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The Golden Boy
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00:00And that's the batter to the horn!
00:02On the arm!
00:03Horn!
00:04On the arm!
00:06What he made!
00:08Just drop him from his feet
00:10up to the top
00:11up to the big difference
00:13Hold it, hold it, hold it
00:16Hold it, you're not that good
00:17Oh my man, man
00:18Let's look up the wall
00:20Reggie Jackson is in his third home run game
00:23That's right out here
00:26The ball is pulled in
00:28I'll break our hands
00:29Hello, I'm Chris Fowler for SportsCentury
00:43His appeal was a mix of sex and sock
00:47His smile was so dazzling that he made the girls squeal
00:51He was a real knockout
00:52So was his left hook
00:54Oscar De La Hoya seduced the public
00:56and punched out his opponents
00:58Like most who make their living
01:00by rendering other people senseless
01:02He came from hard circumstances
01:04And to remind himself of those East L.A. roots
01:06He carries a $1 food stamp in his wallet
01:10This is a kid from the East L.A. Barrio
01:19I don't think he grew up in poverty
01:22but he certainly grew up in near poverty
01:24Oscar was the meal ticket
01:31He was going to bring up that whole family
01:34And his father saw to it that he did
01:37Skateboarding was my pastime
01:43My father didn't want me to skateboard
01:46because I would get hurt
01:48I was going to become this fighter
01:51His life was basically
01:54going to the gym
01:56coming home
01:57training
01:58Oscar's father really believed that
02:01he couldn't be as good as the next guy
02:03He had to be better than the next guy
02:04just to be even
02:05And so consequently
02:07nothing you do is ever good enough
02:09He's a warrior because his father
02:11pushed him out in that ring
02:12He doesn't burn to fight
02:14What he burned to do
02:15was to please his father
02:16He never said to me
02:20Son, you're doing great
02:22or you fought a great fight
02:24He never said that to me
02:26His mother was a shelter
02:30His mother was the person
02:31who people saw
02:32to give the joy to that family
02:34She didn't want me to become a fighter
02:37but my father would push it
02:39every single day
02:40You have to become this fighter
02:42He learned to live with him
02:43The mom would get him up early
02:45to do his running
02:46She would make him his meals
02:48She would pat him on the back
02:50Any little bruise
02:51any little ailment he had
02:53he used to run straight to mommy
02:54His mother alleviated
02:56some of the stress
02:58and strain that he had
02:59with his old man
03:00There was a real deep bond
03:02and love there
03:03With his mother in his corner
03:05Oscar De La Hoya excelled
03:07in a sport that was even less forgiving
03:09than his father
03:10He did it not only with talent
03:12and heart
03:13but also with a sizzling
03:15physical attraction
03:16that drew a new audience
03:17to ringside
03:18Unbelievable box office attraction
03:21Nothing like it
03:23South of boxing
03:25At his weigh-ins
03:27he would attract throngs
03:30of screaming teenage girls
03:32It was more like a rock concert
03:33than a boxing event
03:35Latinos have been famous
03:38but never this kind of
03:39cross-cultural idol
03:40He brought attention to our business
03:45and he brought attention
03:46to the people that would normally
03:47not watch boxing
03:49because
03:50answering the questions
03:55without missing a beat
03:56People liked Oscar personally
03:58and a lot of the media
04:00just fell in love
04:01with the character
04:02of Oscar De La Hoya
04:02and he was charming
04:03and he was able
04:04to win a lot of people over
04:06Not everyone bought
04:08De La Hoya's style
04:09Despite a 31 or no record
04:11with 25 knockouts
04:12and 4 titles to his credit
04:14many fight fans
04:15described him
04:16as having more style
04:18than substance
04:19In September of 1999
04:21De La Hoya
04:22sought to silence his critics
04:24when he met Felix Trinidad
04:25to unify the welterweight title
04:27I think you loved that one
04:29They were number one
04:31and number two
04:31pound for pound
