High Aspirations
By Eddie Sanchez
Oscar De la Hoya will be regarded as one of the most successful athletes in the modern era. He is a former six division champion who took the world by storm with his “Golden Boy” moniker. He is respected as a fighter who took on all challenges. For as many losses as he took later in his career, no one can ever say he didn’t test himself to the fullest extent.
Along with his in-ring accomplishments, he also started the wave of fighter-turned-promoters. When he defected from Top Rank and created Golden Boy Promotions, he represented what athletes could do for themselves if they were to take their careers in their own hands. He went on to work closely with fighters such as Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez, among others, and continues to be a mainstay in the promotional game.
Unfortunately, it has not been all peaches and roses throughout his career. Over a decade ago, his social life made its way to the tabloids. Beyond the kink-shaming that was most prominent, at the time there were details of heavy cocaine use. Since that point in his life, it seemed like he had gotten a hold of his substance abuse issues.
Beyond the trouble he has faced with scheduling fights for the most popular fighters in his promotional banner, there was little to no mention of current abuse, until recently.
In late August, Dana White was asked about Oscar De la Hoya’s plans to return to the ring professionally. He scoffed at the idea and mentioned that “cocaine is expensive,” which clearly insinuates that De la Hoya is currently using.
Many took Dana’s comments with a grain of salt and maneuvered on the assumption that it was more on the playful banter side of things, and not a direct call-out. Unfortunately, De la Hoya’s appearance on the Jake Paul vs Ben Askren PPV event has concerned many.
It’s unfair to immediately assume that De la Hoya was yayed out, but it’s clear as day that he, at the very least, showed up under the influence for a live broadcast that hosted him as a featured commentator. At best, this is a terrible look and completely professional. At worst, this is a peak into a current substance abuse issue.
Now, if this is a real issue he is dealing with, as fans, we should hope that he has the support system around him to maneuver past. My main issue with this is more connected with Dana’s original claim in August.
Is cocaine motivating De la Hoya’s pending return to the ring? I think it’s fair to assume that he isn’t stuck in an unimaginable financial hole. If he were, light would have been shed on the issue a while ago. However, a more legitimate question could be whether he is gaining an irrational sense of confidence regarding his return.
Given his status as a star, he more than likely has a fair amount of yes-men in his corner. With his inhibitions down, one could see a scenario where he could be talked into a poor situation health-wise, that is backed by irrational confidence and a promise of making a quick-buck.
The last thing we should want to see is a man of Oscar De la Hoya’s status step into the ring when he shouldn’t, and walk out a different man physically. Especially if he is motivated by drug use and not from his love for the sport.
There has not been a statement from De la Hoya or his regarding his appearance on the PPV event. Unless more news makes its way to the surface in the immediate future, there will likely be no mention of the issue. With the way the media cycle works, we will likely forget all about this in a week anyways. For now though, fans are sharing their concerns for the Golden Boy and as a fan, I hope there isn’t a larger issue that he is dealing with.
