Vincente, came from Durango, Mexico. The area was a favorite location for making films, especially cowboy Westerns. Here, Bob Dylan appears in the 1973 film, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid . Vincente De La Hoya left Mexico for California in 1956.
hometown of Durango, located in the northwest region of Mexico.DurangowasactuallyapopularplaceforAmerican filmmakers,whoshotmanyWesternsalongitsscenicstreets and featuredits landscapes inmovies.In1956, VincenteDe La Hoya emigrated to the United States, taking most of his
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largefamilywithhim.(Hehadbeenmarriedtwiceandhehad 16children.)VincentesettledinSouthernCalifornia,whichis wheremostMexicanémigréslandedandwasjoinedin1957 byhissonJoel,alsoanamateurboxer. Joel fought in the lightweight division, or 130 to 135 pounds(59kgto61kg).HehadmadeanameforhimselffightinginDurango,andhehopedtobuildaboxingcareerinthe UnitedStates.Theburdenofimmigration,however,provedto beharsh,anditbecamenecessarytosupportthefamily.Joel hadtogetajobassoonaspossible.Heattemptedtofightand workoutintheeveningsafterwork,buthisschedulewastoo rigorous,andheeventuallyacceptedthefactthathehadto abandonhisboxingambitions. In1969,JoelSr.metCeciliaGonzalez.Shewas17years oldandworkingasaseamstress.Shealsowasknownlocally for her lovely singing voice, and she sang occasionally for extramoney,bothbackhomeinMexicoasachildandasa newlyarrivedimmigrantintheUnitedStates.Somesources state that she had a professional singing career in Mexico, although it is hard to verify that information. (In some interviews,OscarDeLaHoyareferstohismotherashaving beena“professional”singer.)Joelwas27yearsold,10years olderthanCecilia,butdespitetheagedifference,hefelldeeply inlovewithher.Hepursuedhereagerlyandwaspersistent, andhiseffortspaidoff.JoelandCeciliamarriedashortwhile later, then had three children. Their first child was named JoelJr.,afterhisfather.OscarwasbornonFebruary4,1973, andhissister,Cecilia,namedforhermother,camealmosta decadelater. JoelSr.workedasashippingclerk,andCeciliacontinued doingseamstressworkasmuchaspossible.Theylivedina small house on South McDonnell Avenue in the southern part of their Latin-American neighborhood, surrounded byotherfamilymembers.TheDeLa Hoyascountedmany amongtheirnumbers,andwhilemoneywasalwaysanissue,
Growing Up in the Barrio
Oscarclaimedthat“weneverfeltpoor....Wealwaysfeltlike wehadeverything.” 7 Oscar’s grandfather, Vincente, owned a restaurant, Virginia’sPlace,anditbecameahangoutfortheDeLaHoyafamily.JoelSr.andCecilia’schildrenalwayshadgoodclothingand theessentials,butthereweretimeswhenOscarfeltthestrain thatpovertyhadplacedonhisfamily.Thefamily,likemany intheirneighborhood,dependedonfoodstamps,andCecilia oftensentthechildrentothecornerstoretobuygrocerieswith thestamps.ForOscar,thisoftenprovedtobeembarrassing, evenhumiliating. Whenever his mother asked him to go to the store, he wouldprotest,andevencry,toavoidgoing.Oncewhenhis motherforcedhimtogo,hefoundseveralothercustomersin the store. Hewaitedforalmostanhourinthe storeuntilall thecustomershadpaidandleftbeforetakinghispurchasesto thecounter.Whentheclerkaskedhimwhathadtakenhimso longtomakehispurchase,headmittedthathedidnotwant anyonetoseehim payingwithfoodstamps,despitethe fact thatmanyothersintheneighborhoodalsoreliedonthemto makenecessarygrocerypurchases. His parents often became frustrated with Oscar, who provedtohaveaverysensitiveandemotionalsidetohim.In manyways,hewasdifferentthanhisolderbrother,JoelJr., whowasatough,assertiveperson,evenasachild.JoelJr.had alotofathleticprowessandability,andnaturallyhisfather assumedthathewouldfollowinhisfootstepsandpursuebox ing.ForJoelSr.,givingupboxinghadbeenadifficultthing todo,and,morethananything,hewantedoneofhissonsto havetheboxingcareerhehadtoabandon.JoelJr.,however, preferred baseball to boxing and soon made it clear to his fatherthatboxingwasnotinhisfuture.Thedecisioncaused agreatriftbetweenfatherandson.JoelSr.thenturnedtohis secondson,themoreunlikelyboxingprospect:thescrawny, skinny,andsensitiveOscar.
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OscarDeLaHoyawassixyearsoldwhenhewasfirstthrust into theboxingringbyhiszealous,ambitiousfather.Despite hissmallsizeandsensitivenature,beforelong,hesoonsurprisedevenhisgreatestskeptics.Oscarhadlongbeenprotected fromthepressuretoboxbecauseJoelSr.hadfocusedonhis oldersontofollowinhisfootsteps.ThatleftOscarrelatively freetoskateboardanddootherthingsheenjoyed.Eventually, however,herealizedhewouldhavetostepinsidetheringand atleastattempttoliveuptohisfather’sdreams. Yet,hehadnothadagoodexperiencewithboxingtothis point.Ashorttimebeforehesteppedintothering,hisbrother
THE HISPANIC HERITAGE IN LOS ANGELES The Hispanic roots of Los Angeles are deepl embedded in the cit’s histor. Los Angeles, America’s second most populous cit, was originall part of Mexico. After the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) ended, the territor was granted to the United States b Mexico in a treat. Man people call Los Angeles the capital of Mexamerica, a reference to the growing Latino, especiall Mexican-American, presence in the United States. Latinos currentl form the most numerous ethnic minorit in the United States, and much of the population is located in areas close to the Mexican border, such as Southern California. Fort-eight percent of the population of Los Angeles Count is Latin American. Los Angeles is the home of the movie and music industr in the United States, much of which has been influenced and shaped b the cit’s Hispanic heritage. Furthermore, man Latin-American writers and artists hail from Los Angeles, which is also known as the Cit of Angels. The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) and the Los Angeles Latino Book & Famil Festival are two examples of the Latino roots of the cit.
Growing Up in the Barrio
setupaboxingboutbetweenOscarandoneoftheiryounger cousins.Oscarrecalled,“[He]putapair[ofgloves]onmeand theotherpairononeofmycousins.Thenheyelled‘Time!’ Immediately, I coveredmycheeks withthe gloves. The next thingIknew—wham—thefirstpunchisaleftjabthatgoes betweenmyglovesandlandssmackonmynose!” 8Ashetells it,Oscarranhomecrying. LocatedsixblocksfromOscar’shomeonSouthMcDonnell Avenue, the Eastside Boxing Club was managed by Joe Minjarez, who had seen many great fighters come and go. Minjarezwasprobablythefirstskeptic,thefirsttoshakehis headandwonderwhatJoelDeLaHoyaSr.wasthinkingwhen hebroughtinhisskinnysontotheclub.Notonlywasthe childnonconfrontational(hewasknownintheneighborhood as akidwhoranaway from fights), buthe also hadahigh, softvoice thathehadinherited fromhis mother,the singer, andafacethatpeopledescribedasdelicate,withfinefeatures. Furthermore, Oscar was left-handed. Minjarez was training fourotheryoungboxers,allright-handed,andhedidnotwant tothrowaleftyintothegroup. Minjarez, however, soon realized that Oscar’s left hand could land a devastating blow to an opponent in the ring. TheproblemwasthatOscarcouldonlyawkwardlyleadwith hisrighthand.Duringtrainingoneday,MinjarezhadOscar try something new, later recalling, “I turned him around, andhecaughton like that.”9Byleadingwithhisstrongerleft hand, Oscar was able to knock his opponents off balance. Immediately,Oscarbeganto dominate hissparringpartners, poundingtheotherboxerswithhis powerfullefthand,now being used as a jab or hook. In addition to his devastating power,Oscaralsodemonstratedanaturalgraceinthering.He seeminglydancedaroundhisopponentsintheringandthen landedhisblowswithdeadlyaccuracy. Oscarfoughthisfirstfightwhenhewassevenyearsold againstaslightlymoreexperiencedyoungsterinhisweight division. Oscar won the fight easily, in the third round,
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thenranbacktohisfatherandsaidthewordsthatJoelSr. thoughthewouldneverhearfromhisyoungerson:“Poppy, Ilikeit!”10Oscarlikeditevenmorewhenherealizedthat foreveryfighthewon,hisfather,aunts,anduncleswould rewardhimwithfiftycentsoradollar.Asachild,helooked atboxingasajoborasawaytoearnextraspendingmoney. Little did he know that he would eventually be earning millionsofdollars.
3 The Development of a Champion As Oscar De La Hoa steadil won fight after fight and knockeddown onesparring partner after another,he developedareputationasafiercefighter.Outsideofthering,he seemedlikeasmall,skinnykid,butoncehesteppedinside and faced his challenger, he unleashed a torrent of power andfuryinhispunches.JoeMinjarez,themanagerofthe EastsideBoxingClub,claimsthatheevenhadproblemsfindingsparringpartnersforOscarbecause“nobodywantedto fighthim.”11 JoelSr.realizedtherawtalentthathissonpossessed.Itwas mostlyOscar’sterrifyinglypowerfullefthandbutalsohisstyle intheringandhiskillerinstinctthatcontributedtothesteady buildingofawinningrecord.AlthoughOscarwasonlyachild, hisfatherrecognizedthemakingsofachampion.Hebegan puttingpressureonOscar,who,unlikehisolderbrother,did 21
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notcomplain.Whenhewastoldtogetupandgettothegym toworkoutandpractice,hedidashewastold,despitethe rigorousschedule. Whenhewaseightyearsold,hewasenteredintheFreewill Games,whereheplacedfirst,makinghimtheyoungestcontender ever to do so. By that point, people in the East L.A. barriostartedtotakenoticeofthechangeinOscar.Theyno longerregardedhimasascrawnykidwhoskateboardedalong the streets and cried at fights. Instead, in a Latin-American neighborhood where boxing had paved the way for famous fighters,peoplestartedtoconsiderthepossibilitythatOscar wouldbeafuturechampion. Even before he was 14 years old, Oscar had fought in over100bouts,winningallbuttwoofthem.Attheageof 15, he fought in a Golden Gloves Tournament, one of his first major fights. Under the supervision of his father and JoeMinjarez,Oscarhadtakenpartinmanyothertourna mentsbefore.Eachtime,hegaveastellarperformance.At theGoldenGloves,hisopponentwasManuelNava,whoalso hadanexcellentreputationinthering.JoelSr.andMinjarez wonderedhowOscarwouldfareagainstthisrival,butOscar surprised them by knocking Nava down three times and winningthefight.Healsoknockedoutanddefeatedanother amateurfighterwhowasnineyearsolderthanhimselfand moreexperienced. Oscar’sfiercenessintheringprobablyhaditsorigininhis frustrations.Despitethefactthathisfatherwaspleasedwith himandexcitedaboutOscar’spossiblefutureboxingcareer, OscarneverhadapositiverelationshipwithJoelSr.Though hewasnotafraidofhisfather,heresentedsomeofthepressureputonhimtowin.Ashegrewolder,healsostartedto somewhatresent the rigorous trainingschedule imposedon him.Hewantedmorefreetimetospendwithhisfriends,but JoelSr.wouldnotstandforit.HewantedOscar’sattentionto befocusedalmostexclusivelyonboxing,dayandnight.
The Development of a Champion
IfOscarwantedtorelaxafterschoolonedayandlounge onthesofa,ratherthanattendhisrigoroustrainingsession, JoelSr.wouldbecomeenraged.IfOscarwantedtostayuplate andhangoutwithhisfriends,hisfatherwouldangrilyremind himthathehadtowakeupearlyforhistrainingsession.The trainingsessionsheattendedconsistedofrunning,sparring, weight lifting, and other strenuous activities that required absolute dedication and commitment; traits that not every teenageboypossesses. Whenhisfatherwouldpushhimandfightwithhimabout theseissues,Oscarwouldbecomefuriousandevenconsider droppingboxing,ashisolderbrotherhaddone.Thepressure wastoohighatsomepointstomakehimwanttostickwithit. Heevenmissedhisseniorprom,anoccasionallhighschool kidslookforwardto,becausehewasoutoftownparticipating inatournamentinNorthCarolina. FromJoelSr.’spoint,however,herecognizedthathisson hadauniquetalent,andhedidnotwanthimtosquanderhis timeonsocialactivities.JoelSr.believedthatthestakeswere toohigh,and,ifOscarcouldbemorecommitted,itwouldpay offforhisyoungsonintheend.Duringtheseroughtimes, Cecilia De La Hoya became the peacemaker in the family. Oscarcould always talk to her and explain his feelings, and shelistenedpatiently,helpinghimtocalmdownandtryto understand his father. Furthermore, Oscar always respected hisfather,eventhoughhefeltlikeventinghisanger.DeLa Hoyalaterrecalled,“Man,it’slikeinsidetheringiswhereI usedtounleashallmyfrustrations.IfIwasmadatmyfather thatdayoranything,Iusedtogocrazy.Iusedtobecrazy insidethering.”12 EYES ON THE OLYMPICS
Joel Sr. and Oscar both set their sights on the Olympics. Everyone knew that a superb performance in the Olympic Games was the perfect way to launch a professional boxing
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career.Thatwould,inturn,leadtothepossibilityofearning bigmoneyinthering. TherulesofamateurboxingintheUnitedStatesinclude theimportantfactthatthewinnerisnotrewardedwithacash purse,orprizemoney.FortheDeLaHoyas,whowereliving offJoelSr.’ssmallsalary,itwasimportanttoputOscarina positionwherehecouldeventuallyearnbigdollars.Infact,the entirefamilyhadbeguntoviewOscarasitsfuturebreadwinner.Oscarlaterrecalled,“WhenIwaswinningtournaments, growingup,fourteenorfifteen,everybodywouldputallthe attentiontome...unclesandauntsandourparents.” 13 Oscar’samateurrecordwasstellar,andhealreadyearned anumberoftitles.In1988,atage15,hewontheU.S.Junior
THE SPORT Of BOXING Boxing has also been known as prizefighting, possibl because the winner traditionall receives a purse, or monetar reward. Boxing is a combat sport, in which two opponents in the same weight division fight hand-to-hand in a series of rounds, each lasting one to three minutes. The wa to win is to knock out one’s opponent. If both fighters are still standing at the end of the bout, a panel of judges determines the winner, using a point sstem based on the fighters’ performance in each round. The origins of boxing can probabl be traced back to about 3,000
., to the ancient Berbers and Egptians of northern
b.c
Africa. Later, it was one of the events in the original Olmpics in Greece, in which fighters wore leather straps wound around their hands for protection. In 1743, Englishman Jack Broughton, a boxing champion, introduced the first official rules of the sport, including a rule in which fighters could not strike at an opponent who was down on the ground. The rules were drawn up in an effort to prevent deaths in the ring, which happened because of the former no-holds-barred polic. Later, more specific rules
The Development of a Champion
Olympic119-pound(54 kg) title. The nextyear,he wonthe nationalGoldenGloves.In1990,at125pounds (57 kg),De LaHoyathenwontheU.S.amateurtitle.Thatsameyear,the youngboxercapturedthegoldmedalintheGoodwillGames inSeattle.Ateveryfight,wheneverhewon,peoplecouldnot helpbutnoticethehandsome,youngmanwiththebabyface whowasafiercetigerinthering.Everywherehewent,people seemedtoinstinctivelyknowhewouldbeafuturechampion. Bythis time,Oscarwas attending GarfieldHigh School, oneofthelargestinEastL.A.Itwasthesameschoolatwhich mathprofessorJaimeEscalante(whoseeducationambitions and teaching successes were immortalized in the film Stand and Deliver) wonnationalrecognition forteachingcalculus.
were put into effect, such as the banning of head butting, biting, and other offenses. The world of boxing operates on both amateur and professional levels. Amateur boxing can be found at the collegiate level, at the Olmpic Games, at the Commonwealth Games, and in countless venues, ranging in scope from local to international events. Amateur boxers wear protective headgear and gloves with a white strip across the knuckles that help judges determine the effectiveness of the boxer’s punches. Amateur fights are short in duration. Professional bouts usuall range from 10 to 12 rounds, although shorter fights do occur. Professional boxers do not wear an protective headgear. The most common boxing punches include: Jab A quick, straight punch thrown with the lead hand Hook A semicircular punch thrown with the lead hand to
the side of the opponent’s head. Cross A powerful straight punch thrown with the rear hand Uppercut A vertical, rising punch thrown with the rear hand
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De La Hoya was too busy with building his boxing career, however,tofocusmuchonschool.Infact,hewasoftenoutof class,ontheroad,travelingtodifferenttournaments.Whenhe didattendclass,hewasusuallyexhaustedfromearlymorning workoutsandtrainingsessions. Oscar’sprincipalatGarfieldHigh,MariaElenaTostado, fondly remembered him, saying, “He was just so singleminded,preparingforhisfights.Heknewwhathewantedand hewanteditfromdayone.Ineverwould’vepickedhimoutas afighter.WhenIfirstmethim,someonetoldmehewasgoing totheOlympics,andIthoughtitwasajoke.Hewasthemost quiet,unassumingyoungmanyou’deverwanttomeet.Super nice.Superhumble.”14 ManypeopleagreedthatOscar DeLaHoyawasapolite young man who did not cause trouble. Yet, getting into the ring with him, as many opponents had already discovered, wasadifferentstory.Inthering,thehard-hittingOscar’sferocious,competitivesideemerged. WINNING THE GOLD
Ashepreparedtogotothe1992OlympicsinBarcelona,Oscar wasfilledwithconfidence.Hisamateurrecordwasamazing, and hehadrackedupa series ofwins byknockouts.Hehad everyrighttobesureofhimself.OnanOlympicposter,he wrote,“92Champ.”Thiswas,as Golden Boy authorKawakami says,“acockypromise,fromachildtohimself.” 15DeLaHoya himselfclaimed,“I knewIwas goingto do something,even then.Thatwasmygoal,mydream.” 16 His preparations for Barcelona, however, were brought toajarringhaltwhenhismother,Cecilia,diedofbreastcancer.Oscarwasdevastatedandconsidereddroppingoutfrom boxing altogether.Hefeltthathehadnoambitionleft tobe competitive.Yet,herecalledhismother’swordstohim,towin thegoldattheOlympics,andherememberedhispromiseto herthathewoulddoit.Hepushedonwithhisgoals,training harder thanever.He dedicated everywintohismother,
The Development of a Champion
rememberingthatshewashisinspiration.Infact,everytime hewonafight,hefelltohiskneesandblewakissupward,to his mother in heaven. “It’s just a way of saying, ‘For you,’ ” heexplainedwhenaskedaboutit. 17Itwasawayforhimto remindhimselfthatitwashismotherwhohadre-energized hisdedicationtoboxing. AttheOlympics,Oscarhadtowinfivefights,eachthree rounds,towinthegoldmedal.Hewasanxiousandnervous uponlandinginBarcelona,andhewantednothingmorethan togetinthe ringandgetonwith it. Before the tournament, DeLaHoyaremarked,“There’salotofpressurewhenyou’re favoredtowinthegold.Someguysarecomingintothiswith nothingtolose.They’rejusthereforrespect.Butthepressure isonme.I’mexpectedtowin.Thatpushesmeharderintraining.I’monlynineteen,though,andit’stoughsometimes.I’ve beenthinkingaboutwinningagoldmedalforsixyears.Iput everythingonholdforthis.” 18 Indeed,Oscarhadputalotonholdforthissingleevent. Hehadspentmostofhisyouthintheboxingring—endlessly sparring,training,andfighting—ratherthanlivingthenormal lifeofateenagedboy.Nowhehadtoprovetohimself—and hisfather—thatithadallbeenworthit. De La Hoya fought in the 132-pound (60 kg) weight division.HisfirstfightwasagainstAdilsonSilva,aBrazilian boxer,andDeLaHoyadefeatedhimeasily.Bytheendofthe firstround,thejudges’scorewasalready9-2inOscar’sfavor. OscarknockedoutSilvaandwonthefirstoffivethree-round matches.The second fightpitted DeLaHoyaagainst Moses Odion,aNigerianfighterwholackedmuchstyleinthering. Oscardefeatedhimeasilyaswell,byascoreof16-4,racking uppointsforexcellentpunches. In his third fight, Oscar faced Tontcho Tontchev, a Bulgarian. The match was unusually challenging, however, because the De La Hoya camp sensed that there was some corruptioninthescoringsystem.(Thiswasnotthefirsttime thatOlympicjudgeshadbeen suspected ofdishonestscoring
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Oscar’s first fight on the road to an Olympic gold medal in 1992 was against Adilson Silva of Brazil. The 19-year-old De La Hoya turned in a performance of raw power, knocking out his opponent with seconds remaining in the third, and final, round.