04:32fighters in the world
04:33It was huge for both men
04:36Deep inside
04:37they had known
04:38for years
04:39that this confrontation
04:40was coming
04:41and would probably
04:42be the defining moment
04:43of their careers
04:44These were two young Latinos
04:46in their primes
04:47One from Puerto Rico
04:48One from LA
04:50Perfect way to draw fans
04:52Everybody talked
04:54that week
04:54and wrote about
04:55how De La Hoya
04:56would not lose
04:57a close decision
04:58in Vegas
04:59More than half
05:01his fights at that point
05:02had taken place
05:03in Vegas
05:03It's his place
05:04Before a packed house
05:08charged with high rollers
05:09and not a few
05:10adoring women
05:11The Golden Boy
05:12fulfilled his role
05:13as the city's
05:14major boxing attraction
05:15since Mike Tyson
05:16had fallen
05:17into general disfavor
05:18Sticking and moving
05:20De La Hoya
05:21was dominating
05:22Oscar looked
05:24beautiful
05:25He was doing
05:29what he wanted to
05:31with Trinidad
05:31short of knocking him out
05:33My trainers
05:33told me
05:36box
05:37you have to box
05:39that's the way
05:39you're going to beat him
05:40I was sticking my jab
05:42in his face
05:42anytime I wanted to
05:44I was having a great time
05:46in that ring
05:46Trinidad was beaten up
05:48Felix wasn't used
05:50to that kind of speed
05:50and I think
05:51through nine rounds
05:52Oscar clearly
05:53was the winner
05:53of the fight
05:54In fact I left
05:55after the ninth round
05:56to go to my television site
05:57to do my broadcast
05:58knowing full well
05:59he'd won the fight
06:00Outclass is too big a word
06:03for what's happening here
06:04but it's bursting on that
06:06Then the unexpected
06:07happened
06:08De La Hoya's
06:09flash, speed
06:11and precision
06:12left him
06:12Oscar is just running now
06:14he's not fighting back at all
06:16You couldn't understand
06:17Why stop?
06:19I wasn't sure
06:19if he didn't want
06:20to get hit anymore
06:20but what it was
06:22it was very bizarre
06:23Oscar De La Hoya's
06:24instincts as a fighter
06:26should have said
06:26Okay
06:27But that never happened
06:32When it was
06:33Oscar De La Hoya's
06:35time
06:35to be able to
06:36define his greatness
06:37he ran
06:39Trying to be just enough
06:40to keep Felix off of him
06:41virtually giving away
06:43the round
06:43He ran out of gas
06:44and he was running
06:45for those three rounds
06:46to save his life
06:47Trinidad is a big punch
06:49and Oscar knew
06:50that if he stood
06:51and traded punches
06:52Trinidad in rounds
06:5310, 11 and 12
06:54he was going to get
06:54knocked out
06:55That was the moment
06:56that defined Oscar De La Hoya
06:58He really wasn't prepared
07:00to step up
07:01and seize the moment
07:02and be a great fighter
07:04The winner by majority
07:06and decision
07:07There was no way
07:12he won seven rounds
07:14to win that fight
07:14The last three rounds
07:16that was backpedaling a bit
07:18boxing
07:19but for some reason
07:20he got the decision
07:21I was never sure
07:23that Oscar really wanted
07:24to win the Trinidad fight
07:26He didn't portray
07:28life and death type desire
07:30in the ring that night
07:31Professional judges
07:32don't like running
07:33Even if Trinidad
07:35wasn't being effective
07:36he was aggressive
07:37Oscar was just
07:38a one trick pony
07:39and could not adjust
07:40He vindicated
07:42all the critics
07:43who said
07:43you see
07:44he really doesn't
07:44want to be a fighter
07:45he's not really
07:46a tough guy
07:47If De La Hoya's
07:48first loss
07:49placed his toughness
07:50in deeper doubt
07:51support from
07:52an unexpected source
07:53helped heal
07:54his battered pride
07:55That was the first fight
07:57where Oscar's father
07:58went up to him
07:59and says
07:59hey
07:59you fought well
08:00and I'm proud of you
08:01He once told me
08:03that he would give up
08:04all his belts
08:05and his medal
08:05and everything else
08:06to hear his father
08:07say that he's
08:07a great fighter
08:08Now he was down
08:10he didn't need to be
08:11beaten on by anybody else
08:12For that instant
08:14at least
08:14his father could say
08:15you did a good job
