#NoMatterWhat: Oscar De La Hoya - one of professional boxing's best-ever careers

Oscar De La Hoya broke records throughout his boxing career – both amateur and professional

The name Oscar De La Hoya is synonymous with professional boxing in the world. For someone who revolutionised the sport of pro-boxing, De La Hoya continues to be a role model for new professional pugilists, even after hanging up his gloves 6 years ago.

‘The Golden Boy’ shot to fame at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, when he claimed the gold medal in boxing, at the very young age of 19. Raised in a family of boxers, De La Hoya naturally adapted himself to the sport he grew up watching.

In his decorated career spanning 17 years, the American turned out to be the most popular boxer in the world in his prime. Born as a first generation American, Oscar started boxing as early as age 6, with the support of his family, who migrated from Mexico.

Growing up in the LA county region, the 42-year old idolised the legendary American boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, who himself achieved fame after the 1976 Olympics, before his successful stint in professional boxing. Leonard, at that point of time was the first boxer to win titles in five different categories in professional boxing.

Oscar bettered his idol’s record when he went on to defeat 17 former World champions and won ten different titles in six different weight categories. His first success however, came when he was just 15 years old, in the National Junior Championships.

In the Goodwill Games played in 1990 in Seattle, Oscar became the youngest US player to win a gold medal. But Oscar’s celebration was short-lived, as his terminally ill mother died soon after, hoping that her son would one day win an Olympic gold.

The American was determined to fulfil his mother’s wish and trained extremely hard thereafter. He went on to win the US Amateur Boxing tournament, and was subsequently named Boxer of the year. His determination and intense training paid off when he claimed the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Soon after, Oscar turned professional, and thus began his incredible journey in pro-boxing. Having little experience at the topmost level, Oscar scored his first win in his debut pro-boxing match against Lamar Williams with a knockout.

It took him less than two years from there on to claim his first professional title, The Junior Lightweight Championship in 1994. That victory was the beginning of an incredible era in world professional boxing. Oscar played a vital role in popularising the game in his country and abroad.

His defining moment in the sport came in 1996, when he had to face his biggest challenge, Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez. Oscar extracted sweet revenge from Chavez, who had knocked him out during his amateur career, with an epic win, to stun the crowd.

That win against Chavez propelled Oscar to even greater heights among active professional boxers worldwide. Towards the end of his career, he was also part of great bouts against both Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, going down on both occasions in fights that were memorable.

Out of the 45 total fights Oscar was involved in, he achieved victory in 39 of them, including a whopping 30 wins by Knockout.

His entire career is very memorable and he is rightly thought of as one of the all-time greats in the sport of boxing, with his success in both amateur and professional boxing used as an example to young, upcoming boxers as the benchmark they need to achieve.

What makes his achievements even more stupendous is the fact that he fought in so many different weight categories, showing that he was not afraid of going out of his comfort zone to achieve what he wanted. It also showcased his ability to adapt himself to different situations and how he was able to train his body to fulfill the requirements of different weight categories.

His dedication and intent to reach the top was great, and he ensured that he follwed through on all his talent. Besides his impressive record in the ring, the hugely popular American earned respect from all quarters due to his active involvement in community services.

For such a gigantic figure in world sports, De La Hoya continues to be an inspiration for young pugilists all over the world, and hopes to groom at least one future World Champion.