Oscar De La Hoya Calls it Quits: One of boxing’s most recognized and beloved figures, Oscar De La Hoya, announced his retirement from the sport in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “The Golden Boy” decided to end a brilliant career in which he won an Olympic Gold Medal and 10 professional world-boxing titles in six different divisions.
The 36-year-old product of East Los Angeles announced his decision at an outdoor plaza across the street from Staples Center in downtown LA, where his Golden Boy statue stands alongside that of Lakers’ great Magic Johnson and the legendary Wayne Gretzky.
"I've come to the conclusion that it's over," De La Hoya admitted before hundreds of fans. "It's over inside the ring for me," the Golden Boy continued.
Oscar is coming off the worse defeat of his professional boxing career, as the reigning pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao, beat him to submission four months ago.
After the fight, De La Hoya sounded pretty convinced when he simply said: "I don't have it anymore…"
But even after beating The Golden Boy into retirement, in a moment that will certainly go down in history as an example of what he has ment to the sport of boxing, a humbled Pacquiao looked at De La Hoya in the eyes and said: "you're still my hero!"
That loss marked De La Hoya’s fourth loss in his final seven bouts, as he finishes his career with a record of 39-6 with 30 knockouts. "This is the love of my life, boxing is my passion, boxing is what I was born to do," he stated. "When I can't do it anymore, when I can't compete at the highest level, it's not fair. It's not fair to me, it's not fair to the fans, it's not fair to nobody."
According to the future Hall of Famer, he based his decision on not wanting to let down his fans or himself. But he admitted he struggled to make the final decision. "Now I understand why athletes have such a tough time retiring from something that you feel so passionate about, from your sport that you're always thinking you can try one more time," he said.
"I can still train hard and I can still compete, but when you're an athlete that has competed on the highest level for a lot of years, it's not fair. It's not fair to step inside the ring and not give my best."
When thanking his father, Oscar’s voice broke a bit, as emotions almost got the best of him: "I remember the times when he would take me to the gym and never gave up on me. We've lived some tough moments inside the ring, we've been through everything, but my father was always there for me. Thank you for pushing me as hard as you can."