08:16He knew that
08:18deep down inside
08:18it was hurting me
08:20He was the only person
08:23that was going to
08:24make me feel better
08:25about myself
08:26He embraced me
08:29and told me
08:29hey
08:30don't worry about it
08:31I sometimes say
08:36that I hate the sport
08:38but
08:38deep down inside
08:40I love it
08:40On his way
08:42to compiling
08:43a 223-5 record
08:45as an amateur
08:46De La Hoya
08:47received international
08:48exposure
08:49when he won
08:50a gold medal
08:50in the featherweight division
08:51of the 1990
08:52Goodwill Games
08:53Meanwhile
08:55his mother
08:55was fighting
08:56a battle
08:56she wouldn't win
08:57After winning
09:00the gold medal
09:01I found out
09:02she had cancer
09:02It was a pain
09:04that I've never
09:04I've never felt before
09:06She had missed
09:08a few sessions
09:09at chemo
09:10without the doctor's consent
09:11She wanted to see
09:13Oscar win
09:14one more time
09:15before she got
09:15really, really bad
09:16On October 28th
09:211990
09:21De La Hoya
09:22lost his biggest fan
09:24Cecilia succumbed
09:27to breast cancer
09:27It happened suddenly
09:32to him
09:33in a condensed
09:34period of time
09:35She's telling him
09:36that she was very sick
09:38and was uncertain
09:39about the future
09:39Then all of a sudden
09:41she's dead
09:41I had left boxing
09:43for a while
09:44I just didn't
09:45want to deal with it
09:46Until about
09:48three, four months
09:48before the Olympic Games
09:49I decided to
09:50come back
09:51because that was
09:52something that
09:53she always wanted
09:54her son to do
09:55He vowed
09:57that he would win
09:57the gold medal
09:59for his mother
10:00It was the most
10:00often written about
10:02part of the whole
10:02Olympic experience
10:04It makes Oscar's story
10:05It dows him
10:12as far as
10:13the public
10:13can see
10:14with this
10:16extraordinary virtue
10:17that he's going
10:18to win
10:18for his mother
10:20in heaven
10:21Driven by the
10:25pledge to win
10:26Olympic gold
10:27in memory
10:27of his mother
10:28De La Hoya
10:29reached the final
10:29in the lightweight
10:30division of Barcelona
10:31in 1992
10:32He and German
10:34Marco Rudolf
10:35battled into
10:35the third round
10:36There was about
10:38a minute left
10:39to the fight
10:39I closed my eyes
10:41and threw a left hook
10:42and dropped him
10:44Huge left hand
10:48by Oscar De La Hoya
10:50Oscar De La Hoya
10:52has kept the promise
10:55to his mother
10:56He did it
10:58He did it
10:59I remember him
11:00holding up the gold medal
11:01as if to say
11:02here mom
11:02here it is
11:03It was a great moment
11:04and it was very inspiring
11:06I was on that podium
11:08receiving the gold medal
11:09listening to the anthem
11:10I broke down in tears
11:12It was just the most amazing
11:13feeling I've ever had
11:15And that not only interests
11:17male sports fans
11:19that interests women
11:20sports fans
11:20because they see
11:22a beautiful kid
11:23who is looking
11:24towards his mother
11:25with sad eyes
11:26fulfilling this destiny
11:29As soon as he got back
11:31into town
11:31the first thing he did
11:32he placed the gold medal
11:34on the great side
11:34I stood there for hours
11:36talking to her
11:37and told her
11:38here's your gold medal
11:39and I promised you
11:40Delahoya tuned his eyes
11:48toward the professional ranks
11:49His likely choice
11:51as a manager
11:51was Shelly Finkel
11:53who had financially
11:54nurtured the prospect
11:55during his amateur career
11:56but Oscar's father
11:58Joel Sr.
11:59blocked the way
11:59The one thing
12:01that Joel Delahoya said
12:03was they were not going
12:05to sign with Shelly Finkel
12:06no matter what
12:07He'd invest
12:08about $100,000 plus
12:10including hospital expenses
12:12for Oscar's mother
12:13when she was dying
12:14of cancer
12:14burial expenses
12:16for the funeral
12:17All of a sudden
12:19Finkel can't get
12:20his telephone calls
12:21to Oscar answered
12:23That's a stain
12:24on his reputation
12:25even though maybe
12:26it wasn't him
12:27who was making the decision
12:28They went wherever
12:29the money was
12:29With Joel Sr.
