oscar de la hoya

AS and A Level Physical Education (Sport & Coaching)

Born in East Los Angeles on February 4, 1973 to Mexican immigrant parents Oscar De La Hoya was known as “The Golden Boy” with his surprising gold medal win in the 1992 Olympic Games.

He started boxing at the young age of 6 with his brother and cousins. He recalled My brother put a pair of boxing gloves on me and the other pair on one of my cousins” his father Joel Sr., worked as a warehouse clerk for a heating and cooling company and his mother, Cecilia was a seamstress. De La Hoya also had a sister named Cecilia. Young de la Hoya began winning his frist competitions at the age of 11 and started winning money at age12. De la Hoya’s family was poor while he was growing up but soon became rich at a young age he ended his amateur boxing career with an outstanding record 223-5 with 163 knockouts.

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His first professional mach was on November 23, 1992 against Lamer Williams which ended in a first round knock out. De La Hoya built his career not just on his professional accomplishments, but also on his popularity with the media. His good looks, rags-to-riches life story, and charming personality made him one of the public's best known and most liked boxers.” I want to make history," he told Sport magazine, "I want to win seven world championships in seven different weight classes from 130 pounds to 168 pounds." However, De La Hoya's success has not made him popular with some members of the Hispanic community. In 1996 De La Hoya beat the famous Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, his boyhood boxing idol, in a bloody battle for the World Boxing Council super lightweight title. A few Hispanics were disenchanted by the Golden Boy's beating of there hero. In addition he was labeled a sellout.

Oscar ruled the welterweight division until he fought and lost to Felix Trinidad in 1988 in a 12 round WBC title match. He later fought and lost to Sugar Shane Mosely which made him rethink his desire to continue boxing so he took time off to take a stab at a musical career. His first album topped Billboards Latin Dance charts for several weeks.

De La Hoya has plans to continue fighting in a lower weight class of 154 or 147 pounds. Despite a few losses he continues to be on top of the welterweight division and is regarded as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.

AWARDS

U.S. National Junior Champion, 1988; 125-pound champion, Golden Gloves competition, 1989; gold medalist, U.S. Olympic Cup, 1990; gold medalist, Goodwill Games, 1990; gold medalist, U.S. National Championships, 1990; gold medalist, USA vs. Olympic Festival, 1991; gold medalist, USA vs. Boxing National Champions, 1991; gold medalist, USA vs. Bulgaria, 1992; gold medalist, USA vs. Hungary, 1992; gold medalist, World Challenge, 1992; gold medalist, Olympic Games, 1992; Junior Lightweight Title and later Lightweight Title, World Boxing Organization, 1994; Lightweight Title, International Boxing Federation, 1995; Super Lightweight Title, World Boxing Council, 1996; Welterweight Title, World Boxing Council, 1997; Junior Middleweight Title, World Boxing Council, 2001; Grammy nomination for Oscar De La Hoya, 2001.