ofboxingmatches.)Afterthefirsttworounds,despitelanding severalexcellentblowsagainstTontchev,Oscarwasshockedto seethatheonlyledbyaslimmargin.Atfirst,hewonderedif thejudgeshadbeenstruckwithtemporaryblindness,butthen herealizedhecouldbeavictimofscoringcorruption.Hewas furious.Surely,hehadnotcomethisfarandtrainedsohard tobeoutdonebyapoliticaltrick.DeLaHoyadecidedthathe wouldshowthejudgeseverythinghehadinthethirdround andmakeitimpossibleforthemnottoawardhimthevictory.
The Development of a Champion
Inthethirdround,heattackedTontchevsoviciouslythatthe scorebegantodramaticallyriseinhisfavor.Hewonthefinal round9-1,andtheentirematch16-7,muchtohisreliefand thatofhisfamily. HisfourthopponentwasKoreanboxerHongSungSik. ThoughhewasshorterthanDeLaHoya,Sikwassquatand builtstrongly.HegrappledwithOscarinanalmostwrestlinglike fashion, throwing off De La Hoya’s timing and boxing skills.“Itwasaterribleexperience,anightmare,”hesaidlater ofthefightagainstSik,whichhealwayswouldrememberas oneofthetoughestinhislife. 19Sik’sfightingstylelackedgrace andstyle,but,itwaspowerful,anditcaughtOscaroffguard. Afterward,Oscarsaid,“I’dwatchedhimearlier.Iknowhow toboxaguywho’sinthere tobox, but Idon’t knowhowto boxawrestler.” 20 DeLa Hoyafinallyrebounded andlanded thepunchesheneededtoearnthenecessarypoints.Thefinal scorewas11-10inOscar’sfavor,barelyavictorybutavictory nonetheless.Itwasenoughtomovehimintothefinalmatch, theoneforthegoldmedal. Oscar’s opponent for the gold was the German boxer Marco Rudolph. Oscar had lost to Rudolph earlier in his amateurcareer.Infact,Rudolphwasoneofonlyaveryfew boxerswhohadeverdefeatedOscar.Fullyawarethathehad previouslylosttohisopponentbefore,Oscarwasverynervous steppingintotheringwithhimagain,especiallywhenevery thingwasatstake.Earlyinthefight,thescoringandpossible corruption once again worked against Oscar. After the first round,whichheclearlydominated,thescorewastiedat1-1. Oscarandhishandlerswerefrustrated.Itwouldbedevastating tolosethegoldbecauseofshady,insidedeals.Oscardecided he had to put everything he had into the next two rounds, andhedid.HeknockeddownRudolphtothecanvas,butthe Germangotbackup.Yet,whenthefinalbellrang,itwasclear thatOscarwasthewinner,havingdominatedthefightfrom starttofinish. Even Rudolph himself hugged and congratulatedDeLaHoya.
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Whenthefinalscorecamein,7-2inOscar’sfavor,Oscar dropped to one knee and remembered his mother once again.Hemadethesignofthecrossandpointedupwardto acknowledgethathefeltherpresencewithhim.Healsoput onalittleshowfortheaudiencebydancingaroundthering while carrying the American and the Mexican flags. This was to acknowledge and celebrate his dual heritage. After theexhaustingfight,Oscarcommented, “I’m very relieved now.Allthispressureisfinallyoffofmyback.Iwasputtingpressureonmyself.‘Ihavetowinthegold,Ihaveto doit.’It’slikealoadoffmyback.Finallyit’soverandI’m happy.” 21 Yet,thepressurewasjustbeginningforyoungOscarDeLa Hoya.NowthathehadearnedagoldmedalattheOlympics, hewouldturnprofessional.Hisgoldmedalvictoryhadsecured himthenicknameGoldenBoy,amonikerthatwouldstickto himfortherestofhiscareer.Hewouldbeaprofessionalboxer andsoonlearnthattheworldofprofessionalboxingwasvery, verydifferentthantheamateurranks. PROfESSIONAL BOXING
Oscar’slifewasabouttochangeinmanyways.Foronething, heandhisfamilymovedtoabettersectionofEastLosAngeles. They bought a nice home in a safer neighborhood, one of Cecilia’sdreams.Also,withoutrealizingit,Oscarhadachieved somethingelseduringthe1992OlympicsinBarcelona.Hehad becomeatelevisionstar. NBC,theTVnetworkthatbroadcastcoverageofthesummerOlympics,hadzonedinonOscarDeLaHoyathroughout the entire games. They had focused on the 19-year-old, handsomekidfromtheroughneighborhoodofEastL.A.and trackedhiscareeruptothatpoint.Afterall,itwasacompelling story for NBC’s television audience: here was a young manwhohaddedicatedhislifetotrainingfortheOlympics, stillmourningthelossofhismothertocancer,andnowina foreigncountrybattlingagainsttheworld’stopamateursfor thegold.
The Development of a Champion
Oscar De La Hoya waves the flags of the United States and Mexico after his victory over Germany’s Marco Rudolph to win the gold medal at Barcelona, Spain. The idea to wave the two flags was his mother’s, in 1990, to honor both of his heritages.
Certainly, it did not hurt NBC’s ratings that Oscar was such a good-looking young man who possessed movie star looks.Soon,peoplewatchingtheOlympicsbackhomeinthe UnitedStatesknewthestoryofOscarDeLaHoya,andthey wererootingforhimtowinitall.
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After the final victory, when the gold medal was hung around Oscar’s neck and the “Star-Spangled Banner” was beingplayed,anothertypeofcontesthadalreadybegun.This contestwouldbetodeterminewhowouldmanageOscarDe La Hoya’s professional boxing career. Everyone knew there wasalotofmoneytobemadeinthebusiness.Oscarhimself knewthathewouldbehighlysoughtafter,andthoseinhis campknewtheyhadtoplaytheircardscarefully. Althoughonly19,Oscarknewwhatwasatstake.“Amedal couldsetmeupforlife.It’skindofscary,becausemylifewill change.There’salot ofcrooks,peoplewhojustwanttouse you. Pro boxing is very dangerous,not only up in the ring, butoutside.”22Thesituationwasmorecomplicatedbecause many managers and management teams had been courting theDeLaHoyasforyears,andnowtheyreturnedto“collect.” Intheend,however,theDeLaHoyacampsettledonRobert Mittleman and Steve Nelson, a partnership that promised themthemostmoney.
4 Turning Pro It probabl would have been fitting for Oscar De La Hoa to make his professional debut in a world title fight. For a while,DeLaHoya’smanagers,RobertMittlemanandSteve Nelson, considered the idea. The young boxer was full of confidence after winning the gold medal at the Olympics, andhebadlywantedtochallengeGenaroHernandezforthe WorldBoxingAssociation’s(WBA)juniorlight-heavyweight championship. AfewmonthsbeforetheOlympics,DeLaHoyapounded Hernandezinasparringsession.Atthetime,Hernandez was notintopshapeandwasdoingDeLaHoyaafavorbygetting intheringwithhimandhelpinghimtrain.DeLaHoyawas surehecouldbeatHernandezagainwithatitleatstake. MittlemanandNelsonrealizedhavingafighterbeginhis career with a championship fight was unprecedented. The 33
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mereideaofitdisplayedgreatarroganceontheirpart.Yet,it meantabigpayday,andthemanagersknewtheyneededthe money.Despitethestrongtemptation,MittlemanandNelson, however,resisted the urgebecausetheydid not wanttorisk thepossibilitythatDeLaHoyacouldloseandstarthiscareer witha0-1record.Inretrospect,Nelsonlatersaid: I’mnotconvincedhewould’vebeatenGenaroin afirstfight. Whoknows,anything’spossible...buttotakethatshotand lose would’ve been absolutely devastating. And we would’ve beencalledthestupidestguysinthehistoryofboxing.I’mnot sayinghewould’velost.Buttomakethefirstfightforaworld championship,against aguy who’sfairlywell established. ... You’retalkingaboutgoingtwelveroundsbeforeyouevenhave afour-rounder.23
InsteadofchallengingHernandez,DeLaHoya’shandlers settledonaneasy opponent, LamarWilliams. Just like boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, De La Hoya,thekidfromEastL.A.,wouldmakehisdebutinfront ofhishomecrowdattheGreatWesternForuminInglewood, California.Duringtheweeksleadingtothefight,Forumpublicrelationsdirector,JohnBeyrooty,nicknamedDeLaHoya “theGoldenBoy.”Heprobablydidnotrealizeatthetimethat thenamewouldstickwithDeLaHoyathroughouthiscareer. Itwasaperfectfitforthecharismaticyoungmanwhohadit all:talent,looks,andstyle. Adaybeforehisdebut,DeLaHoyatalkeduphisopponent.Williamswas7-2withtwoknockoutsinhisbriefcareer. “Lamar’sneverbeenstoppedandhe’sneverbeendropped,so Iheardhe’sprettytough,”DeLaHoyasaidinLouinnLota’s article for The Associated Press (AP). “But most pros don’t havewhatamateurshaveinthering.Theydon’thavetothink thewayamateurshavetothink.”DeLaHoyahatedtheclutching andbrawlingthatsomeamateurboxers engagedin, and hewasnot fond ofthe computerized scoringsystem,either.
Turning Pro
“In amateurs, the fightis overinthree rounds,”he said. “In professionalboxing,yougomuchslower.Youcantakeyour timeinsixrounds,pickyourshots....Ilikeworkingintothe body,takingmytime.Myfavoriteisahooktothebody,and workingbackupcomesnaturally.Ilike confusing thefighter andusingfastcombinations.” FightnightwasMonday,November23,1992.Acrowdof 6,185, including newheavyweight champion, Riddick Bowe, watchedtheboutattheForum.Ofcourse,DeLaHoyawas thefanfavorite.SomefansworesombrerosliketheoneonDe LaHoya’shead.Everyonecheeredwildlywhenheenteredthe ring carrying MexicanandAmericanflagsinbothhands and wearingarobethatwashalf-Americanflag,half-Mexicanflag. Amariachibandplayedintheringbeforethefight. Oncethebellrang,DeLaHoyaquicklywentontheattack, accordingtoAPwriterKenPeters’saccount.“Helandedabarrage ofblowstoWilliams’midsection and headandWilliams crumpledinacorner.WhenWilliamsregainedhisfeet,DeLaHoya movedinagainandlandedmorehardcombinations.Williams madeituponcemore,buthadnothingleft,”Peterswrote. DeLaHoyaknockedWilliamsdownjust48secondsinto thefightanddiditagainafewsecondslater.RefereeMarty Denkinstoppedthefightjustoneminuteand42secondsafter itstarted.Inamatterofminutes,DeLaHoyawas1-0without breakingasweat. Thoughitwasonlyonefight,promoterBobArumsensed DeLaHoyawasgoingtobesomeonespecial.Heenvisioned makingahugeprofitonthekid,andhewasnotshyintheleast aboutbraggingtotheworld.“OscarDeLaHoyaisgoingtobe thebiggeststarinthehistoryofboxingbelowtheheavyweight division.EvenbiggerthanSugarRayLeonard.” 24 LOOKING fOR COMPETITION
Nowthatthefirstfightwasoutoftheway,itwastimetoreally startmarketingDeLaHoya.Thebestwaytoaccomplishthat (continues on page 38 )
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BEING HISPANIC
fIGHTING THE GOOD fIGHT The fact that Oscar De La Hoa came from East Los Angeles, the countr’s most concentrated population of Mexican Americans, has been a source of pride for the Hispanic communit. However, since becoming a celebrit, he has often had a difficult time with people in his former neighborhood. In some cases, the relationship has been a hostile one. Once, when he was marching in a Mexican Independence Da parade in Los Angeles, man people in the crowd that was composed of Mexican Americans, threw tomatoes at the stunned superstar. De La Hoa was suffering the fate of being a true Latino crossover star, meaning that he is one of the first Hispanic-American celebrities to be loved equall b Mexican Americans and others of non-Mexican heritage. Mainstream America, for example, could not seem to get enough of De La Hoa, who was doing endorsements for major companies as well as appearing on the front covers of national magazines. At the same time, man Mexican Americans from East L.A. seemed to feel that De La Hoa had lost a sense of where he came from, the barrios, where his famil first started out and struggled. He has been accused of being a sellout, especiall for moving out of the old neighborhood or not taking the time to go back and visit old friends and acquaintances. yet, De La Hoa claims he is fiercel proud of his heritage. Man times, especiall earlier in his career, he entered the ring wearing the colors of the Mexican flag and carring a Mexican flag in one hand and an American flag in the other. After his Olmpic victor, he said during an interview, “The American flag was for m countr; the Mexican flag for m heritage.” Most recentl, he has invested in several Hispanic-related business ventures, as a wa to lend financial support to the Hispanic communit. Plans for this venture include investments in health clubs, banks, and retail shops. De La Hoa claims he is undertaking these challenges b his desire “to reall make a difference.” When asked wh he supported
Turning Pro
such ventures, he said, “It was an effort to give back to m communit. I understand the Hispanic communit. I live it. The projects will create jobs, create new businesses. It’s hard to imagine the impact that it will have on people.”* In 1995, he established the Oscar De La Hoa Foundation to provide opportunities for East L.A. oungsters. The success of the Foundation has led to the creation of a state-of-the-art cancer treatment facilit named the Cecilia Gonzales De La Hoa Cancer Center in honor of his mother, a high school, and a children’s hospital, all for the benefit of underprivileged families. The De La Hoa youth Center was also established to give kids in the communit a place to go after school to focus on achieving positive goals. One of the activities offered is the boxing program for bos and girls ages eight to 18. Kids in the program are taught the fundamentals and discipline of boxing, with an emphasis on self-esteem. Team members get a chance to participate in competitions, exhibitions, and tournaments. In 2003, De La Hoa made a donation of one million dollars to establish the Oscar De La Hoa Animo Charter High School in Bole Heights in East Los Angeles. The school, managed b Green Dot, offers the outh of East L.A. a rigorous academic environment and aims to transform and resolve the educational problems that plague the Los Angeles public school sstem. The high school graduated its first group of students in June 2007. In more recent ears, De La Hoa hooked up with computer giant Microsoft to develop the Oscar De La Hoa & Microsoft Learning Center for the entire Los Angeles communit. This worth venture gives families in the region access to technolog that will further education and communication, and improve the overall qualit of life for those in the area. * “D L hoy, Bttlg Bum.” Bu Wk. avlbl ol. tt://www.buwk.om/mgz/ott/05_32/b3946102.tm.
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Boxing promoter Bob Arum (left) is shown here with De La Hoya. Arum is a Harvardeducated lawyer who worked for the White House under President John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s. Arum has promoted many of boxing’s biggest fights since the 1980s and, in recent years, has concentrated on promoting Hispanic fighters.
(continued from page 35 ) wastofindhimbettercompetitionandtoschedulealotof fights. The day after De La Hoya demolished Williams, Arum announcedOscar’ssecondfightwouldbeagainstCliffHicks threeweekslaterinPhoenix,attheAmericaWestArenaon December12.TheboutwasonaMichaelCarbajalundercard,
Turning Pro
billed as the Duel in the Desert, and would be televised on pay-per-view. Carbajal, the International Boxing Federation (IBF)lightflyweightchampion,wasgoingagainstRobinson Cuesta. DeLaHoya’smindwassetonwinningachampionship forhismother.“Winningaworldtitle—that’smynextgoal,” he said in AP writer Mel Reisner’s article two days before theHicksfight.“Icandothatformymother,too.Sheloved boxing,shelovedtoencouragemeinthering,andshewas alwayswithme,alwayssupportingme.Shewantedmetowin aworldtitle.” HicksprovidednomorecompetitionthanWilliams.De LaHoyaknockedhimdown40secondsintothefightandfinishedhimoffwithastraightright-handpunchjust75seconds intothefirstround. Two days after celebrating New Year’s, De La Hoya was backinthering.Again,itwasnotforlong.HeknockedoutParis AlexanderinthesecondroundattheHollywoodPalladiumto improveto3-0.DeLaHoyadominatedfromthestart,knocking downAlexanderinthefirstroundandtwicemoreinthesecond towinthematch.Yet,therewasnotimeforabreak.Mittleman andNelsonwantedtokeepbuildingDeLaHoya’srecord,get himmoreexposure,andmakemoremoney. WinningsoquicklywassomewhatfrustratingforDeLa Hoyabecausehewantedtogainmoreexperienceinthering. Also,hewantedtoshowthathecouldendurealongfight andhanginthereagainstatoughopponent.Hehopedhis next opponent, Curtis Strong, could give him better competitionintheirfightattheSanDiegoArenaonFebruary, 6,1993.“Hopefully,it’lllastsixroundsbecauseI’llgetthat experience that I haven’t had before,” De La Hoya said in APwriterBernieWilson’sarticle.“We’vebroughtinfighters whoarequalityopponentswhohavemorefightsthanIdo. It’salittlefrustratingformehavingtotrainallthatlongand havingitlasttwominutes,threeminutes.ButI’mnotgoing toletthatgettomyhead.”