12:32calling the shots
12:32Delahoya accepted
12:34an unprecedented
12:35$1,000,000 management deal
12:37with untried New Yorkers
12:38Steve Nelson
12:39and Robert Middleman
12:40After Oscar's
12:41first pro fight
12:42Bob Arum signed on
12:44as his promoter
12:45The plan
12:47about a who's who
12:49of nobody's
12:50has-beens
12:51I was very careful
12:52with him
12:53By the end of 1993
12:56Delahoya had won
12:58his first 11 fights
13:0010 by knockout
13:01But when he wasn't
13:02winning in the ring
13:03he was falling victim
13:05to fortune
13:05The balance between
13:08normalcy in life
13:09and this goal
13:10to become
13:11a money-making machine
13:13was thrown totally
13:14out of whack
13:15at that point
13:15Oscar was spending
13:17as much as $10,000
13:18a day
13:19on Lamborghinis
13:21on clothes
13:22on pool tables
13:23After that year
13:25he had about
13:26$4,000
13:28in his bank account
13:29and he hadn't even
13:30paid his taxes
13:31With his first
13:33title fight looming
13:34Delahoya
13:35became distracted
13:36by an identity
13:38crisis
13:38In El Paso
13:47he's finding a guy
13:48that really was
13:49no threat
13:49that nobody
13:50had ever heard of
13:51and the people
13:52went crazy
13:53and especially
13:53the young girls
13:54It was like
13:54when the Beatles
13:55came over to the
13:56United States
13:56for the first time
13:57There's thousands
13:59of screaming teenagers
14:01The police
14:02were holding them back
14:03and lo and behold
14:03they break through
14:04the barricades
14:05and my thought
14:06is I'm gonna die
14:07Oscar just yells
14:08Here they come
14:09and at that moment
14:10he's enveloped
14:11by hundreds
14:12of teenage girls
14:13It was amazing
14:14Oscar had
14:15a particular clientele
14:17that was
14:18his and his alone
14:19Not just for a boxer
14:20for an athlete
14:21I'm the magnet
14:23Girls go to the magnet
14:24This is how he thinks
14:26about himself
14:27Now I know
14:28when you were boxing
14:28I know when you were boxing
14:29you used to abstain
14:30from sex
14:31So I guess
14:32imagine the same
14:32with singing
14:33You have to have
14:33that same
14:34Same mentality
14:35Four, five, six months
14:36without
14:37you know
14:37before a performance
14:39before a
14:39Really?
14:40I've always thought
14:41that Oscar
14:41enjoyed being a celebrity
14:43more than he enjoyed
14:43being a fighter
14:44because celebrity
14:45brought him
14:46everything he loved
14:47The women
14:47the invitations
14:49to the golf courses
14:50the night clubs
14:51Do you ask
14:53what are Oscar's
14:54favorite hobbies?
14:55Women
14:55Women
14:58Golf
14:59Women
15:01He measures
15:03every woman
15:04against his mom
15:05and they fall short
15:06because he does have
15:07this very idealized notion
15:09of his mother
15:12Whether or not
15:15De La Hoya
15:16sought to replace
15:17his mother
15:18his celebrity
15:19was not appreciated
15:20by many males
15:21in the Mexican community
15:22on either side
15:23of the border
15:24There's always been
15:25some sort of
15:26ethnic ambiguity
15:27to Oscar
15:27He's Mexican
15:28by blood
15:29but he's a very
15:30American fighter
15:31He incurred the wrath
15:33of a lot of
15:35Mexican fight fans
15:36because
15:36I think that they felt
15:38he played too white
15:39What?
