Oscar De La Hoya’s wild life of alcohol and drug addiction, cross-dressing sex parties, and now a comeback at 47
GOLDEN BOY Oscar De La Hoya is to become Golden Oldie, as he plans a sensational comeback aged 47.
The Anerican won 11 world titles, amassed a personal fortune of £150million - and even got caught in a cross-dressing scandal.
He also battled a drug and alcohol addiction that left many of his personal relationships in tatters and led him to contemplate suicide.
Yet despite his demons, the 47-year-old shocked the sporting world earlier this year by announcing his plans to come out of retirement - more than a decade after hanging up his gloves.
During his 16-year professional career De La Hoya fought some of the greats, including Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley, Hector Camacho and Julio Cesar Chavez.
After breaking through at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, the Los Angeles native went on to compete as a professional in six different weight classes before turning to management as president of Golden Boy Promotions, which currently boasts some 90 boxers in its stable.
“Let me tell you, yes, yes, it was me (in those pictures). I am tired now of lying, of lying to the public and of lying to myself,” he told the outlet.
“The rumors are true, and I’m going to start sparring in the next [few] weeks. It’s a real fight. I miss being in the ring. I love boxing. Boxing is what gave me everything I have today, and I just miss it,” De La Hoya told.
“Look, it’s been a long time, yes. But actually my jab feels faster than ever. I have to make sure that my conditioning is perfect, my health is good. And that’s going to take place in the next few weeks. So we’ll see.”
De La Hoya said he looked at the current landscape of boxing and didn’t like what he saw.
“All these fighters are not of the level that I was 15, 20 years ago, all these fighters are demanding so much money, all these fighters are demanding the moon,” he told the outlet.
“These guys are in it just for the money, that’ll be the big difference. I will fight for the glory, and these guys only fight for the money.
"And guess what? That glory will always win,” he added.
De La Hoya added that his plan is to compete between 154-160 pounds and is looking to take on “any top guy out there.”