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Aboutaweekbeforethefight,DeLaHoyadevelopeda cyst in his right leg. Yet, nobody wanted to cancel the fight becauseitwasbeingtelevised,byABC.DeLaHoyahadthe cystremovedanddidnotlethislegaffecthisperformance.De LaHoya,whohadturned20yearsoldonlytwodaysbeforethe fight,bloodiedStrongandwoninthefourthroundtoimprove hisrecordto4-0. ManagerSteveNelsonnoted,“Whenheisinthere,nothingisgoingtogetintohiswayofwinningthebattle.Heabsolutely changes from locker room to ring. Intensity you can seeinhiseyes.Ihaven’tseenitinanybodyelse’s...maybe [Roberto]Duranhaditinhisheyday.Oscar’snotplayingthe game, he’s a changed man.”25 It was against Strong that De LaHoyatookhisfirstsolidshotasapro,accordingtoBernie Wilson’saccountforAP.“Strongbackedhimupwithadouble lefthook,”Wilsonwrote.“ButDeLaHoyacamebackwitha jabandregainedcontrol.” OnMarch13,DeLaHoyamadeitfivestraightknockouts bywipingoutJeffMayweatherinfourroundsinLasVegas. Mayweather had only been dropped once in 27 previous fightsandwasexpectedtobeDeLaHoya’stoughestchallenge to that point. “But the lightweight from Montebello, Calif., treated Mayweather the same as his four previous opponents,wearinghimdownwithhookstothebodyand dominatingtheshortfight,”wroteTimDahlberginanarticle fortheAssociatedPress. GOING THE DISTANCE
DeLa Hoya’s knockout streak finallyendedwhenhe fought Mike Grable in Rochester, New York, on April 6. Despite knocking Grable down twice during the bout, De La Hoya couldnotfinishhimoffandendedupwinningaunanimous decisionineightrounds.“Iwashopinghewouldthrowmore punchessoIcouldworkonmydefense,”DeLaHoyasaidin APwriterJohnF.Bonfatti’sarticle.“Iwasjusttryingtopace myself more and look for that one-punch knockout. I was
Turning Pro
De La Hoya’s first true test as a professional boxer was against Jeff Mayweather in March 1993. De La Hoya wiped out Mayweather with a hard overhand right, followed by a crushing left upper cut. The victory raised De La Hoya’s record to 5-0.
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tryingtothrowfastercombinations,morepowerfulcombinationsanditdidwork.Weweregladthatitwentthedistance because we got to work more on our defense and get more experienceoutthere.” More successes quickly followed. De La Hoya regained his knockout form in his next fight, dropping Frank Avelar inthefourthroundonMay8inStateline,Nevada.Then,he improved to 8-0 with a first-round knockout over former International Boxing Federation featherweight champion, TroyDorsey,onJune7inLasVegas.Thefightwasonthe undercardoftheGeorgeForeman-TommyMorrisonheavyweight bout atthe University ofNevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) campusarena. Eight months into his pro career, De La Hoya was 8-0 and onafasttrackfora world titlefight.Hishandlers again hadtodecidewhetheritwastimetochallengeHernandezfor thechampionshiporgivehimafeweasierfights.DeLaHoya earned$92,500forbeatingDorsey.Arumfiguredatitlematch againstHernandezwouldgetDeLaHoyaaone-milliondollar purse.Or,theycouldchallengeJohnJohnMolinafortheIBF championship. After careful consideration, De La Hoya’s management team decided to give him more time. Manager Nelson claimed, “We just felt it was more prudent to wait a little bitandnotrushintoit.Inretrospectweprobablyshould’ve takenitbecause[theDeLaHoyas]wererealanxiousforthe money.”26 Instead of going for a title, De La Hoya made his first appearance on Home Box Office (HBO) television on the undercardofaRoyJonesJr.fightinBaySt.Louis,Mississippi, onAugust14.Inthatfight,DeLaHoyaknockedoutRenaldo Carterinthesixthroundforhisninthstraightwin.Twoweeks later,inBeverlyHills,DeLaHoyastoppedAngeloNuñezin thefourthround.DeLaHoyawasnow10-0andreallyitching foratitlefight.
Turning Pro
First,hehadonemoretune-up,againstNarcisoValenzuela, a light-hitting Mexican fighter who had lost 12 times in 49 careerfights.ThefightwouldbeinPhoenixonOctober30. Valenzuela certainly did not stand a chance against the undefeatedyoungster.Yet,somehow,ValenzuelasentDeLa Hoyacrashingdowntothecanvaswithahardshotinthefirst round. ItseemedtheknockdownangeredDeLaHoyamorethan ithurthim,anditwasadangerousthing,mostwouldagree, tomakeDeLaHoyaangryinthering. In Golden Boy, biographer Tim Kawakami notes, “De La Hoya hadn’t ever been on the canvas, not in over two hundredamateurfights,notintheOlympics,notinhispro fights.Hewasstunned,buthewasn’thurt.Hehoppedright upfromaseatedposition,winkedquicklyatPeralta[Oscar’s girlfriend] sitting ringside, then glared intently ahead at Valenzuela,whoseemedmoresurprisedthanDeLaHoyaby thedevelopment.”27 Whenthefightresumed,DeLaHoyaattackedValenzuela andimmediatelydroppedhimwitharighthand.Heended thefightsecondslaterwithalefthook.DeLaHoyalatersaid, “Thatwasthefirsttimeinmycareerthatmyglovetouchedthe canvas.Itwasanewexperience.Iguessit’ssortofhistory—my firstknockdown.Butit’snevergoingtohappenagain.Iguar anteeit.”28 Now,DeLa Hoyawanted titleholder Hernandez more than ever. He desperately wanted to be a champion. But his managers were concerned by the knockdown against Valenzuela.Perhaps,theythought,DeLaHoyawasnotready for the champ. Yet, before another fight could be signed, there was trouble brewing among the members of De La Hoya’steam.
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5 Becoming a Champion Once De La Hoa took it on the chin and fell to the canvas againstValenzuela,hismanagerscrossedHernandezoffthe listforpossiblenextopponents.Theysimplydidnotthink De La Hoya was ready to fight the champion. Therefore, Mittleman and Nelson decided to go in another direction. TheywantedDeLaHoyatowinatitleat130pounds(59kg) beforehegrewoutofthatweightclass.TheWorldBoxing Organization’s (WBO) super featherweight champion was anunknownfighternamedJimmyBredahl,andeventhough theWBOtitlewasnotasimportantastheIBF’s,afightwith Bredahlwouldservetheirpurpose.HBOwantedDeLaHoya tosignalong-termcontracttotelevisehisfights,sothestation agreed to broadcast the Bredahl championship fight. BeforeDeLaHoyagotintheringagainstBredahl,however,
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Becoming a Champion
hewassupposedtofightJoseVidalConcepcioninNewYork inDecember. WhiletrainingfortheboutagainstConcepcion,TeamDe LaHoyacameapart.DeLaHoya’sfatherwassoconcerned about his son getting knocked down by Valenzuela that he persuadedDeLaHoya’smanagerstobringinanothertrainer to assist Robert Alcazar. Manager Robert Mittleman chose CarlosOrtiz,aformerlightweightchampion.Itwasadecision Mittlemanwouldsoonregret,admitting,“Ipickedtheworst guyintheworld.Anabrasivepersonality....Therewerea millionotherguysIcould’vepicked....Ishould’vejusttold thefather,‘Hey,notnow,wedon’tneedanythingnow.’That would’vebeenit.‘Alcazar’sdoingfine,itwasaluckypunchby Valenzuela,Oscargotupandfinishedhimrightoff.’” 29 Thesituationgotworseduringatrainingsessioninwhich De La Hoya was hit hard because he was following Ortiz’s adviceandattackingaggressively.AnangryDeLaHoyacut shorthisthirdsessionunderOrtizandstormedoutofthering, tearsrunningdownhischeeks.Hedidnotlikegettinghit,and hehatedtogetbruisesonhisface. Alcazar, who did not like being pushed aside for Ortiz, comfortedhispupil.Thatnight,DeLaHoyainsistedOrtizbe fired.Thenextday,DeLaHoyafiredcomanagersMittleman and Nelson. Bob Arum remained De La Hoya’s promoter. Atthetime,DeLaHoyaremarked,“They’reallcrooksand thieves.BobArumjustisthestraightest,nicestcrook.” 30 DeLaHoyacanceledthefightagainstConcepcion,saying hishandwasinjured.Thenitwastimetofacethecamerasand explainhis decisiontofirehis managers. Atthe newsconference,DeLaHoyaexplained,“Firstofall,theydidnotdowhat they promised in the contract. Breach of contract. They’ve breachedthecontractsomanytimes....Wefoundouttheyhad nomoneytosupportwhattheyhadtodo.Itwasaveryscary, verytoughdecision.ButIputmyfootdownandthatwasit.” 31
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De La Ho Hoya ya al also so ex expl plai aine ned d th that at hi his s ma mana nage gers rs tr trie ied d to manipu man ipulat late e him by byali aligni gning ngthe themse mselve lves s wi with th his fat father her, , who wassupposedtocontrolhim.“Mydadwasscared.Imean, he wa was s sc scar ared ed. . Th They ey tr trie ied d to ge get t to my fa fath ther er be beca caus use e the they y figure fig ured, d, ‘Oh ‘Oh, , he has res respec pect t for his fat father her.” .”32 The con confid fident ent young boxer added, “My father will be behind me. Team DeLaHoyawillbebacktogether.Robert[Alazar,histrainer], mybrother,...Arturo(Islas,thecook),that’sTeamDeLa Hoya Ho ya ri righ ght t th ther ere. e. Th The e wh whol ole e wo worl rld d wi will ll kn know ow wh what at’s ’s go goin ing g on,theywillknowIamagoodguy.Wehavesomanythings planned.Imean,thisisnotallaboutmoney,thisisabouttakingcareofmyfamily. 33 MittlemanandNelson,however,contendedthatitwas DeLaHoyawhobrokepromises.“We’reincompletecompliance[withthecontract],”Mittlemansaidinatelephone inte in terrvi vieew wit ith h th the e AP AP’s ’s Ke Ken n Pe Pete terrs. “T “The hey y vi viol olaate ted d [t [the he contract]beforewedid.Hetookapaymentfromusthree weeksago.Hesaid weeksago .Hesaidhewasn’tgetting hewasn’tgettingenoughmoney. enoughmoney.Buthe’s Buthe’s alreadyreceivedover$800,000paidtohiminlessthanone year, out of $1 million supposed to be paid over two years. Wemadethe Wemad ethekid kid asuper asupersta star.Now r.Now hewant hewantsto stoget get out and kickusintheteeth.” WithMittlemanandNelsongone,DeLaHoyaturnedto MikeHernandezforguidance.Hernandez,whoownedacar dealershipandhadgivenDeLaHoyaaCorvetteforwinning theOlympicgoldmedal,wasa theOlympicgoldm edal,wasarich,proudman rich,proudman.Hewasals .Hewasalsoa oa shrewdbusinessperson.Hernandezprovidedsoundfinancial adviceandbroughtstabilitytoDeLaHoya’slife. De La Ho Hoya ya ev even entu tual ally ly si sign gned ed a lu lucr crat ativ ive e co cont ntra ract ct wi with th HBO HB O th that at wo woul uld d gi give ve hi him m $7 $7.5 .5 mi mill llio ion n fo for r fi five ve fi figh ghts ts wi with th anoptionforfivemorethatwouldpushthetotalpackageto $20million.Nowitwastimetowinachampionship. GOLD fOR HIS WAIST
De La Ho Hoya ya’s ’s ti titl tle e fi figh ght t ag agai ains nst t Br Bred edah ahl l wa was s st stil ill l on on. . Th Thee Gold Go lden en Bo Boy y was an ove verw rwhe helm lmin ing g fa favo vori rite te ag agaain inst st th thee
Becoming a Champion
47
In March 1994, De La Hoya won his first championship, the World Boxing Organization’s super featherweight title, by stopping Jimmy Bredahl in the tenth round.
defendingchampion.Thefightwasscheduledtotakeplace at th the e re remo mode dele led d Ol Olym ympi pic c Au Audi dito tori rium um in do down wnto town wn Lo Los s Angeles,makingDeLaHoyathethirdgenerationofhisfamily tofightinthebuilding,followinghisfatherandgrandfather. Becauseofthedisputewithhisma Becauseofthedis putewithhismanagers,DeLa nagers,DeLaHoyahad Hoyahad not no t fo foug ught ht in fi five ve mo mont nths hs by the ti time me he fa face ced d Br Bred edah ahl l on March5,1994.Therewasnosignofrustiness,however.With the th e ho home meto town wn cr crow owd d ro roar arin ing g wi wild ldly ly, , De La Ho Hoya ya kn knoc ocke ked d down dow nthe the coc cockyBreda kyBredahlin hlinthe the fir firstandsecon standsecond drou rounds nds. .Yet Yet, , Bredahlclutchedandgrabbedforsurvivalandstuckaround
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untilthetenthround.Finally,thedoctorstopped untilthetenthround.Finally,the doctorstoppedthefight.De thefight.De LaHoyawasachampion! “Bredahlisaverygoodfighteranditwasdifficulttonail him,”DeLaHoyasaidinKenPeters’sarticlefortheAssociated Pres Pr ess. s. “H “He e co coul uldn dn’t ’t st stan and d th the e pr pres essu sure re. . I fe felt lt ve very ry st stro rong ng, , I was wa sincomm incommand and. .I Ikne knew whewoul hewould dgodown godown.”Breda .”Bredahl, hl, who handedoutinvitationsforapostfightcelebrationpartybefore the th e ma matc tch, h, ga gave ve De La Ho Hoya ya cr cred edit it. . “I th thou ough ght t I wa was s go good od; ; He’sgood,”Bredahlsaidfrankly.“Mystrategywastokillhis stomach.Buthekilledmyfacefirst.” DEfENDING THE BELT
DeLaHoyawasachampion,buttheWBOwasconsidered a sm smal all l op oper erat atio ion. n. Pe Perh rhap aps s it wo woul uld d be mo more re im impr pres essi sive ve if
THE GOLDEN BOOS From the moment he captured the gold medal at the Olmpics to fulfill a promise to his ding mother, Oscar De La Hoa became an American hero. He was a oung, good-looking, superiorl-talented bo who rose from the gang-infested, povertstricken environment of East Los Angeles to become a world champion boxer. Everwhere he went, De La Hoa was embraced and showered with love—except for one night at the Los Angeles Forum. A few weeks after successfull defending his WBO championship against Giorgio Campanella, De La Hoa went to the Forum to watch his next opponent, Jorge Paez, fight. When De La Hoa arrived at the Forum, the crowd surprisingl booed him long and loud. It was quite a surprise, considering the fans were mostl Mexican and Mexican American. De La Hoa acted as if the jeers did not bother him. He even signed autographs for the female fans while their bofriends hurled insults. De La Hoa explained the fans’ behavior, saing, “Since the Olmpic Games, I’ve been the Golden Bo and this and that.
Becoming a Champion
DeLaHoyamovedupinweightandwonanothertitle.First, hehadtodefendhissuperfeatherweightchampionshipagainst GiorgioCampanella.TheItalianfighterwasundefeatedat20-0 with13knockouts.Hewasfivefeet,fourinchestall,almost seven inches shorter than De La Hoya. Campanella was a heavy underdog against De La Hoya, who seemed more excitedaboutfightingintheMGMGrandhotelinLasVegas thanbeingfocusedonhisopponent. Just 15 seconds into the fight on May 27, De La Hoya hitthecanvasagain.Ahard-chargingCampanellacaughtDe LaHoyawithastraightlefttothejaw,sendingthechamp sprawling to the mat. De La Hoya got up at the referee’s count of eight, finished the round off, and pulled himself togetherinhiscorner.Headjustedhisapproachandknocked
And now it’s, ‘He’s this rich kid.’ People want to see me go down. . . . you have to put on a good show because the pa the mone. I’m going to do that, but I’m going to get m mone and run. Of course, I want to win world titles and have a big name. But I want to have as few fights as possible and make the most mone. M image is like a star image.”* The fans were booing the image, not De La Hoa. The resented the fact that he was so rich and so famous and that he reall had not fought an legitimate opponent et. Some Mexicans even considered him more white than Latino because he acted privileged and was protected all the time b those who surrounded him. Traditionall, Latinos favored fighters who were macho, rough-and-tumble brawlers, such as Julio Cesar Chavez. The fans also wondered wh De La Hoa never went back to the old barrio neighborhood to keep in touch with his ethnic roots. Essentiall, the believed De La Hoa was tring to distance himself from them. * Tm Kwkm, Golden Boy (K cty: adw MMl publg, 1999), 142.