15:39The Mexican fan
15:42wants to see
15:43rough and tumble
15:44fights
15:44Oscar never wanted
15:46to have his face
15:47messed up
15:47In March of 1994
15:50the Golden Boy
15:51won his first title
15:52by knocking out
15:53junior lightweight
15:54champ
15:55Jimmy Breedal
15:55A little more than
15:57two years later
15:58the stylist
15:59hoped to change
16:00his pretty boy image
16:02against Julio Cesar Chavez
16:03for the WBC
16:05lightweight championship
16:06Chavez
16:07Americans
16:07as being this
16:08great warrior
16:09he was their guy
16:11There was a passion
16:13for Chavez
16:13to beat De La Hoya
16:14not just because
16:15they liked Julio more
16:16but they liked
16:17what he represented more
16:18someone who bled for them
16:19Oscar was so angry
16:21about being the outcast
16:23among his people
16:24that he was going to
16:25make Chavez pay for that
16:27Brutal left hook
16:29by De La Hoya
16:30Chavez's will
16:32seeming to be sapped
16:33with all
16:34Oscar De La Hoya
16:36It showed
16:37he could go in
16:38with Chavez
16:39who was
16:40a warrior
16:41and go toe-to-toe
16:42with him
16:42and win the slugging match
16:43and just leave Chavez
16:45a bloody mess
16:46The fans
16:47hopefully appreciated
16:48all this
16:49and I just wanted
16:50to give a good show
16:51for them
16:51They still did not
16:52support him
16:53they still believed
16:54he only won it
16:55because Julio was cut
16:56In their rematch
16:58in September of 1998
16:59De La Hoya
17:00stood behind
17:01He's responsible
17:02for Julio being cut
17:04and I know
17:05this guy's
17:06the biographer
17:07of him
17:08that's a stupid
17:09statement
17:10people have to know
17:12that getting somebody
17:14stopped on cuts
17:15means you cut them
17:16I said cop out
17:19Beyond reach of Chavez
17:21and dispatched
17:22the aging lion
17:23in the 8th round
17:24He'd already won
17:26his 4th title
17:27a controversial decision
17:28over Pernell Whitaker
17:29in 1997
17:30a year in which
17:31he made
17:3238 million dollars
17:33But if opponents
17:34couldn't beat him
17:35the options
17:36that came with
17:37wealth and fame
17:38threatened to
17:38knock him out
17:39The problem is
17:40that he didn't
17:41recognize the limits
17:43and the responsibilities
17:44that his celebrity
17:45placed on him
17:46He indulged himself
17:47he stepped beyond
17:48the bounds
17:49He's had two kids
17:50out of wedlock
17:50so his private life
17:51has been less than golden
17:53Somebody like Oscar
17:55who had a healthy
17:57desire for the
17:58opposite sex
17:59invariably would
18:01get into trouble
18:02In December of 1998
18:04De La Hoya
18:05was accused of rape
18:07for the second time
18:08Neither case
18:09went to trial
18:10But one of the cases
18:11was settled
18:12out of court
18:13for an undisclosed
18:14amount of money
18:15The bigger you are
18:16the broader your
18:17ripples in the pond
18:18the more you're
18:19a lightning rod
18:19for that kind of stuff
18:20His attorney
18:21gave a quote
18:22which basically said
18:23Oscar has
18:25been in bed
18:26with so many women
18:28how could he
18:29possibly remember
18:30one
18:30If he was not
18:32the super celebrity
18:34that he is
18:35a lot of these
18:36incidents would be
18:37brushed away
18:38No criminal charges
18:39have ever been filed
18:40but still it was
18:41in the background
18:42and it all added
18:42to this image
18:43of a golden boy
18:44becoming tarnished
18:45All the promise
18:46of the early years
18:47kind of crumbling
18:47The golden boy
18:51You think he's the devil
18:53and there's something
18:54phony about it
18:55You can never tell
18:56with Oscar
18:57what's from Oscar
18:59Oscar and what's
19:00from the inner circle
19:01which is another way
19:03of saying Oscar's father
19:05After a career
19:07in which the father
19:08and son made many enemies
19:10De La Hoya
19:11at 27
19:12met the hard edge
19:13of his lifestyle
19:14when he faced
19:15Sugar Shane Mosley
19:16in June of 2000
19:17When the 12th round
19:20came
19:20Oscar and Mosley
19:22duked it out
19:23but Oscar was
19:25the tired fighter
19:26and Mosley
19:28was a lot fresher
19:29Jay Mosley
19:30is out
19:31hustling
19:31Oscar De La Hoya
19:32out walking him
