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It was 2007 when photos of Oscar De La Hoya clad in fishnet lingerie went viral. And after repeatedly denying the veracity of said images, “The Golden Boy” finally admitted their authenticity four years later.
De La Hoya recently appeared on The MMA Hour and spoke candidly about the photos, how he fabricated a story to deny it all, and how it all spilled over into his career and personal life.
Oscar De La Hoya explains how he initially handled leaked photos
In his conversation with Ariel Helwani, Oscar De La Hoya candidly admitted to having “no recollection” of the incident because he was “drugged up” and “drinking.”
According to him, all he remembered was having “three girls” around him. One of them, he says, leaked the photos and went into hiding in Costa Rica. He also revealed the lengths he went to in terms of damage control.
“I have a whole machine behind me. I’m in the peak of my career, right? And we’re, like, ‘Holy shit! How are we gonna make these things disappear, these photos? Let’s hire this forensic…’ I don’t know what he was,” he recalled.
“He was going through everything, pixel by pixel, and we convince him with money, to say that they were fake. And the world believed it that they were Photoshopped. And we were home free.”
How the incident affected Oscar De La Hoya’s life and career
It took a while for De La Hoya to come out with the truth, which he says he did so because of his wife at the time.
“And guess what happens? I’m married at the time. My wife is angry at me. She’s fed up with me because I’m left and right cheating on her and this and that. She convinces me to go on national TV and tell the truth.
“She wanted me to look like a fool. She wanted to get back at me. And I did it.”
Oscar De La Hoya’s marriage eventually ended. But as far as his career at the time goes, he says the photo fiasco helped in some way.
“I think there’s a certain feeling when you tell the truth. But what was incredible is that I was so big at the time, popular and making money and this and that, that I couldn’t do any wrong.
“I think I sold more pay-per-views because of it. Which was crazy.”
Oscar De La Hoya went on to admit having a “childish” approach to the situation.
“I went back (to partying). I didn’t care. I didn’t learn a lesson, not at all. I’m, what? I’m 23, 24. Come on. I’m unstoppable. I’m indestructible. Nobody can take me down. You have that mentality.
“It’s childish, yes. But that’s exactly what I was living.”
De La Hoya did change up his act and entered a rehab facility in 2011. But the road to sobriety was a long and winding one, with relapses along the way.
Oscar De La Hoya’s career
Since his retirement in 2008 after an eight-round beating from Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya has been focusing on running Golden Boy Promotions. There were talks about a possible comeback, but he officially shut it all down in 2022. He ended his professional career with a record of 39-6.
As a promoter, De La Hoya was recently in a public spat with Ryan Garcia due to contract disputes. Golden Boy ended up filing a lawsuit against Garcia in June.
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