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Campanelladowninthesecondroundbeforefinallyknocking him out in the third. Afterward De La Hoya said, “I startedouttryingtobethatbig,machofighter,bangwith thegreatbanger.Bythesecondround,IrealizedthatIcould easilyoutboxhim,gethimfromtheoutsideusingmyreach advantage,andstayawayfromthelefthook.” 34 Gettingknockeddowninthefirstroundforthesecond timeinthreematchesconvincedDeLaHoyatostopfighting atthe130-poundweightclass.Hehadadifficulttimemain tainingthatweightandfeltunnaturallylightandmaybeeven abitweak.Hehadwonachampionshipanddefendeditonce. Now,hewasreadytomoveonandup. DeLaHoya’snextchallengewasfightingJorgePaezforthe vacantWBOlightweighttitle.DeLaHoyawasthrilledbecause hecouldfightat135pounds(61kg)insteadofstarvinghimselftomaketheweightat130.Paezhadfarmoreexperience thanDeLaHoya.Hewas53-6-4,fighting50moretimesthan DeLaHoya.Yet,everyoneonTeamDeLaHoyawasveryconfidenttheveteranPaezwouldbenomatch,astrainerRobert Alcazarexplained:“Noquestioninmymind,Oscar’sgoingto knockhimout.Howmanyrounds,whoknows?Italldepends onhowmanyroundsit’sgoingtotakeOscartocatchhimwith acleanpunch.”35 Alcazarlostacointoss,meaningthatDeLaHoyahadto entertheringfirstonthenightofJuly29attheMGMGrand in Las Vegas. Paez, nicknamed the Clown for his colorful costumes and wild antics, skipped his usual zany entrance and headed straight to the ring. Once again, De La Hoya startedslowly.Thistime,though,hedidnothitthecanvas. Forthefirsttimeinhiscareer,DeLaHoyawasnotthecrowd favorite,asthefansrepeatedlychanted“Jor-ge!Jor-ge!”Paez supporters,however,didnothavemuchelsetocheerabout thatnight. Just23secondsintothesecondround,DeLaHoyalanded aflurryofpunches,knockingPaezoutwithalefthook.Paez was counted out at 39 seconds of the second round and
Becoming a Champion
51
De La Hoya won his second WBO championship, the lightweight title, in July 1994, when he knocked out Jorge Paez in the second round with a devastating left to the chin. Paez is also an actor and a circus performer.
remainedonthematforanotherminute.DeLaHoyanowhad wontwochampionshipsintwoweightclasses. “I didnot want to go outtoofast becauseof what happenedtomeinthefirstroundbefore.Ididalotofdamage withmyfirstfewpunchesofthesecondroundandthat’swhen I knew I could knock him out,” De La Hoya said in a Ken
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PetersarticleforAP.“Iwantedtoputhimoutearlybecause hehadalotofexperience.” Paez had only been knocked down three times before andknockedoutjustonceinhisprevious63fights.“Idon’t rememberanythingaftergettingknockeddown,”Paezsaidin Peters’sarticle.“Idon’trememberthesecondroundatall.... I’veneverbeenhitthathardbyapunchbefore.” Team De La Hoya now turned its attention to Rafael Ruelas,thenewlycrowned IBFlightweightchampion. Ruelas wasborninMexicobutcametotheUnitedStatesasachildand turnedproatage17tosupporthimself.Itwouldtakeawhile, however,tofinalizeadealforthefightagainstRuelassoDeLa HoyastayedsharpbyfightingCarlGriffithonNovember18at theGrandOlympicAuditoriuminLosAngeles. A confident DeLa Hoya promised he would walk home ifGriffithlandedeven one punchintheirfight. Griffith actually landed 13 of 95, according to one report. Yet, De La Hoyaknockedhimoutoneminuteandtwo seconds into the third round to retain his championship and improve his recordto15-0.DeLaHoyaclaimedhewas“readyforthebig fightsnow.” Still, hehadtowaitafew moremonthsbeforehewould faceRuelas,andsoJohnAvilabecamenextonthelist.DeLa HoyaneedednineroundstostopAvilaattheAuditoriumin LosAngelesonDecember10.Atonepointintheirfight,Avila stunnedDeLaHoyaandforcedhimtocoverupforalmosta halfminute.“[Itwas]nothingtobescaredof,”DeLaHoya saidintheAP’saccountofthefight.“Imean,Iwasintotal controlandhejustmadememovebackabit.ButIcantakea goodpunchandIknowhowtocomebacklikeachampion.” NoweveryonewaswaitingforDeLaHoyatofightRuelas. PromoterBobArum,however,wantedittocoincidewiththe CincodeMayocelebrationinMay.So,DeLaHoyahadone moretuneupbeforethebigfight.Juan“JohnJohn”Molina,a formerIBFfeatherweightchampion,movedupinweightclass tochallengeDeLaHoyaforhislightweighttitle.Molina,who
Becoming a Champion
hadnotlostinfiveyears,wastrainedbyLouDuva.BothDeLa HoyaandAlcazarwantedtobeataDuva-trainedfighterbadly. DeLaHoyaenteredthefightonFebruary18ridingastreakof 10consecutiveknockouts.Molina,however,wasnopushover. ThetoughPuertoRicantookDeLaHoyathedistance,afull 12rounds,andleftthechampionbatteredandbruised. ThejudgesawardedthefightunanimouslytoDeLaHoya. Althoughhewouldhaveratherwonearly,DeLaHoyafinally got a chance to prove he could box 12 rounds, claiming, “I had to become a warrior. John John’s more experienced, butIshould’veboxedmore....Ifoughtaveryunintelligent fight. But, with only seventeen fights, nobody in their right mindwould’ve goneupagainstagreatfighterlikeJohnJohn Molina.SoyouhavetogivemealotofcreditbecauseIwent upagainstagreatchampion.” 36 Forthefirsttimeafterafight,DeLaHoyahadscarsand wounds.Hislefteyeswelledupandhisheadhurt.Hedidnot wantfanstoseehimlookingweakandwounded.Hevowed nevertogethitlikethatagain.
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6 The Big Fight Unbeaten after 17 fights with 15 knockouts, De La Hoa still didnotgetenoughcreditbecausemanycriticsthoughthehad notyetfacedanystiffcompetition.Althoughhehadalready won two championships in two weight classes, De La Hoya needed to prove himself against a boxer who was not past hisprime,ortoosmallorundersized.Ruelaswastheperfect opponent.Hewasonlyafewyearsolderandalittletallerthan DeLaHoya,andhehadanexcellentrecordof43-1.Beating Ruelas couldfinallyearnDeLaHoyamore respectfromhis doubters. TeamDeLaHoyamadeseveralimportantdecisionsinthe weeks leadinguptothe Ruelas fight. First, MikeHernandez hadDeLaHoyahireabodyguardnamedEricPurvistoprotecthimfromoverzealousfans.Then,DeLaHoyaagreedhe neededanothertrainertoassistAlcazar. 54
The Big Fight
The DeLa HoyaswantedaMexicantrainerand settled onJesusRivero,whoneededtobeconvincedtotakethejob. Alcazar,however,resistedtheideaandtriedtokeepRivero away from De La Hoya. After two weeks watching De La Hoya train under Alcazar, Rivero spoke to the champion andinstructedhimhewasdoingcertainthingswrong.DeLa Hoyawasinterestedtohearmore,andhelistenedtoRivero’s advice. BiographerKawakaminotedthat“asthecampworedown De La Hoya was visibly changing his style—fighting more fluidly,movingbackandforthwithhiships,easilyavoiding hardshotsandflickinginsideandoutforcounterattacks—and itwasfairlyevidentthathehadalteredhistrainingsituation. Thesparringpartnersstartedtellingoutsidersthattherewas astrangelittlemandoingmostofthetraining,whileAlcazar fumed.”37ItwasAlcazar,though,whowasinDeLaHoya’s corneronthenightofthefight,May6,1995,atCaesarsPalace inLasVegas.Riverowatchedinthecrowd. A minute into the fight, De La Hoya landed several punches.Ruelasstayedup,butgothithard.Alefttothechinin thesecondroundsentRuelasdown,buthegotup.DeLaHoya knockedhimdownagain,butRuelasgotupyetonemoretime. Finally, De La Hoya connected with repeated hard punches, andtherefereestoppedthefight.DeLaHoyahadhisfirstnonWBO title. Now, he was the IBF lightweight champion too. Thefightgrossedmorethan$10millioninpay-per-viewsales, morethanseveraloftherecentheavyweightboutshadmade. THE RIVALRY
Now, three years into his pro career, it was time for De La Hoyatoget inthering withGenaroHernandez.DeLaHoya, whowantedtofightGenaroHernandezfortheWBA’sfeatherweighttitleinhisprofessionaldebut,finallygotachancetoface hisrivalonSeptember9,1995,atCaesarsPalaceinLasVegas. Afewweeksbeforethefight,DeLaHoyauncharacteristically
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said,“Ihatehis[Hernandez’s]guts.I’veneverhatedanopponentmore.” 38DeLaHoyausuallydidnotshowthiskindof emotion against an opponent. Instead, he would just confidentlystatethathewouldwinandthengotintheringanddid justthat. According to Kawakami, Hernandez was considered the “anti-Oscar,”becausehewas“thefighterwhoreceivedtheraw endofthefinancialdeal,whoperseveredthelongest,andwho waschangedtheleastbyhisultimatesuccess.” 39 Hernandez nevermovedoutoftheoldneighborhood,andfanswanted toseehimbeatDeLaHoya.Commenting onhisopponent, Hernandezsaid,“Ithinkthemoneygottohim.I’vegotalittle morepressureinthisone,becausealotofpeoplewanttosee Oscargodown,andtheythinkI’mthepersontodoit.” 40 Thebadbloodbetweenthetwomenandtheircampshad reachedaboilingpoint,andnowitwastimetosettletheirdif ferencesinthering.Hernandezdidnottellanyonethathewas fighting with a fractured nose suffered in a sparring session against“Sugar”ShaneMosley. IttookDeLaHoyaonlysixroundstofinishoffHernandez, whohadtroublebreathingthroughhisinjurednose.Hernandez simplyquit.Thetwofightersgainedamutualrespectforeach other during the match and ended their bitter rivalry. De La Hoya then turned his attention to his idol, Julio Cesar Chavez. THE MEXICAN WAR
ADeLaHoya-Chavezfighthadbeentalkedabouteversince the Golden Boy had turned pro. The appeal was obvious. ChavezwasaMexicanidol,andDeLaHoyawastheup-andcomingMexican-Americanstar.Forawhile,itappearedthe twomightnotgetthechancetomeetinthering,butArum finallyfoundawaytosetupthemarqueefightthateveryone wantedtosee. BeforefacingChavez,DeLaHoyasuccessfullydefended his WBO lightweighttitlewith a second-round knockout of
The Big Fight
De La Hoya’s manager, Mike Hernandez, convinced the young boxer to take up golf as a way of relaxing in his spare time. De La Hoya was a natural, and he loves the sport. He is shown here on the course in Palm Desert, California.
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JesseJamesLeijaonDecember,15,1995,inhisNewYorkCity debut at fabled Madison Square Garden. Mike Hernandez recognized the significance of the fight, saying, “I think if youdon’tgotoMadisonSquareGardenyou’llneverbebig. MadisonSquareGardenisnumberoneforboxing.” 41 AfterbeatingLeija,DeLaHoyawasreadytomoveuptothe lightwelterweightdivisionandgoafterChavez’sWorldBoxing Council’s(WBC)title.First,hedeliveredabeatingtoDarryl TysononFebruary9,1996.DeLaHoyaknockedTysonoutin thesecondroundtorunhisrecordto21-0with19knockouts. Now,DeLaHoya-Chavezwasgoingtobecomereality. Chavez,theagingwarriorat34yearsold,hadjustoneloss in99careerfights.HewasthetrueMexicanhero,belovedin LosAngeles.Meanwhile,resentmentforDeLaHoyacontinued togrowin his hometown. Whileattending aparadecelebratingMexicanIndependenceDayinEastL.A.,DeLaHoyahad tomatoestossedathimfromthecrowd.Afterward,DeLaHoya calmlycommented,“TheylovemeeverywherebutL.A.”42 Arumguaranteedalmost$18millioninpursesforthetwo fightersandsetupachaotictourthatwouldsendbothcombatantsto23citiesin11daystopromotethefight. Oncethetoursettleddown,DeLaHoyaandChavezbegan training vigorously for their bout. During this time, De La HoyaandRiverogrewcloser.Thementorandpupilbonded, withRiverochallengingDeLaHoyatotrytobecomeafighter thatwouldgodownasoneofthegreatestinhistory. On June 6, at Caesars Palace, De La Hoya and Chavez finally faced each other in the ring. The crowd overwhelminglysupportedChavez,hopingtheoldwarriorhadenough lefttobeattheGoldenBoy.Lessthanaminuteintothefight, DeLaHoyacaughtChavezwithacoupleofquickjabs,openingupacutaboveJulio’slefteyethathehadsustainedina sparring session. Kawakami reported, “His [Chavez’s] face wasaredriver.Aminuteintothefight,DeLaHoyawasstaringatanold,bleedingman,franticallyandhopelesslywiping bloodoutofhiseye,ontohisnose,alloverhisbody.” 43The
The Big Fight
bleedingcontinuedforthreemoreroundsasDeLaHoyabeat onChavez.Finally,thedoctorstoppedthefightinthefourth round.ItwasChavez’sfirstknockoutlossin100fights.DeLa Hoyahaddoneit.HehadconqueredtheMexicankingand captured the WBC light welterweight championship for his thirddifferenttitleinthreeweightdivisions. Downplaying De La Hoya’s attack, Chavez said, “I was alreadyhurtovermyeyebrow.Ireallydidn’twanttopostpone thefightbecauseofit....OscarDeLaHoyadoesn’treallyhave abigpunch.Ijustcouldn’tseebecauseofthecut.” 44When askedaboutChavez’scomment,DeLaHoyashruggeditoff, saying,“Itshowsthathe’sacrybaby.I’mhappybecausethat meanshecan’ttakelosing.Hehastocomeupwithexcusesfor losingtome.”45 Thecut,however,taintedDeLaHoya’svictorybecauseit gave critics a reason todiminishhis success againstChavez. Yet, it also set the stage for a rematch. Fight fans anxiously wonderedhowlongthenegotiationswouldtaketomakethat happen. TAKING A BREAK
Soon after the Chavez fight, De La Hoya broke up with his long-timegirlfriend,VeronicaPeralta.(Hisfamilyhadnever likedherverymuch,andthepressurehadproventoomuch forDeLaHoya,whoalreadyfeltpressuredinmanyotherareas ofhislife.)DeLaHoyaalsowantedtotakeabreakfrombox ingforabitandtodosomegolfingandenjoyhimselfforthe firsttimeinalongtime. Arum and Hernandez, however, wanted De La Hoya to quicklyget backinthering, buildoffthemomentum ofthe win over Chavez, and capitalize on his growing fame. They booked a fight against Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, the WBCwelterweightchampion,forApril12,1997.Inthemeantime,DeLaHoyareluctantlyacceptedabout versus former lightweightchampionMiguelAngelGonzalez,scheduledfor November. A shoulder injury forced postponement of the
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One of De La Hoya’s sweetest moments in the ring came against Julio Cesar Chavez in June 1996. The long-awaited bout between De La Hoya and the Mexican-born Chavez ended in the fourth round when the referee stopped the fight because of the serious cuts on Chavez’s face.
fight until mid-January, giving De La Hoya the time off he desperatelywanted.Thelayoffhelpedhimregainhispassion forthesport,andhereturnedhungrierandmoredetermined thanever.Atthetime,DeLaHoyacommented,“Ihavealove forthesportnowlikeIhadwhenIwassixyearsold.Thelayoff wastoughtohandle.Imissedfighting....ButIneededthe break,too.Boxingismynumberoneprioritynow.” 46 DeLaHoyaappearedrustywhenhefacedGonzalez.For thefirsttimesincehebeatMolina,hedidnothavethekiller instincttoknockouthisopponent.HeallowedGonzaleztogo thedistance,beforewinningaunanimousdecisiontoimprove to23-0with20knockouts.
The Big Fight
HITTING THE LINKS Oscar De La Hoa’s manager, Mike Hernandez, convinced the oung fighter to take up golf as a hobb. Hernandez thought that it would be a good wa for De La Hoa to spend time outside the ring and enjo nature while also making new business agreements with corporate executives who love being on the links. De La Hoa agreed and decided to tr the sport. After a few trips to the course, he was hooked. “He loved the culture—the wide open spaces, the male bonding, the pressure putts—and he loved the challenge of the game. Immediatel, he talked about plaing enough to qualif for the Senior Tour b the time he turned fift, or mabe even the regular tour once he retired from boxing.”* De La Hoa joined Hernandez’s course, the Friendl Hills Countr Club, and plaed regularl. His promoter, Bob Arum, loved the idea too. It kept De La Hoa off the streets and awa from trouble. It was also much safer than him plaing other sports, such as basketball. Boxing is a ver different sport than golf. Fighters need to have a certain hard-core mentalit to get into a ring against an opponent who wants to pummel them. Boxing is pugilistic and violent, but golf is passive and relaxed. Boxing is more of an inner-cit sport. Golf is more popular among suburbanites. yet, De La Hoa saw the benefits that golf offered. “I’m reall into it. Because ou can retire at fift and go into the Senior PGA and still make a ton of mone. It’s just that the sport is ver challenging. It’s a mental game, ou don’t get hit, ou can make mone, get exposure, all that stuff. The golf course is where ou don’t get mobbed b people, ou don’t sign autographs . . . that’s where ou can go out there and focus and pa attention.”** * Tm Kwkm, Golden Boy (K cty: adw MMl publg, 1999), 159. ** ibd.
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Gonzalez, like Molina, had hit De La Hoya hard a few timesandlefthimwithsomenastywelts.TimDahlberg’sstory fortheAssociatedPressfocusedonthemarksGonzalezhad lefton DeLaHoya’s face,saying, “Oscar DeLaHoyafinally lookedlikeafighter,withhislefteyealmostswollenshutand hisfacemarkedfromblowslandedbyMiguelAngelGonzalez. Andhe[DeLaHoya]wasproudofit.” De La Hoya’s approach against Gonzalez earned Rivero criticism.MembersofDeLaHoya’scampweregettingirritated with Rivero because they considered him stubborn andtoomuchofatalker.AftertheMolinafight,Alcazarwas pushedasideforRivero.Couldithappenagain?Withthefight againstWhitakercoming,DeLaHoyacouldnotpossiblyfire Rivero. TofightWhitaker,DeLaHoyahadtomoveupanother five pounds in weight class. The possibility that his power couldbelesseffectiveagainstbiggerfighterscertainlyexisted, so now itwas uptoRiverotoensure thatDeLaHoya could stillknockouthisopponents.
