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Birth and Start of His Career
Boxer Oscar De La Hoya, also known as "The Golden Boy," was born in Los Angeles, California on February 4, 1973. He started boxing at the age of 6. -
First Championship
On November 23, 1992, De La Hoya made his professional debut by scoring a first round TKO victory. In his twelfth professional fight, he won his first world title at age 20, stopping Jimmy Bredahl in the tenth round to win the WBO Super Featherweight title.] He defended the title once, stopping Giorgio Campanella in three rounds. -
Doubts
Despite De La Hoya's status as the 'Golden Boy' of boxing, some critics thought he had simply not faced enough quality opponents. A majority of these doubts were erased in June 1996, when De La Hoya faced his biggest challenge to date in Julio Cesar Chavez. Oscar beat him with a blow to the head busting open his eyebrow. -
Moving Up the Ladder
In January 1997, De La Hoya successfully defended his junior welterweight title. Moving up to the 147-pound weight class, he won the WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas in April of that year, beating the reigning champion and 1984 Olympic gold medalist Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whittaker -
Disppoitment
De La Hoya's reign as welterweight champion would continue until September 18, 1999, when he faced the hard-hitting Felix Trinidad.Trinidad handed De La Hoya his fist loss ever in a 12-round unanimous decision for the WBC welterweight title. -
Taking Time Off
A second loss in 2000 to Sugar Shane Mosely prompted De La Hoya to take some time off from boxing. -
Back and Ready
De La Hoya returned to the ring in March 2001, beating Arturo Gatti in the fifth round of his first fight after his return. On June 23 of that year, De La Hoya defeated Javier Castillejo of Spain, the reigning WBC super welterweight -
Family
After loosing again ,De La Hoya took time away from the ring and focused on other aspects of his life. Married to singer Millie Corretjer in 2001, De La Hoya and his wife welcomed their first child in December 2005. -
Knock Out
De La Hoya took a layoff of 20 months before signing to fight WBC Light Middleweight Champion Ricardo Mayorga.Mayorga insulted everything from De La Hoya's sexuality to his wife and child,but when they fought on May 6, 2006, De La Hoya knocked Mayorga down in the first minute of the fight with a left hook. He knocked him out in the sixth round to take his tenth world title. -
Last Fight
De La Hoya faced Manny Pacquiao on December 6, 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. De La Hoya took a beating loosing the match on a tko in the tenth round.. -
Retirement
De La Hoya expanded his business.He announced a new real estate venture called Golden Boy Partners, which will build retail, commercial, and residential developments in urban Latino communities.De La Hoya retired from boxing on April 14, 2009.