19:34out fighting him
19:35when it matters most
19:36When it was over
19:38De La Hoya
19:39was crushed
19:41for the first time
19:42the golden boy
19:44in his own mind
19:45knew he'd lost
19:46and he didn't handle it well
19:48Why not give it a draw
19:50or something
19:50you know what I mean
19:51but to take it away
19:52from me like that
19:52I just
19:53I just don't feel
19:54it's justice
19:55He was
19:58the golden boy
19:59who was never
20:00going to lose
20:01and was going
20:02straight to the
20:03Hall of Fame
20:04and it confused him
20:06Although De La Hoya
20:08would later admit
20:09that Mosley
20:09had legitimately
20:10beat him
20:11he fired
20:11trainer Roberto Alcazar
20:13who had been with him
20:14since his amateur days
20:15Then he split
20:16with Bob Arum
20:17The promoter
20:18who had helped him
20:19earn over
20:19125 million dollars
20:21Oscar begins
20:23to feel very threatened
20:25by people
20:25who have control
20:26over his money
20:27He felt threatened
20:28by Arum
20:29for years
20:30Oscar exhibited
20:31a certain type
20:32of ruthlessness
20:33in his pursuit
20:34of independence
20:35After compiling
20:36a 32-2 record
20:38over 7 1⁄2 years
20:39De La Hoya
20:40took a 9-month hiatus
20:42to pursue
20:42a childhood fantasy
20:44singing
20:45His first album
20:46titled Oscar De La Hoya
20:48topped Billboard's
20:49Latin dance charts
20:50for several weeks
20:51Really?
20:52I've always had this dream
20:53of recording an album
20:54Got nominated
20:55for a Grammy
20:56I was pretty happy
20:57about that
20:58But the ring beckoned
21:00and with new trainer
21:01Floyd Mayweather Sr.
21:03calling the shots
21:04De La Hoya
21:04defeated Arturo Gotti
21:06in March of 2001
21:07Three months later
21:09he won his fifth title
21:11in his many weight classes
21:12picking apart
21:13WBC's super welterweight champ
21:15Javier Castelliejo
21:16That October
21:18he married
21:19Puerto Rican singer
21:20Millie Corecher
21:21I think that he's
21:24had his fling with life
21:26and now he is
21:28going to be happy
21:29in a monogamous relationship
21:31I've had my ups and downs
21:33in my personal life
21:34I finally set my priorities straight
21:37She's a woman
21:39that is like no other
21:40He's found somebody
21:42who truly
21:43loves him
21:44That's the thing
21:45that has been missing
21:46from his life
21:47ever since his mother died
21:48His private life stabilized
21:51De La Hoya tended
21:52an old wound
21:53by reconciling
21:53with Bob Arum
21:54in 2001
21:55In September of 2003
21:58he was beaten again
21:59by Mosley
22:00and a year later
22:00he suffered
22:01the first knockout
22:02of his career
22:03by middleweight champ
22:04Bernard Hopkins
22:05Despite the losses
22:06De La Hoya remained
22:08highly bankable
22:09It would have been
22:10unthinkable
22:11decades ago
22:13that a Hispanic fighter
22:15would have
22:16the economic impact
22:19on the sport
22:19that he has
22:21It's no longer
22:22unthinkable
22:23I think that Oscar
22:25fights because
22:26he has a passion
22:27to fight
22:27and I personally
22:29believe that passion
22:30is directly related
22:31to his need
22:32his desire
22:33to try to please
22:34his father
22:35But as for the notion
22:36that Oscar's joy
22:38has come in any way
22:40from his millions
22:42his titles
22:43his public
22:45I don't buy that at all
22:46I think that Oscar's life
22:48is a constant struggle
22:50of being caught
22:50between two worlds
22:51and he hasn't yet found
22:53the one place
22:53where he really wants to be
22:54and he's not going to find that
22:56until boxing is all done with
22:57The year before
23:02he won his gold medal
23:03at the 1992 Olympics
23:04Oscar De La Hoya
23:06was held up at gunpoint
23:07on the very streets
23:08of East L.A.
23:09from which he had sprung
23:10Three thugs robbed him
23:12of $150
23:13Hours later
23:15his doorbell rang
23:16When he answered
23:17he found his wallet
23:18and all of the money
23:19I guess they knew
23:21who I was
23:21he said
23:22Sometimes a reputation
23:24can be a handy thing
23:25to have
23:26For Sports Century
23:27I'm Chris Fowler
23:28For Sports Century
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