7 Celebrity Status Onl two American athletes made more mone than De La Hoyain1997.TheywerebasketballsuperstarMichaelJordan andboxing’sheavyweightchamp,EvanderHolyfield.De La Hoyaearnedastaggering$38millionandwasrapidlybecoming a full-fledged celebrity. He had many endorsements, made numerous commercials, and frequently appeared on television. Inthering,hemoveduptothewelterweightdivisionfor his bout against Pernell Whitaker, an Olympic gold medal winner in 1984 and the WBC champion. Once considered thebest“pound-for-pound”fighterintheworld,Whitaker wasonthedownsideofhiscareer.Hewas33yearsoldand lookingforabigpayday.WhitakerknewhowtogettoDe LaHoya,tauntinghiminthepressandsayinghewantedto hurthiminthering.Yet,DeLaHoyawashiptoWhitaker’s 63
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tactics,saying,“WhenWhitakertalksonTVandhasallthese interviews,itseemslikehe’sacockyfighter,likehecanbeat anybodyhewantsto.Hewassayinghewasgoingtobreak myarmsandbreakmychin.Peopledon’twanttohearthat, they don’t like that. Maybe the die-hard boxing fan gets a kickoutofthat,buttheregularpersonislike,‘Whatkindof guyisthis’?” 47 DeLaHoyaandWhitakermetattheThomasandMack CenterinLasVegasonthenightofApril12.Neitherfighter tookcontrolintheearlyrounds,anditappearedWhitaker’s southpawstancewasthrowingoffDeLaHoya—untilOscar showedhissecretstrategyandbeganfightingleft-handedin thefifthround. TheGoldenBoyalternatedleft-andright-handedthenext tworounds,butWhitaker’splantostayawayworked.DeLa Hoyacouldnotknockhimdown.Still,hewonthefightby unanimousdecisionandcapturedhisfourthchampionshipin fourdifferentweightdivisions. WhitakerandhiscampcomplainedthatDeLaHoyahad gottenthebenefitofcharitablescoringfromthejudges,furtherprovingthatDeLaHoyawasviewedassuperstar. De La Hoya’s relationship with his trainer, Rivero, however,tookadramaticturnfortheworsebecauseofthebout.He feltthestrategyRiverotaughthimwaswrongforthisfight. “I think like in the third round, I said, ‘Man, this game planisnotright.’Itwashardformetochange.Iwonthatfight onheartandtalentalone.”48RiveronevertrainedDeLaHoya again,andhedidnotevengetaphonecalltellinghimhewas fired.VeterantrainerEmanuelStewardwashired,andTeam DeLaHoyamovedon. AlcazarcamebacktoassistSteward,andeveryoneenjoyed the first camp together preparing for a fight against David KamauinSanAntonio,Texas,onJune14.ItwouldbeDeLa Hoya’sfirsttimefightinginTexas,andhereceivedahero’s welcome.Teenagegirlsflockedtohimlikehewasarockstar. Inthefight,Kamauprovednochallenge.DeLaHoyaknocked
Celebrit Status
CRASHING THE BENz Oscar De La Hoa was driving home from an awards banquet in an expensive Mercedes-Benz, speeding along the tight freewa, when suddenl he heard an unexpected sound. The Mercedes, a $70,000 car, stalled out on the highwa, and cars were speeding past. Panicked, De La Hoa desperatel tried to maneuver the car to safet on the shoulder of the highwa. “De La Hoa’s heart raced. He started sweating, then flipped on the hazard lights, fearing a rear-end collision. He turned on an interior light, too, so he could be seen from behind.”* yet, before he could steer the car onto the shoulder, he was rear-ended b a Honda Civic, whose driver fled the scene. De La Hoa got out of his car, ran across four lanes of the highwa in the dark, and looked for a roadside call box. B the time he found one, another car had crashed into his Mercedes. If De La Hoa had staed in his car a few more minutes, he certainl would have been injured—and possibl killed. “I was just ver fortunate I wasn’t in there, but I’m OK,” De La Hoa told KNBC-TV a da after the accident. “Now I know for sure that there is a God. If I was in that car 10 more seconds I would have been in it and just destroed.” The near-death experience left a lasting impression on De La Hoa: He would not take life for granted anmore. “The accident just changed everthing. I kind of saw how, if it all was over right there and then, what is m famil left with, how is m famil going to live?”** After the accident, De La Hoa started thinking about marriage and having children. He even considered an earl retirement after a few more ears of boxing. Members of Team De La Hoa did not know what to think of the Golden Bo’s new outlook on life. De La Hoa was maturing before their ees, but the feared that b assuming new, more responsible roles, his desire in the ring would diminish. * Tm Kwkm, Golden Boy (K cty: adw MMl publg, 1999), 254. ** ibd., 256.
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The flashy, controversial Hector “Macho” Camacho was no match for De La Hoya in their September 1997 showdown. Here, De La Hoya lands a left to Camacho’s head. Camacho was a three-time world champion with an impressive career record of 79 wins, five losses, and two draws.
him out in the second round for his first title defense as a welterweight. Steward had trained Thomas Hearns, Chavez, Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis. He knew his latest pupil was special,commenting,“Oscar’sbiggestassetIthinkistheunbelievableintensityandviciousnessthathebringsintothering. He’stotallytransformedoncethebellrings.AndIhavenever seenafighterwhodoesthatthewayhedoesit...Ijustdon’t seehimlosingtoanyone.” 49
Celebrit Status
Steward wanted De La Hoya to take it to another level andfightthebestguysaround.BeatingarisingstarlikeFelix Trinidad or perhaps winning a rematch against Whitaker couldmakeDeLaHoyathenextSugarRayLeonard.Those matcheswouldhavetowaitbecauseDeLaHoya’snextfight wouldbeagainstHector“Macho”Camacho,abrash-talking showmanwho had fought manytop-bill fights but was now moving past his prime. Before the fight against Camacho, however,DeLaHoyaexperiencedsomeupsanddownsinhis personallife.Hegotengagedbutthencalleditoffafterfinding outanotherwomanwasgoingtohavehisbaby. SHUTTING UP THE SHOWMAN
Asaboxer,theflamboyantHectorCamachoalwaysenjoyed talkingalmostasmuchasfighting.ThecomingfightwithDe LaHoyawasnodifferent,asheboasted,“IfI’dhavemethim whenwewereboth130[pounds],I’dhavekilledhim.Onthe streets,I’dhavekickedhisbutt.Buthe’dnevergotoHarlem, anyway.” 50Camacho’strashtalkingmadeDeLaHoya’scamp thinkthathewouldbetheperfectopponentagainstwhichto casttheGoldenBoyinthe“goodguy”role,foronce. DeLaHoyawasastrongfavoritegoingintothefightat theThomasandMackCenteronSeptember13.Hewanted tobecomethefirstmantoknockoutCamacho,whonever wentdownforthecountinhisfirst68fights.Lookingsharper than he did against Whitaker, De La Hoya dominated the fight.TheMachoMangrabbedandheldontoDeLaHoya throughout the match, avoidinga knockout. A unanimous decisiongaveDeLaHoyahistwenty-sixthconsecutivevictorywithoutalossandleftCamachoimpressed.“Oscaris thebestIeverfought,”CamachosaidinAPboxingwriter EdSchuylerJr.’sstory.“Hedideverythinghesaidhewould exceptknockmeout.” De La Hoya immediately began talking about fighting FelixTrinidadandWBCsuperwelterweightchampion,Terry Norris.First,hehadtofaceWilfredoRiverainAtlanticCity
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onDecember6.Beforethefight,however,Stewardbecame thelatesttrainerfiredbyTeamDeLaHoya,aftertheGolden Boy showed up at Holyfield’s heavyweight fight against Micheal Moorer in November. Arum feared Steward was tryingtosetupDeLaHoyawithrivalpromoterDonKing. So,he,HernandezandDeLaHoya’sfatherdecidedtheydid not want Stewardaround any longer. “Theyweretrying to findanyreasontogetridofme.Everybodybecameuncomfortablewithme—exceptforOscar,” 51 Stewardsaid.Alcazar regainedhispositionasthetoptrainer,andArumbroughtin veteranGilClancyfromNewYorktoassisthim.DeLaHoya knockeddownRiverainthefourthroundoftheirfightand wonitintheeighthroundonatechnicalknockout. Afterwinningfivefightsin1997,DeLaHoyawasready forabreak.HewassupposedtodefendhisWBCtitleagainst numberonecontender,PatrickCharpentier,inFebruary,but awristinjuryforcedthebouttobepostponeduntilJune13, 1998.CharpentierdidnotstandachanceagainstDeLaHoya whenthetwofinallymet,attheSunBowlinElPaso,Texas.De LaHoyaknockedhimoutinthethirdroundforhistwentythird knockout in 28 victories. Now the pressure on De La HoyatofightTrinidadorIkeQuarteyoreventogiveWhitaker arematchwasbuildinggreater.Despiteallhissuccess,DeLa Hoyastillhadquiteafewdetractors. DE LA HOYA-CHAVEz II
TiredofhearingChavezcomplainabout theirfirst fight, De LaHoyachosetogivetheagingwarriorarematchinsteadof pursuingamoredeservingopponent.DeLaHoyawantedto prove beyond a doubt that he could beat Chavez. Plus, the fightwasa lucrative one,and itwouldput DeLaHoyaover the $100 million mark in career earnings. The rematch was setforSeptember18attheUNLVcampusarena,withlegions ofChavezfanshopingtoseetheMexicanfighterputupone lastgreatbattle.“Thisfightisaverypersonalfighttome.I’m fightingfortherespectInevergotbeatinghimthefirsttime,”
Celebrit Status
DeLaHoyasaidinTimDahlberg’sstoryfortheAP.“Ifitwere uptome,itwouldn’tevenbeintherecordbooks.That’show personalitis.” De La Hoya got his wish, beating up Chavez until the proud fighter sat on his stool and quit following the eighth round. For the Golden Boy,itwas vindication, eventhough Chavezwas36yearsold.“Hebeatmeright,”Chavezsaidin Dahlberg’sarticle.“Itoldhimthiswouldbeagreatfightand hewouldgetmyrespect.Igivehimmyrespectnow.” SomeviewedthefightasasignthatDeLaHoyahadflaws becausethebiggerDeLaHoyagothithardbyChavezseveral times.In Golden Boy,authorKawakamiobserved,“IfChavez couldleanin,absorbthepunishmentandrockDeLaHoya backonhisheelsatleasttwoorthreetimes,whatwoulda legitimate welterweight hammer-hitter do to De La Hoya? WhatcouldFelixTrinidaddowithopeningslikeDeLaHoya suddenly was offering? Or Ike Quartey, who was signed to meetDeLaHoyainNovember?” 52 DeLaHoyawasnow29-0,winning24timesbyknockout. Yet,itseemedthehard-coreboxingfansstillwerenotconvincedofhisgreatness. SILENCING THE CRITICS
When De La Hoya signed to fight the undefeated Quartey onNovember21,hehopedpeoplewouldstopsayinghewas duckingtoughopponents.“It’llstopthecriticismabit,”he saidinAPwriterBethHarris’sarticle.“Chavezwasanexciting fight,butthisoneisgoingtobeawar.Hopefully,peoplewill acknowledgethefactthatI’m steppingup intalentwithmy opponents. “Even[promoter]BobArumdidn’twantthisfighttobe next for me, but I wanted this fight . . . because challenges likethesemakemetrainharderandmotivateme.Iknowthat I’llbefightingallthefighters.I’vejustbeenverypatientand it’ssometimesfrustratingthatpeopleinthemediaarenotas patientasIam.”
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Quartey,fromGhana,was34-0-1with29knockouts.He wascertainlyaformidablechallenger.“Iwantedthisfightfora longtime,”QuarteysaidinHarris’sstory.“IconsiderOscarto bethebestfighterintheworld.Hehasn’tfoughtanyonelike me.Idon’tthinkhecantakemypunches.” The fight was moved to February 13, 1999, because De LaHoyasufferedalaceratedeyelidwhilesparring.Thefight eventuallytookplace,andQuarteyprovedtobeDeLaHoya’s stiffest test to date, taking the championthe distance at the Thomas and Mack Center. Both fighters went down in the sixthround,andDeLaHoyathenflooredQuarteyagaininthe twelfthround.Yet,thechallengergotupandfinishedthefight. DeLaHoyawasawardedasplit-decisionvictory,thefirsttime inhisprofessionalcareerthathedidnotwinbyknockoutora unanimousdecision.“Itwasoneofthegreatestwelterweight fightsI’veeverseen,”DeLaHoya’strainer,BillClancy,said inEdSchuylerJr.’sAPstory.SchuyleralsonotedthatDeLa Hoya “showed tremendous determination, especially in the lastround.” Forhispart,Quarteywasnotpleasedwiththeoutcome.“I thoughtIdidenoughtowinandIsurprisedhimwithmybox ingability,”hesaidinSchuyler’sarticle.“YouknowIcouldn’t winadecisioninLasVegas.”ForDeLaHoya,itwasacrucial victory. He had survived the hardest challenge of his career andremainedundefeated. WithaneyeonamegafightagainstFelixTrinidad,DeLa HoyagearedupforaboutagainstObaCarronMay22inLas Vegas.AlosstoCarrwouldruinplansforthehugeshowdown againstTrinidad,soDeLaHoyahadtomakesurehewasathis best.Adaybeforethefight,DeLaHoyavowedtorevertback tobeingapuncherinsteadofaboxer.HedidnotlikehiscautiousapproachagainstQuarteyandwasnothappythatfourof hispreviouseightfightshadgonethedistance. “I’m not boxing anymore.I’mgoing backtofighting,to theoldschoolway,”hesaidinTimDahlberg’sAPstory.“I’m goingtowalkthroughguysanddestroythem.Iguaranteeyou
Celebrit Status
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Ike “Bazooka” Quartey, from Ghana, faced De La Hoya in February 1999 with an undefeated record of 34-0-1. De La Hoya won the controversial split decision to keep his WBC welterweight title. Many in attendance thought that the hard-hitting Quartey should have won.
thereisnofighterintheworldwhocantakemypunchand last12rounds.SowhatamIdoingboxingpeople?Ishouldbe goingoutthereanddestroyingthem.” ItlookedlikeitmightbeaneasynightforDeLaHoya after he knocked Carr down in the opening round. Carr,
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however,gotup,andthetwofighterswentateachotherfor severalrounds. De La Hoya injured his left hand during the bout and avoidedthrowingjabsasmuchaspossible.Yet,heusedaleft hooktosendCarrtothematintheeleventhroundandgain thatknockoutwinhehadwantedsomuch.AllthatwasstandinginthewayofaDeLaHoya-TrinidadfightwasTrinidad’s IBFtitledefenseagainstHugoPinedaaweeklater.Trinidad made easy work of Pineda, knocking him out in the fourth round.Thestagewassetforthefighttheworldwaswaiting tosee.
8 Accepting Defeat De La Hoa and Trinidad were two fighters with so much in common.Bothstartedboxingatanearlyageandbothenjoyed amateur success and became professional champions. Both packedapowerfulpunch,bothhadaloyalfanbase,andboth weremain-eventheadliners.DeLaHoyaandTrinidadshared onemoreimportantfact:bothwereundefeated.Itwasafight everyboxingfanwantedtosee,andittookarchrivalpromotersBobArumandDonKingtomakeithappen.DeLaHoya wouldput his WBC welterweight titleupagainst Trinidad’s IBFchampionshipattheMandalayBayHotelinLasVegason September18,1999. WINNER TAKE ALL
“It’sgoingtobeadifficultfight,butIhaveafighter’sblood andIwillnotquit,”DeLaHoyasaidinEdSchuyler’sAP storythreemonthsbeforethefight.“OnSeptember18,my 73
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fistswilldothetalking.”Trinidadwasevenmoreconfident. “I’minthebestphysicalconditionofmylife,andIcan’tsee how DeLaHoyacouldendthefightonhisfeet,” Trinidad saidatanewsconferenceinhisnativePuertoRicoinearly September. “I’m going to knock him out after the sixth round.WhenIputmyhandsonaboxerhefalls,andDe LaHoya willbenoexception.Hewon’tbeabletotakethe punishment.” Billed as the Fight of the Millennium, the bout was expectedtobe anepicbattle.Unfortunately, itdidnotlive uptothehype.DeLaHoyadidnotfight his usual, aggressivestyle.Hewasmorecautious,waryofgettingintoabrawl withTrinidadbecausebetweenroundshistrainersinstructed himtoboxinsteadofslugitout.Still,DeLaHoyadominated early on and led the judges’ scoring through the first nine rounds.Helandedseveralpunchesatthestartoftheninth roundandthenstarteddancingratherthanattacking. Thinking he had the fight won if he simply avoided a knockout,DeLaHoyatookaverydefensiveapproachfollowinghisfinalflurry.Hebackpedaledandtriedtostayawayfrom Trinidad over the last three rounds. The strategy backfired. Onejudgescoredthefightadraw,andtheothertwofavored Trinidadbyaslightmargin.TheGoldenBoyhadfinallylost forthefirsttimein32careerfights,althoughitwasacontroversialdecision. “I thought I had it in the bag,” De La Hoya said in Ed Schuyler’sAPstory.“IswearIdid.The11thand12throunds, IwasprotectingtheroundsIhadinthebag.Iwasdoingwhat Iwastrainedtodo—box.Ilandedahundredmorepunches thanhedid.”TrinidadcreditedhistrainingcrewforhissuccessindefeatingtheGoldenBoy.“Mycornersaidkeepattacking.Iknewitwasclose.Iputmorepressureonhim,”hesaid intheAPstory. For several years after the fight, fans and experts still debated the true winner. Javier N. Perez, who analyzed the fightforEastsideboxing.com,wrote:
Accepting Defeat
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Felix Trinidad, shown here shooting a jab at De La Hoya, dealt Oscar his first professional loss in 32 fights. In the September 1999 match, De La Hoya took a defensive approach, abandoning his usual aggressive style.
De La Hoya fans argue that Don King paid off the judges, and that De La Hoya exposed Trinidad as one-dimensional and provided the blue print that Bernard Hopkins and WinkyWrightwouldutilizetoupsethiminfuturebouts.The TrinidadcontingencyrepliesthatifOscarhadn’tbeendancing aroundtheringTrinidadwouldhaveknockedhimout,thatDe LaHoyafeltTrinidad’spowerandwasclearlyconcernedwith beingknockedoutbyhisveryworthyadversaryandthatitwas thisthatthejudgessawandwhatultimatelypromptedthemto
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Onlyarematchcouldsettletheargument,althoughDeLa Hoyamadeyetanotherchangeinhistrainingstaffbecauseof theloss,firingClancyandblaminghimforthefailedstrategy againstTrinidad. NO REMATCH
Negotiations for a rematch against Trinidad fell apart more thanonce,and, eventually,DeLaHoyadecided tomove on tofaceotheropponents.Atanewsconferenceannouncinghis planstofightDerrellColeyonFebruary26,2000,DeLaHoya madeitclearhewasnotgoingtochaseTrinidadandbegfor arematch.“Theymadeawrongmovebythinkingtheyhad allthepowerbecausetheywonthetitle,”DeLaHoyasaidin Schuyler’sAPstory.“TheythinkIneedTrinidad.Idon’tneed Trinidad.” DeLaHoya,stillupsetbythejudges’decisioninhislossto Trinidad,alsopromisedtochangehisstyleagainstColey.He wantedtogetaknockoutsotherewouldbenodispute. “Ican’tletthejudgeshandleit,”hesaid.“I’mcomingout withanger.Nomoreboxing.It’sverysadpeopledon’tappreciateboxinganymore.” ThelosstoTrinidadonlyfueledDeLaHoya’scritics.The GoldenBoygavethemmoreammunitionbypursuingamusic career and getting involved in several endorsement deals. It seemedhewasbecomingtoodistractedbyoutsideventuresto concentrateonboxing. When it came time to get in the ring, De La Hoya still hadthefocusanddeterminationofachampion.Heshowed itagainstColeywithaknockoutintheseventhroundoftheir fightatMadisonSquareGarden.DeLaHoyadominatedthe
Accepting Defeat
fight,withonlyonejudgescoringoneroundforColey.Then, intheseventh,DeLaHoyabackeduphispromisetobemore aggressive.APwriterBarryWilnerwrote,“Coleyattemptedto pickupthepaceatthestartoftheseventhround.ButDeLa Hoya,27,changedthatstrategywithapairofjabs.Although he missed several wild lefts, he did get in a good left hook to the head moments before the decisivepunch. That came as Coley was moving to his right, and Coley immediately droppedtothecanvas.” ThevictoryimprovedDeLaHoya’srecordto32-1with 26knockouts.Moreimportantly,itwasanexcellentfirststep toward rebuildinghis imageas apowerfighter. DeLa Hoya continued seeking a rematch against Trinidad but did not wanttomoveupinweightclasstofighthim.Tiredoftheslow negotiationswithTrinidad’scamp,DeLaHoyaagreedtofight theundefeated“Sugar”ShaneMosleyattheStaplesCenterin LosAngelesonJune17. A CHAMP AGAIN
DeLaHoya’svictoryoverColeymadehimtheWBCwelterweightchampionagainwhenTrinidadhadtorelinquishthat titleaftersteppingupandbeatingDavidReidfortheWBA superwelterweightcrown.NowDeLaHoyahadtodefendhis beltagainstMosley,whowas34-0with32knockouts.Thetwo fightersmetintheringoncebefore,16yearsearlier.Mosley, who was 12 atthetime,beatDeLaHoya,who was11.They alsosparredafewtimesin1992.Thiswouldbetherealtest, however. With more than 20,000 fans watching, including many former boxing greats, De La Hoya and Mosley battled each othertoe-to-toefor12fantasticrounds.StillstungbythecriticismhereceivedfortheTrinidadfight,DeLaHoyawasintent ongoingforaknockoutagainstMosley.“Sugar”Shane,however,wouldnotgodown,andheearnedthevictorybyasplit decisiononthejudges’cards.Afterthematch,adisappointed DeLaHoyatalkedaboutarematchbutalsomentionedthe
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possibilityofretirement.HeandArumwerenotpleasedwith thescoring,butitwasnotquiteascontroversialasthelossto Trinidad. “Ihavetorethinkmywholegameplaninlife,”DeLaHoya said in Kevin Iole’s story for the Las Vegas Journal-Review. “Thisisabusiness,andofcoursepeoplewanttherematchto makemoremoney.Idon’tseeitthatway.I’mthinkingofmy healthandmycareer.” ItwasadefiningvictoryforMosley,whofinallyemerged from De La Hoya’s shadow and captured the WBC welterweightchampionshipafterjumpinguptwoweightclasses.“In the12thround,wewentsoul-searchingtoseewhowasthereal champion,”MosleysaidinIole’sstory.“DeLaHoyashowed heisagreatchampion.Hestoodthereandfoughtwithmefor
SINGER OR fIGHTER? Oscar De La Hoa alwas dreamed of recording an album, but boxing alwas came first. The Golden Bo finall fulfilled his childhood dream when he released the album Oscar De La Hoya in October 2000. With songs in Spanish and English, Oscar was a huge success. It topped Billboard’s Latin Dance charts for several weeks, and “Ven a Mi,” a single from the album written b the Bee Gees, was nominated for a Gramm Award. The album itself was also nominated for a Gramm as best Latin Pop Album of 2000. “I have been singing for a ver long time, since I was like six ears old, because m mother was a professional singer. . . . I kind of got the best of both worlds, the music and the fighting,” De La Hoa said in an interview that aired on CNN on December 16, 2000. De La Hoa added that he drew inspiration from singing legend Frank Sinatra. “I grew up listening to Frank Sinatra a lot,” he said. “He is like m little mentor in the music industr and I had the opportunit to [meet] him a few times and I’ve alwas looked up to him.”
Accepting Defeat
the whole12thround.I whackedhimacoupleoftimesand hewobbled,buthestayedupandhestillkeptfighting.He’sa truechampion.” AfterlosingtoMosley,DeLaHoyahadanewcritic:Bob Arum.Thepromoterdidnotliketheideaofhisboxerrecording an album in the months before he trained for such an importantfight.“Itwasastupidthingforhimtodo,”Arum saidinaninterviewwithFoxSportsNetworkafewyearslater. “Boxingisafulloccupationandrequirestremendousfocus. Oscargotdivertedinhisfocusdoingthealbum.Ithoughtit wasdumb...” De La Hoya defended his decision, stating, “I had the opportunitytorecordanalbumortotrain.Ipickedthemusic becauseitwaskindofliketheeasywayout,”hetoldthesame
The decision to pursue a singing career and record an album while preparing for his first fight against “Sugar” Shane Mosle earned De La Hoa a lot of criticism. People speculated that he was not focused on boxing and that he was devoting too much time and energ into marketing himself and pursuing outside ventures. De La Hoa, however, told CNN that his interest in music increased his passion for boxing. “I think the music, having to pursue that career and m dream, kind of helped out m boxing career so much because I feel that fire again, I feel that energ, where I just want to step inside the ring and reall give it m all,” he said. Music critics praised his debut work. “The vocal abilit is certainl promising, and the songs and instrumentation, if formulaic, are at the ver least well-executed,” said Adam Greenberg of All Music Guide. “So while the album is relativel unsurprising and uncomplex, it’s not bad within its own little pigeonhole.”
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interviewer.“Ididn’tquitonboxing—Ijustkindofpickedthe onethatwasgoingtomakemehappyatthetime.” BACK TO BOXING
IttookDeLaHoyaninemonthstofightagainafterlosingto Mosley.Onceagain,hehadanewtrainer.FloydMayweather Sr.,whosesonwastheWBCsuperfeatherweightchampion, replacedAlcazarandtrainedDeLaHoyaforhisfightagainst ArturoGattionMarch24,2001,attheMGMGrandinLas Vegas.“Untilnow,hehadprettymuchbeendoingthingson hisownandhedidagreatjobonhisown,”Mayweathersaid inEdSchuyler’sAPstorytwodaysbeforethefight.“NowI amteachinghimwhatboxingisallabout.Ifhedidthatgood onhisown,nowthathehasagoodtrainer,youaregoingto seeanewandimprovedOscarDeLaHoya.Iamteachinghim defenseandoffensealltogether.” DeLaHoyashookofftherustandstoppedGattiinthe fifthroundtoearnhisfirstvictoryin13monthsandboosthis recordto33-2with27knockouts.Hegradedhisownperformancea“C”andtoldreportersthathewasdedicatedtoboxingmorethanasingingoractingcareer. “IdecidedIwanttoboxandgiveitmyall,”hesaidin Schuyler’sstory.“Icandomysingingandactingafterboxing...it’llonlybeacoupleofyears.Iwantnodistractions. Idon’twanttothinkaboutanythingbutboxing.”Ofcourse, healsothoughtaboutapossiblerematchwithTrinidador Mosley. A BOLD PREDICTION
DeLaHoyamoveduptothesuperwelterweightclasstochallengeJavierCastillejoforhisWBCtitleonJune23attheMGM Grand.Threedaysbeforethefight,DeLaHoyamadeperhaps the boldestpredictionofhiscareer.Hevowedtoretireifhe didnotbeatCastillejo.“Alosswouldmeanthat’sit,it’sover,” DeLaHoyasaidinTim Dahlberg’sAPstory.“Iwouldhave no reason to be inside the ring anymore.” De La Hoya did
Accepting Defeat
In June 2000, De La Hoya suffered his second professional loss, this one against undefeated Shane Mosley. For 12 exciting rounds, the two fighters battled, matching their skills and raw punching power. The final result was a split decision win for Mosley, who gained tremendous respect in the world of boxing after his win over De La Hoya.
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nothavetobreakanypromises.Hedominatedthefightand scoredavictoryoverCastillejobyunanimousdecisiontoearn hissixthworldchampionshipinhisfifthdifferentweightdivision.Undertheguidanceofhisnewtrainer,DeLaHoyadid notrelyonhisleft-handedjab.Insteadheofferedmorerighthanded punches and power shots. “Imean Mayweatherstill hasalotinhisarsenal,sowe’rejustgoingbacktothedrawing board,andI’llcomebackwithbetterstuff,”DeLaHoyasaid inJohnGregg’sarticleforboxingtimes.com.
9 The End Is Not Near Ever fighter has a bitter rival, someone the do not like at allandwanttobeatbadly.MuhammadAlihadJoeFrazier. For De La Hoya, it was Fernando Vargas. No one hurled moreinsultsatDeLaHoyathanVargas,afellowMexicanAmericanfighterwhoalsogrewupinSouthernCalifornia, alsofoughtintheOlympics,andownedashareofthejunior middleweighttitle.Thesimilaritiesendthere,however.While DeLaHoyawastheGoldenBoy,Vargaswasthestreet-smart toughguy.Vargasbeganthewarofwordsbysayinghewas moreofaMexicanthanDeLaHoya. “[Vargas]isalwaystalkingaboutme.Ithinkhe’sinlove withme,”DeLaHoyasaidinastorywrittenbyTimGraham forESPN.com.“Iactuallyhatetheguy.Ihaveneverusedthe word ‘hate’ when talking about any other opponents, but I hatehim.”Vargaswould not evenconsiderlosing.“Iwould 83
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ratherdieintheringthanlosetohim,”VargastoldGraham. “It’snotaboutgivingitagoodtry.Forme,it’swinordietrying.I’mgoingtodoeverythingIcantomakethisthelastfight ofhiscareer.” DeLaHoyaandVargasgotachancetosettletheirfeudin theringonSeptember14,2002,attheMandalayBayArena. ThefightwasbilledasBadBlood,andthetwoboxerspushed andshovedeachotheratanewsconferenceinJanuary.Itwas amorecivilatmosphereatthenewsconferencetheweekof thefight,althoughPlexiglassscreenswereplacedbetweenthe twomenincasethesituationgotoutofcontrol. Onfightnight,thefansroaredloudlywhenthefighters enteredthering.Itwasquiteadiverse crowd.“Thefansof DeLaHoyalookingasiftheywerethereforaBackStreet Boysconcert,theVargascontingentlookingasiftheyhad justcomefromanOaklandRaidersgame,”BertSugarwrote onHBO.com.Inthefight,Vargas outmuscledDeLaHoya in the early rounds, but he could not deliver a knockout blow.DeLaHoya,fightingforthefirsttimein15months, gainedtheupperhandeachtimehecouldmaneuverVargas intothemiddleofthering.Vargasralliedintheninth and tenthrounds,butDeLaHoyacaughthimwithalefthook squarelyonthejawinthefinalsecondsofthetenthround. Damaged by the shot, Vargas staggered to his corner. He cameoutfortheeleventhround,butDeLaHoyalanded aflurry of punches, andthe refereesteppedinto stopthe fight.Itwas vindication for DeLaHoya,whocapturedthe WBA light middleweight title to go with his WBC super welterweightcrown. “De La Hoya overcame questions both about his left handandhisability topunch at154poundstofinallytake apartaLosAngeles-arearivalwhodideverythinghecould toirritatehim,”TimDahlbergwroteforAP.“DeLaHoya needed to win what had become a neighborhood feud to setuptwomorefightshereallywants—rematchesagainst
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FelixTrinidadandShaneMosley,theonlytwofightersto beathim.” In April 2003, De La Hoya signed to fight Mosley five monthslaterattheMGMGrand.TheGoldenBoytunedup fortherematchbyknockingoutYoryBoyCampasintheseventhroundoftheirfightinMay. THE REMATCH
De La Hoya once again promised to retire if he lost to Mosley.Hehadsomuchgoingonoutsideboxingthathe figuredit would bea good ideato stepasidewhile hestill hadhissensesandgoodlooksintact.Therewasnotanyanimositybetweenthesetwofighters.DeLaHoyaandMosley hadamutualrespectforeachother.DeLaHoyaneededa wintoavengehisfirstlosstoMosleyandextendhiscareer. MosleydidnothavemuchsuccessafterbeatingDeLaHoya thefirsttime,losingtwicetoVernonForrest.Awinwould revitalizehiscareer. The Golden Boy came out strong and won the early rounds. Yet, Mosley put the pressure on and swung the momentumhiswaywithahardrighttoDeLaHoya’schestin theeighthround. MosleyoutscoredDeLaHoyaoneachofthejudges’scorecardsinthefinalfourroundsandearnedaunanimousdecisiontocapturethechampionshipbelts.Thedecisionleftthe bloodiedDeLaHoyaoutraged.Heevenfiledaformalprotest withtheNevadaAthleticCommission. “IthappenedintheTrinidadfightandithappenedhere,” DeLaHoyasaidinDahlberg’sAPstory.“IthoughtIwonthe fight.Ididn’teventhinkitwasclose.” Asforhisretirementplans,DeLaHoyabackedoffthose thoughts after the fight, claiming that he loved the sport of boxingandfightinglikeawarrior.Hesimplycouldnotquit boxing,especiallywhenheknewhewasstillcapableofbeing achampionagain.
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Withretirementplansonhold,DeLaHoyasignedalucrative contracttofightundisputedmiddleweightchampion,Bernard Hopkins,onSeptember18,2004.Bothfightershadtune-up boutsonthesamecardinJuneattheMGMGrand.Hopkins A CIRCLE Of fRIENDS
THE DE LA HOYA CAMP According to Oscar De La Hoa’s biographers, it has been difficult for the oung boxing celebrit to maintain a ver tight circle of friends and confidantes. This is especiall true when it comes to his personal trainers. The De La Hoa camp has seen man trainers, some who have become good friends of De La Hoa’s, come and go regularl. Most of the time, the De La Hoa camp, which is composed of Oscar; his father, Joel Sr.; and other famil members, made numerous tough decisions about who would best serve De La Hoa’s career interests and goals. One of these people was Jesus Rivero. In Februar 1995, De La Hoa hired Rivero as his trainer, and the older man came to be known as the Professor. Rivero’s training philosoph clicked with De La Hoa, who saw the difference in the Professor’s approach. Rivero’s philosoph is that a boxer should not just be trained how to fight well but to be schooled in all areas and to develop himself as a person as well as a warrior in the ring. Rivero believes, “A boxer has to understand things like music and literature and histor and politics. He needs to concern himself with the great problems of societ, of life. He needs to learn about histor and economics. It’s ver important to understand the full world that’s around him.”* It’s eas to see wh De La Hoa, who spent little time focusing on schoolwork because he was alwas so bus training in the ring, was attracted to the training theories of Rivero. He felt like he was learning a lot about life and developing as a person, not just as a boxer. Previous trainers had focused mostl on his fighting skills and finding
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easilywonhisfightoverRobertAllen.DeLaHoyabarelysurvived against Felix Sturm, earning a unanimous decision to winhisfirstmiddleweightfightandcapturetheWBOtitle. “Everything went wrong tonight, everything. Everything wentout,whatcanIsay?ItrainedashardasIcanandwedid
out how best he could win (and how the could get a share of his prize purse). Rivero, however, cared more about De La Hoa than about boxing records. “I think ever boxer needs a man like this—a professor,” Oscar said of Rivero. “This gu brings out the best in ou.”** Their relationship, however, did not last ver long. Two ears later, when De La Hoa started to show slight signs of struggle in the ring, although he was still winning, his camp decided to fire Rivero. The turned to Robert Alcazar, a famil friend and off-again, on-again trainer who had previousl worked with De La Hoa. Alcazar had joined the De La Hoa camp shortl before Oscar had set his sights on the Olmpics, when he was still an amateur. He had hung around in the sidelines, giving advice and helping out when he could. In 1991, however, the De La Hoas made Alcazar Oscar’s main trainer. Nevertheless, Alcazar’s relationship with De La Hoa would be a rock one. The same is true with most of those in the De La Hoa circle. Most recentl, his trainer was Freddie Roach, a former boxer who prepared him for the Maweather fight in Ma 2007. Roach was one of boxing’s most sought-after trainers, having trained 18 world champions. Roach, a former fighter himself, was elected to the World Boxing Hall of Fame as a trainer and was once selected Trainer of the year. yet, after De La Hoa’s defeat, it remains uncertain if Roach will sta on with the De La Hoa team. * Tm Kwkm, Golden Boy (K cty: adw MMl publg, 1999), 236. ** ibd., 237.
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everythingperfect,sparringwithbigguysbutIsteppedinthe ringandboom,”DeLaHoyasaidabouttheboutwithSturm inJohnGregg’sstoryforboxingtimes.com.“He’sanordinary fighter.Imeanhe’saworldchampionandhe’syoungandhe’s hungryandIgivehimalltherespectintheworld.ButIknow inmyheartIcandobetter.”Sturm,aGermanfightinginthe UnitedStatesforthefirsttime,protestedthefight,claiming thejudgeswereinfluencedbythehighstakesofthecomingDe LaHoya-Hopkinsfight. THE DEfINING fIGHT
Twelveyearsafterturningproat130pounds,DeLaHoyawas fighting for the middleweight championship at 158 pounds (972kg).Hopkins,hisolderopponent,hadnotlostin11years andwasa2-to-1favoritetosuccessfullydefendhistitles.The oddswerestackedagainstDeLaHoya,whofacedabiggerand strongeropponentforthefirsttime.Thetwomencouldnot bemoredifferent.Hopkinsonceservedaprisonsentenceand overcameseveralobstaclestobecomeachampion.ThedifferenceswereunderscoredbyTimDahlbergoftheAPwhenhe wrote,“DeLaHoyabringsbigfightexperienceandaglittering reputationintothering.Hopkinscarrieswithhimahunger bornoutofscrappingforeverydollarhecouldget.” Thoughhewas39yearsold,Hopkinswasouttoprovehe wasthebestfighterintheworld.DeLaHoyawantedtorepair hisimage,whichwastarnishedbytwolossestoMosleyand onetoTrinidad.Oftencriticizedforchoosingopponentspast theirprimeorvulnerable,DeLaHoyagainedsomerespectfor takingonaformidablefoe.“ThisisthefightwhereIjustsuck itupandleteverythingloose,”DeLaHoyasaidinDahlberg’s APstory.“Thisisforallthemarbles.Thisisthefightthatwill definemycareer.” EnteringtheringtoFrankSinatra’s“MyWay,”Hopkins hadafiercelookofdeterminationonhisface.DeLaHoya, however, would not be intimidated. He surprised boxing analystsbystandingtoe-to-toeinthemiddleoftheringand
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In September 2004, Bernard “the Executioner” Hopkins became the first man to knock out Oscar De La Hoya. Hopkins was defending his WBC, WBA, and IBF middleweight titles against WBO champion De La Hoya. It was Hopkins’s sharp left hook to De La Hoya’s ribs in the ninth round that ended the fight.
tradingpuncheswithHopkins,insteadofusinghisspeedand quickness to make the champion chase him. By the ninth round,DeLaHoyahadswellingandbruisingaroundbothof hiseyes.Still,hewasgoingafterHopkinsandhadachanceto win.Then,hisdreamsuddenlycollapsed.Aperfectlyplaced lefthooktohisliversentDeLaHoyatothecanvas,writhing inpainandpoundingthematinfrustration.
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Forthefirsttimeinhiscareer,theGoldenBoydidnotget up.Everyonewasstunned.Hopkinsbecamethefirstmanto knockoutOscarDeLaHoya.“Hegotmerightonthebutton,” DeLaHoyasaidinJohnGregg’sstoryforboxingtimes.com. “Believeme,ItriedgettingupbutIcouldn’t.Ihavewhatit takes,buthehitmerightonthebutton.” De La Hoya, who made more than $30 million for the fight, said it would define his career. He would never forgetthefeelingofbeingknockedout,downonthemat,and unabletogetup.Afterward,hehadtodealwiththefactthat hecameupshortinsomeofhisbiggestfights.“Ifeelproud butobviouslyverydisappointed,butIdon’tregretitatall,” hesaid. A LONG BREAK
DeLaHoyadidnotretireafterhislosstoHopkins,buthetook off20monthsbeforereturningtothering,thistimeagainst Ricardo Mayorga. Many questioned De La Hoya’s motivation for staying inboxing. He had earned plenty ofmoney, wonseveralchampionships,andearnedaplaceinboxinghistoryamongtheelitefighters.Evenhiscompany,GoldenBoy Promotions,wasthriving.Yet,boxingstillwasinDeLaHoya’s blood.Hewasnotreadytoletitgo,eventhoughhenowwas 33yearsold. The layoff did not affect De La Hoya, who was cheered loudlyattheMGMGrandashedominatedMayorgaintheir fight on May 6, 2006. De La Hoya stopped the Nicaraguan brawler in the sixth round to claim the WBC super welterweighttitleandputhimselfinapositiontoretireontop. Immediately after the fight, however,Floyd Mayweather Jr.issuedachallengetoDeLaHoya.“IfOscarwantstogoout on topbeing thebest, I believeon Sept. 16 we must meet,” Mayweather said in Tim Dahlberg’s AP story. “It’s about legacy.”Ittooksixmonthsforthetwosidestoreachanagreement.Insteadofretiringaschampion,DeLaHoyasignedto
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puthistitleonthelineagainstMayweatheronMay5,2007,at theMGMGrand. THE fINAL fIGHT?
AvictoryoverMayweather,widelyconsideredthebestpoundfor-pound fighter in the world, would have been a perfect endingtoDeLaHoya’sbrilliantcareer.Toensuretherewould benodistractions,DeLaHoyareplacedFloydMayweatherSr. withFreddieRoachashistrainerinlateJanuary.Eventhough the father and son Mayweathers were feuding, De La Hoya was not comfortable with the situation. “I really didn’t feel he[Mayweathersenior]wasgoingtobeaspassionateasI’m goingtobe,”DeLaHoyatoldreportersinaconferencecall fromPuertoRico. “Howishegoingtofeelwhenwe’reinthemiddleoftrain ing campand someofhis family memberscallhimand say, ‘Don’tdoit.’Idon’twant[any]distractions.Thisisthefight ofmylife.” Thehypeforthisbigfightexceededanyinrecentyears. HBOranarealityshowseriestitled“24/7.”DeLaHoyaand Mayweather also went on an 11-city tour to promote the event. “Thisisafightwheremaybeitcouldsolidifymylegacy,” De La Hoya said, when the tour reached New York City in February.“Iwanttoclosethatbookwithahappyending.” The talkative Mayweather, nicknamed the Pretty Boy, hardlyletDeLaHoyagetawordinonthetour.“I’mthetop dog inthesport,” hesaid.“Come May5,whenI touchyou, you’regoingtohurtfora week.Andbelieveme,I’llgiveyou somethingtocryabout.” Onceagain,thecrowdwaspro-DeLaHoya,ashebattled against boxing’slatest bad boy, Mayweather Jr. They roared witheverypunchDeLaHoyathrew.Thetwofightersbattled eachotherfor12rounds,neitherofthemgoingdownorseemingtogethurtbadly.DeLaHoyadeliveredmorepunches,but
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In one of boxing’s most hyped fights ever, Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated De La Hoya in a super welterweight showdown in May 2007. The undefeated Mayweather won a split decision over De La Hoya to take his WBC title.
Mayweather’sslipperydefensive tacticsallowedhimtomove outofharm’swayquiteabit.Inthefinalround,DeLaHoya gottheslugfesthewanted. The fight ended with the both boxers wildly trading punchesuntilthebellrang.Thenitwastimeforthejudges todecide.Onceagain,however,DeLaHoyawasonthelosingendofasplitdecision.Mayweatherclaimedthefightwas
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easyworkforhim,proclaimingthatDeLaHoyacouldnot “beatthebest.” Ironically,MayweatherSr.satringsidewatching thefight in seats provided for him by De La Hoya. He thought his sonhadlost,commentingthatDeLaHoyawonthefighton points,hadthrownmorepunches,andwasmoreaggressive. TheelderMayweathercomplimentedhisson’seffortsbutstill thoughtthatDeLaHoyafoughtwellenoughtowinthefight. Thistime,DeLaHoyadidnotarguewiththeslimmargin ofdefeat,tellingreporters,“Youjusthavetorespectthejudges atthispoint,”hesaid.“Idon’tfeellikealoser,becauseIcame todowhatIhadtodo.Now,asachampion,hehasabig responsibilitytoworkharderandmaintainthattitle.” Thefightsetarecordformosttelevisedbuys,surpass ing Mike Tyson’s second fight with Evander Holyfield and making it boxing’s richest event. A total of 2.15 million households paid $54.95 to watch the fight, which generated revenue of $120 million. The previous record set by Tyson-Holyfieldwas1.99millionbuys.TheAssociatedPress reported De La Hoya earned $45 million and Mayweather mademorethan$20million. Thoughhisrecordfellto38-5,DeLaHoyaprovedhewas stillboxing’sbiggestdraw. Wouldhefightagain?“I’mgoingtobeverysmartabout thesituation,”DeLaHoyasaid.“Iwillgohomeandwatchthe fightandseehowmymovementswere,howmybodyreacted, and analyze the situation. I’ll wait and see. I’ll analyze the wholethingandthinkaboutit.”Evenifheneversteppedinto aringagain,DeLaHoyawascertaintoberememberedasone ofthegreatestchampionsinboxinghistory.
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10 Family Man Fame and celebrit had brought Oscar De La Hoa something thathehadneverexpectedwhenhewasayoungkidrunning awayfromfightsandconflicts:areputationasaladies’man. Becauseofhisgoodlooksandrisingcareerasaboxer,DeLa Hoyafoundoutthatitwaseasytohavewomentrailinghim everywherehewent.Ateveryfightandpubliceventfeaturing DeLaHoya,womencouldbefoundscramblingforhisautograph,throwinghimtheirphonenumbers,andeventrying tokisshim.Heshruggedoffmostoftheattention,buthedid getintoseveralbriefrelationshipsthathaveonlycemented hisreputationasaladiesman. Between 1998 and 1999, De La Hoya had at least three children,whomheacknowledgedashisown.Theirmothers wereactressShannaMoakler,showgirlAngelicqueMcQueen, andawomanwhohaskeptheridentityunknowntothepublic 94
Famil Man
Oscar and wife, Millie Corretjer (right) , were married in 2001. Corretjer hosted a television show in Puerto Rico as a teenager and has released several albums. Her soft, angelic singing voice has made her a well-known performer in Puerto Rico.
toprotectherprivacy.Therewasanothercase,inwhichDe LaHoyawasaccusedofassaultingawoman,butthecasewas settledoutofcourt.Also,DeLaHoyahadbeenengagedbriefly to another young woman, though the relationship ended ratherquickly. (continues on page 98 )
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OSCAR DE LA HOYA’S LEGACY
A TRUE CHAMPION? Oscar De La Hoa will long be remembered for his man contributions to the people and neighborhoods of Los Angeles, especiall in the Eastside. The foundations he has established will create jobs, and new businesses and opportunities, which, it is hoped, will revitalize entire neighborhoods. The health facilities, schools, and learning centers that he sponsors offer oung people the prospect of better futures for themselves and their families. De La Hoa has cemented his legac as someone who cares for others and is willing to work on their behalf. yet, what of De La Hoa’s legac as a boxer ? How will future generations of fight fans judge his performance in the ring against the boxing greats of all-time? The list of De La Hoa’s accomplishments in the ring is nothing short of amazing. Working his wa through the amateur ranks, De La Hoa amassed a stunning record of 223 wins (163 b knockout) and onl five losses. He capped off that career with a gold medal victor in the 1992 Olmpics in Barcelona, Spain. Even before the big win in Barcelona, De La Hoa, in 1990, had captured gold medals in the U.S. National Championships, the Goodwill Games, and in the U.S. Olmpic Cup. After he turned pro in 1992, De La Hoa won six professional titles in six different weight divisions: super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight. In 1995, he was selected Ring Magazine ’s Fighter of the year. Ring Magazine , the “bible” of the fight world, honored De La Hoa two ears
later b selecting him as the best “Pound for Pound” boxer in the world. His professional record stands at a brilliant 38 wins (30 b knockout) and onl five losses. yet, aside from the numbers, De La Hoa had alwas gone up against the best fighters of his generation in the 135-pound to 160pound classes. The list of opponents is impressive and includes Rafael Ruelas, Juan Molina, Felix Trinidad, Genaro Hernandez, Shane Mosle, and Flod Maweather Jr., among man others. Few fighters in the
Famil Man
histor of boxing have faced a list of foes with such depth and range of competition. Some critics, however, have slammed De La Hoa for a number of reasons. First, the claim, he was not the best fighter of his generation because he lost almost as man “big” fights as he won. De La Hoa is also criticized for not being the best-conditioned fighter in boxing because he often got tired in the latter stages of his bouts. Another criticism claims that he relied too heavil on his devastating left hand, suggesting that he was not a “complete” fighter. yet, as yahoo! boxing writer Kevin Iole pointed out in Ma 2007, prior to De La Hoa’s battle against Maweather, “He [De La Hoa] unquestionabl is the single most important figure in the fight game of the last 15 ears.”* Because of his popularit and his abilit to generate millions and millions of dollars in the ring, “De La Hoa is the game’s largest draw and has the abilit to dictate who he fights, where he fights and when he fights,”** Iole added. As he entered the later stages of his career, De La Hoa could simpl have chosen to fight eas opponents, running up his won-lost record and making millions of more dollars b knocking out mediocre foes. yet, he chose not to—a testament to his integrit and good character. In fact, De La Hoa fought Maweather in 2007, when that ounger opponent was at the peak of his abilit, and De La Hoa was clearl not in his prime. This willingness to fight anone and remain aggressive in the ring are trademarks of enduring champions. De La Hoa remained at the top of his game for more than 10 ears, far longer than most boxers do. During that time, he had been a goodwill ambassador for the sport, alwas in the role of gentleman, alwas accessible to his fans and the media, and alwas willing to take on the best there was. As Sportstar Weekl! commented in Jul 2007, “De La Hoa will leave a positive legac as a fighter and for this he must be saluted.”*** * Kv iol. “O’ Lgy.” Yoo sot! avlbl ol t tt:// ot.yoo.om/box/w?lug=ko050507&ov=yoo&ty=lg ** ibd. *** “D L hoy: Wt nxt?” sott Wkly! avlbl ol t tt:// www.duot.om/t/t3029/to/20070721503402400.tm.
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(continued from page 95 ) In 2001, however, it seemed that the Golden Boy had settled down.Whilehe was recording his album, Oscar , he met Millie Corretjer, a singer from Puerto Rico who had severalalbumsofherown.MilliehadbeenasingingsensationasayoungwomanandreceivedarecorddealwithEMI Latinattheageof18.Sincethattime,forthelastnineyears, shehadbeenrecordingsongsandalbums.Shewasbeautiful,andDeLaHoyaandhisproducerswantedhertostarin oneofhisvideosfromthealbum.Sheagreed,andtherestis history.In2001,thecouplemarried.Corretjerwas27and DeLaHoyawas28. InaninterviewwithParade Magazine ,DeLaHoyarecalled thatMillieCorretjerwasnotreallyawarewhohewaswhen theymet.Infact,sheknewverylittleaboutAmericanboxing. “She didn’t like the sport and didn’t even know who I was whenwe met,”he said.“But, gradually,she became mybiggestfan.”54 The wedding took place in Puerto Rico. The bride and groomwantedtoensuretheirprivacy,sotheweddingwaskept assecretaspossible,andnomediawerepermittedtobepresent.SomeSpanishpapersreportedthatthebrideandgroom wereevencoveredbyalargesheettopreventphotographers fromsnappingphotosofthecouple. ThecoupleownsahomeinLosAngeles,buttheyspenda lotoftimeinPuertoRico,wheretheyalsoownalargehome. In2005,Milliegavebirthtotheirson,OscarGabrielDeLa Hoya.OnehourafterDeLaHoyalostthemuch-toutedfight toFloydMayweatherJr.in2007,Milliehelpedlightentheburdenhefeltbyrevealingtohimthatshewaspregnantwiththeir secondchild.“Ithinktonightisagoodnighttotellhim,”she saidtoareporterfromthe Los Angeles Times. “Hehasalotto lookforwardtonow.”55 She also revealed that she hopes De La Hoya will consider retiring from boxing. It is not certain whether he will ornot,butonethingissure.Betweenhisbusinessendeavors, charity work, and growing family, the Golden Boy will have
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De La Hoya was honored by his hometown when the city proclaimed October 3, 2002, “Oscar De La Hoya Day” in Los Angeles. His brother, Joel Jr. (far left) and promoter Bob Arum (far right) join Oscar in the celebration.
alottokeephimbusy.Mostrecently,DeLaHoya’ssideas a“familyman”hasbeendeveloping.In2006,heco-authored a children’s book, entitled Super Oscar , based on his own childhoodmemories.Thebookwasreleasedinabilingualedition,SpanishandEnglish,toappealtoawidermarket.Hehad alsobeenpursuingbusinessdeals,manyaimedathelpingto boosttheLatin-Americancommunity. ThelongroadfromhisEastL.A.barriotothepinnacle ofsuccessasaworldchampionprofessionalboxerhasbeena longandoftendifficultjourneyforOscarDeLaHoya.Without question,however,isthegreatlegacyheleavesbehindasone ofthesport’smosttalentedandsuccessfulgiants.
Chronolog 1973
OscarDeLaHoya,thesecondsonofJoelSr.and CeciliaDeLaHoya,isborninEastLosAngeleson February4.
1979
BeginstrainingattheEastsideBoxingClub.
1990
WinsthegoldmedalintheU.S.National Championships.
1992
WinstheOlympicgoldmedalinBarcelona,Spain.
1992
Endshisamateurcareerwitharecordof223wins, 163byknockout,andfivelosses.
1992
Makeshisprofessionaldebutasaboxer;winsfour titlesinfourseparateweightdivisions.
1995
Named“FighteroftheYear”by Ring Magazine.
1996
DeLaHoyaaccusedofassaultingawoman,with whomhelatermakesasettlementandavoidsatrial.
1973 O D L hoy bo o Fbuy 4 et Lo agl
1992 W t gold mdl umm Olym Blo, s; mk ofol boxg dbut
1999 Lo bout to Flx Tdd d “sug” s Moly
1973
1999
1995 nmd “Fgt of t Y” by Ring Magazine
1990 W t gold t U.s. ntol cmo
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Chronolog 101 1997
Namedbest“Pound-for-Pound”fighterby Ring Magazine .
1998
Son,Jacob,isbornonFebruary18;mother’s identityisunknown. Son,Devon,isbornonNovember30;motheris AngelicqueMcQueen.
1999
Daughter,AtianaCecilia,isbornonMarch29; motherisShannaMoakler.
1999
LosestoFelixTrinidadand“Sugar”ShaneMosley.
2000
ReleasesamusicalbumofSpanishsongs, Oscar De La Hoya; albumisnominatedforaGrammyAward.
2001
MarriessingerMillieCorretjerofPuertoRico.
2002
Fights“Ferocious”FernandoVargas,hisnemesis, anddefeatshimbyknockout.
2000 rl mu lbum of s og, ttld Oscar De La Hoya
2004 Bom ft box toy to w wold ttl x dfft wgt dvo
2000
2007
2001 M g Mll cotj of puto ro
2007 Lo mu-toutd d gly ublzd fgt gt Floyd Mywt J.
102 Chronolog 2003
LosestheworldtitletoShaneMosley.
2004
WinsfightagainstFelixSturmforworld middleweighttitleandbecomesfirstboxerin historytowinworldtitlesinsixdifferentweight divisions. Hostsandstarsin The Next Great Champ ,areality TVshowaboutboxing,ontheFoxNetwork.
2005
DeLaHoyaandCorretjer’sson,OscarGabriel,is bornonDecember29.
2007
Losesamuch-toutedandhighlypublicizedfight againstFloydMayweatherJr.
Notes Chapter 1 1Tim imK Kaw awak akam ami, i, Golden Boy (KansasCity:AndrewsMcMeel Publishing,1999),57. 2 Ib Ibid. 3Ib Ibid id..,5 599. 4Ib Ibid id..,6 600.
33Ibid.,123 33Ibid., 123–12 –124. 4. 34Ibid., 34Ibid .,140 140.. 35Ibid., 35Ibid .,144 144.. 36Ibid., 36Ibid .,155 155.. Chapter 6 37Ibid., 37Ibid .,170 170.. 38Ibid., 38Ibid .,179 179.. 39Ibid., 39Ibid .,180 180.. 40Ibid., 40Ibid .,182 182.. 41Ibid., 41Ibid .,224 224.. 42Ibid., 42Ibid .,226 226.. 43Ibid., 43Ibid .,242 242.. 44Ibid., 44Ibid .,246 246.. 45Ibi 45 Ibid. d. 46Ibid., 46Ibid .,260 260..
Chapter 2 5Ib Ibid id..,1 199. 6.Ib 6. Ibid id., .,1 18. 8. 7Ib Ibid id..,2 244. 8“OscarD 8“Osc arDeLa eLaHo Hoya. ya.”Lati Latino no SportsLegends.Available onlineathttp://www. latinosportslegends.com/ Delahoya_Oscar_bio.htm. 9Kaawa 9K wak kam ami, i,2 27. 7. 10Ibid 10 Ibid., .,29 29..
Chapter 7 47Ibid., 47Ibid .,267 267.. 48Ibid., 48Ibid .,274 274.. 49Ibid., 49Ibid .,288 288.. 50Ibid., 50Ibid .,294 294–29 –295. 5. 51Ibid., 51Ibid .,300 300.. 52Ibid., 52Ibid .,308 308..
Chapter 3 11Ibid 11 Ibid., .,31 31.. 12Ibid 12 Ibid., .,35 35.. 13Ibid 13 Ibid., .,38 38.. 14Ibid 14 Ibid., .,42 42.. 15Ibid 15 Ibid., .,39 39.. 16Ibi 16 Ibid. d. 17Ibid 17 Ibid., .,62 62.. 18Ibid., 18Ibid .,63– 63–64. 64. 19Ibid 19 Ibid., .,74 74.. 20Ibid 20 Ibid., .,76 76.. 21Ibid 21 Ibid., .,80 80.. 22Ibid 22 Ibid., .,65 65..
Chapter 8 53Jav 53 Javie ierr Perez.“OscarDeLa Hoyavs.FelixTrinidad:A FightFrozenInTime.”East SideBoxing.Availableonlineat http://www.eastsideboxing.com/ news.php?p=7543&more=1. Chapter 10 54JamesBrady 54JamesBra dy..“InSt “InStepwithOsca epwithOscar r DeLaHoya.”Parade.Available onlineathttp://www.parade. com/articles/editions/2007/ edition_04-22-2007/In_Step_ With…Oscar_de_la_Hoya. 55SaraHammel. 55SaraHamme l.“Osc “OscarDeLa arDeLa HoyatoBeaFather—Again.” PeopleMagazineOnline. Availableonlineathttp:// www.people.com/people/ article/0,,20038039,00.html.
Chapter 4 23Ibid., 23Ibid .,102 102.. 24Ibid., 24Ibid .,105 105.. 25Ibid., 25Ibid .,106 106.. 26Ibid., 26Ibid .,107 107.. 27Ibid., 27Ibid .,113 113.. 28Ibid., 28Ibid .,113 113–11 –114. 4. Chapter 5 29Ibid., 29Ibid .,116 116.. 30Ibid., 30Ibid .,120 120.. 31Ibid., 31Ibid .,123 123.. 32Ibi 32 Ibid. d.
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Bibliograph BOOKs
Kawakami,Tim. Golden Boy: The Fame, Money and Mystery of Oscar De La Hoya.KansasCity:AndrewsMcMeelPublishing,1999. WeB siTes
“BeyondtheGlory :OscarDeLaHoya. “BeyondtheGlory:OscarDe LaHoya.””FoxSports.com. FoxSports.com.A Available vailable online. http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/976614. Brady,James.“InStepwithOscarDeLaHoya.”Parade.Available online.http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_0422-2007/In_Step_With...Oscar_de_la_Ho 22-2007/In_Step_W ith...Oscar_de_la_Hoya. ya. “DeLaHoya,BattlingBusinessman.”BusinessWeek.Availableonline. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_32/b3946102.htm. “DeLaHoya:WhatNext?”SportstarWeekly!Availableonline. http:// www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss3029/stories/20070721503402400.htm. “GenaroHernadez.”Wikipedia.Availableonline. http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Genaro_Hernandez. Graham,Tim.“DeLaHoyaShouldHaveHisWayvs.Vargas.”ESPN Boxing.Availableonline. http://espn.go.com/boxing/columns/graham_tim/1429503.html. Gregg,John.“TooMuchOscarforCastillejo.”TheBoxingTimes. Availableonline. http://www.boxingtimes.com/analyses/2001/ 010623delahoya_castillejo.html. Gregg,John.“DeLaHoyaGetsVeryLuckyWithSturm.”TheBoxing Times.Availableonline. http://www.boxingtimes.com/analyses/2004/ 040605delahoya_sturm.html. Hammel,Sara.“OscarDeLaHoyatoBeaFather—Again. Hammel,Sara.“OscarDeLaHoyatoBe aFather—Again.””People MagazineOnline.Availableonline.http://www.people.com/people/ article/0,,20038039,00.html. Iole,Kevin.“MosleyMake Iole,Kevin. “MosleyMakesHisMark:UnderdogWins sHisMark:UnderdogWinsin inSplit Split DecisionOverDeLaHoya.”LasVegas-ReviewJournal.Available online. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2000/Jun-18-Sun2000/sports/13798263.html. Iole,Kevin.“Oscar’sLegacy.”YahooSports!Availableonline. http://sports. yahoo. yah oo.com/ com/bo box/ne x/news?s ws?slug= lug=kio kioscar0 scar05050 50507&pr 7&prov=y ov=yhoo& hoo&type=l type=lgns. gns. Iole,Kevin.“LossSpursTalkAboutRetirement.”LasVegas-Review Journal.Availableonline. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_ home/2000/Jun-18-Sun-2000/sports/13801442.html.
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Bibliograph 105 “LamarWilliams.”BoxRec.Availableonline. http://www.boxrec.com/ boxer_display.php?boxer_id=049213. “NewCancerCenterProvidesImportantServicestotheCommunity. “NewCancerCenterProvidesImportantServ icestotheCommunity.” WhiteMemorialHospitalPressRelease. WhiteMe morialHospitalPressRelease.A Availableonline. vailableonline.http:// www.whitememorial.com/content/news/2000/040500_cancer.asp. Ortiz,Nelson.“OscarDeLaHoyaMarriesSingerMillieCorretjerin PuertoRico.”LatinoSportsLegends.Availableonline. http://www. latinosportslegends.com/2001/Delahoya_weds_Millie_Corretjer_in_ P.R.-100701.htm. “OscarDeLa Hoya.”HispanicHeritage.GaleResources. “OscarDeLaHoya. HispanicHeritage.GaleResources.A Available vailable online. http://www.gale.com/free_resources/chh/bio/delahoya_o.htm. “OscarDeLaHoya.”BusinessWeekMagazine.Availableonline.http:// www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_32/b3946102.htm. “OscarDeLaHoya.”Wikipedia.Availableonline. http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Oscar_de_la_Hoya. “OscarDeLa Hoya.”Latino “OscarDeLaHoya. LatinoSportsLegends.A SportsLegends.Availableonline. vailableonline. http://www.latinosportslegends.com/Delahoya_Oscar_bio.htm. “OscarDe “ OscarDeLaHoyaStepsintoNewRing. LaHoyaStepsintoNewRing.””Cnn.com.A Cnn.com.Availableonline. vailableonline. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0012/16/smn.09.html. “OscarDeLaHoya.”Answers.com.Availableonline.http://www. answers.com/topic/oscar-de-la-ho answers.com/t opic/oscar-de-la-hoya?cat=entertainment. ya?cat=entertainment. Perez,Javier..“OscarDeLa Perez,Javier “OscarDeLaHoyavs. Hoyavs.FelixT FelixTrinidad:AFight rinidad:AFightFroz FrozenIn enIn Time.”EastSideBoxing.Availableonline. http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=7543&more=1. Sugar,Bert.“DeLaHoya-VargasPost-FightAnalysis.”HBOBoxing. Availableonline. http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/2002/0914_ delahoya_vargas/columns/index.html. U.S.CensusQuickFacts.Availableonline. U.S.CensusQuickFacts.A vailableonline.http://quickfacts.census.gov/ qfd/states/06/06037.html. Winton,Richard.“L.A. Winton,Richard. “L.A.HomeT HomeTurf urfforHundredsofNeighborhood forHundredsofNeighborhood CriminalGroups.”Time.com.Availableonline.http://www.lacp. org/2005-Articles-Main/LAGangsInNeighborhoods.html.
Further Reading Saraceno,Jon. 12 Rounds With Oscar De La Hoya: An Illustrated Tribute to Boxing’s Brightest Star. NewYork:BeckettPublishers, 1998. Torres,JohnAlbert. Sports Great Oscar De La Hoya .Berkeley Heights,NJ:EnslowPublishers,1999.
WeB siTes am Fmly, Jouy of Dm: et La: pt d pt. pBs http://www.pbs.org/americanfamily/eastla.html couty of Lo agl publ Lby: et L.a: commuty htoy http://www.colapublib.org/history/eastla/ Gold Boy pomoto http://www.goldenboypromotions.com/ Msn et eylod: Boxg http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761571782_1/Boxing.html
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Picture Credits page: 7: 9: 13: 15: 28: 31: 38: 41: 47: 51: 57:
AndrewD.Bernstein/GettyImages MattCampbell/AFP/GettyImages RobertNickelserg/GettyImages MichaelOchsArchives/GettyImages GettyImages APPhoto/MarkDuncan APPhoto/KevorkDjansezian GettyImages HollyStein/ALLSPORT GettyImages SteveGrayson/PGA
60: 66: 71: 75: 81: 89: 92: 95: 99:
JohnGurzinski/AFP/Getty JohnGurzinski/AFP/Getty HectorMata/AFP/GettyImages JedJacobsohn/Allsport VinceBucci/AFP/GettyImages APPhoto/LauraRauch GabrielBouys/AFP/GettyImages APPhoto/DamianDovarganes APPhoto/ReedSaxon
cover:©SteveMarcus/Reuters/Landov
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Index a accomplishments, summaryof,96–97 albums,78 Alcazar,Robert Concepcionfight and,45,46 relationshipwith, 87 Riverafightand,68 Ruelasfightand, 54–55 Whitakerfightand, 62,64 Alexander,Paris,39 AmericaWestArena, 38 Arum,Bob onalbumrecording, 79 Chavezfightand,58 golfand,61 Hicksfightand,38 Mittlemanand Nelsonfiringsand, 45 Ruelasfightand,52 Stewardfiringand, 68 Williamsfightand, 35 assaultcase,95 Avelar,Frank,42 Avila,John,52 awards,96–97 B
BadBlood,84 BarcelonaOlympics boxingin,27–30 asgoal,10,23–24 preparationfor, 26–27 winninggoldmedal at,30,31,96 Beyrooty,John,34 bodyguard,54
books,99 Bowe,Riddick,35 boxing beginningto,18–20 DeLaHoyafamily and,14–16 EastL.A.and,14 JoelSr.and,22–23 overviewof,24–25 talentfor,21–22 breachofcontract, 45–46 Bredahl,Jimmy,44–45, 46–48 Broughton,Jack,24 c
Caesar’sPalace,55–56, 58–59 Camacho,Hector “Macho”,66,67 Campanella,Giorgio, 48,49–50 Campas,YoryBoy,85 cancer,6–11,26,37 caraccident,65 Carbajal,Michael, 38–39 Carr,Oba,70–72 Carter,Renaldo,42 Castillejo,Javier,80,82 CeciliaGonzalesDeLa HoyaCancerCenter, 37 Charpentier,Patrick, 68 Chavez,JulioCesar,49, 56–59,60,66,68–69 children,67,94–95, 98 Clancy,Bill,70,76 Clancy,Gil,68 Coley,Derrell,76–77 Commonwealth Games,24 Concepcion,Jose Vidal,45
108
Corretjer,Millie(wife), 95,98 corruption,Olympic scoringand,27–28, 29 cross,defined,25 cystinleg,40 D
DeLaHoyaAnimo CharterHighSchool, 37 DeLaHoya,Ceci (sister),8,16 DeLaHoya,Cecilia (mother) cancerand,6–11 deathof,26 aspeacemaker,23 supportfrom,16 DeLaHoya Foundation,36 DeLaHoya,JoelJr. (brother),6,16,17 DeLaHoya,JoelSr. (father) asboxer,6,16 hospitalbillsand, 10 newtrainersand, 45–46 relationshipwith, 22–23 DeLaHoya,Oscar Gabriel(son),98 DeLaHoya,Vincente (grandfather),14–16, 17 DeLaHoyaYouth Center,37 Denkin,Marty,35 Dorsey,Troy,42 DuelintheDesert,39 Duran,Roberto,40 Durango,Mexico,15 Duva,Lou,53 Dylan,Bob,15
Index 109
e
EastL.A. Hispanicheritage in,18 overviewof,12–14 relationshipwith, 36–38,96–97,99 EastsideBoxingClub, 19–20,21 education,13,25–26 endorsements,63 Escalante,Jaime,25–26
GrammyAwards, 78–79 GreatWesternForum, 34–35 GreenDot,37 Griffith,Carl,52 h
Fightofthe Millennium,74 foodstamps,17 Foreman,George,42 Forrest,Vernon,85 Frazier,Joe,83 FreewillGames,22 FriendlyHillsCountry Club,61
HBOtelevision,42, 44–45,46 Hearns,Thomas,66 Hernandez,Genaro, 33–34,55–56 Hernandez,Mike,46, 54,57,61 Hicks,Cliff,38–39 HollywoodPalladium, 39 Holyfield,Evander,63, 66,68,93 hook,defined,25 Hopkins,Bernard,75, 86–87,88–90
G
i
gangs,EastL.A.and, 12–14 GarfieldHighSchool, 25–26 Gatti,Arturo,80 GoldenBoynickname, 30,34 GoldenBoy Promotions,90 GoldenGloves Tournaments,22,25 golf,57,59,61 GonzalesDeLaHoya CancerCenter,37 Gonzalez,Cecilia (mother).See De LaHoya,Cecilia (mother) Gonzalez,Miguel Angel,59–60,62 GoodwillGames,8,25 Grable,Mike,40–41
InternationalBoxing Federation(IBF),39, 42,55 Islas,Arturo,46
F
J
jab,defined,25 Jordan,Michael,63 JuniorOlympics, 24–25 K
Kamau,David,64–66 King,Don,68,75 L
left-handedness,19,64, 82,97 Leija,JesseJames,58 Lewis,Lennox,66 LosAngeles,CA. See EastL.A.
LosAngelesForum, 48–49 M
MadisonSquare Garden,58,76–77 MandalayBayHotel, 73,84 Maravillagangs,14 marketing,35, 38–39 Mayorga,Ricardo, 90 Mayweather,FloydJr., 90–93,98 Mayweather,FloydSr., 80,82,91,93 Mayweather,Jeff, 40–41 McQueen,Angelicque, 94 Mercedes-Benz accident,65 MexicanIndependence Dayparade,36,58 MexicanMafia,14 MGMGrand,80,86, 91 Microsoft,37 Minjarez,Joe,19,21, 22 Mittleman,Robert,32, 33–34,44–46 Moakler,Shanna,94 Molina,JohnJohn,42, 52–53 money boxingand,24 earningstotals,63, 93 hospitalbillsand, 10 Moorer,Michael,68 Morrison,Tommy,42 Mosley,Shane,56, 77–79,81,85 music,78–79,98
110 Index
n
Nava,Manuel,22 NBC,30–31 Nelson,Steve,32–34, 40,44–46 nickname,30,34 Norris,Terry,67 Nuñez,Angelo,42 O
Odion,Moses,27 OlympicAuditorium, 47,52 Olympics(Barcelona) boxingin,27–30 asgoal,10,23–24 preparationfor, 26–27 winninggoldmedal at,30,31,96 Ortiz,Carlos,45 Oscar De La Hoya (album),78–79 OscarDeLaHoya AnimoCharterHigh School,37 OscarDeLaHoya Foundation,36 p
Paez,Jorge,48,50–52 Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid ,15 Peralta,Veronica,43, 59 Pineda,Hugo,72 poverty,13,17 punches,overviewof, 24 Purvis,Eric,54
Q
Tontchev,Tontcho, Quartey,Ike,68,69–70, 27–29 71 Tostado,MariaElena, 26 r Trinidad,Felix,67,68, records,7 69,70,73–76 Reid,David,77 turfwars,14 Rivera,Wilfredo,67–68 Tyson,Darryl,58 Rivero,Jesus,55,58, Tyson,Mike,93 62,64,86–87 U Roach,Freddie,87,91 Rudolph,Marco,29,31 unemployment,East Ruelas,Rafael,52, L.A.and,13 54–55 uppercut,defined, 25 s
schools,37 scoring,27–29,34,78, 85 Sik,HongSung,29 Silva,Adilson,27,28 Sinatra,Frank,78,88 singing,78 Stand and Deliver , 25–26 StaplesCenter,77 Steward,Emanuel,64, 66–67,68 Strong,Curtis,39–40 Sturm,Felix,87–88 SunBowl,68 Super Oscar (DeLa Hoya),99 T
television,30–31,42, 44–45 ThomasandMack Center,64,67,70 tomatoincident,36,58
V
Valenzuela,Narciso, 43,44 Vargas,Fernando, 83–85 violence,9,12–14 W
Whitaker,Pernell “SweetPea”,59,62, 63–64 Williams,Lamar, 34–35,38 WorldBoxing Association(WBA), 33–34 WorldBoxingCouncil (WBC),58 WorldBoxing Organization(WBO), 44,47,50 Wright,Winky,75
