Oscar De La Hoya Emotionally Recalls How ‘An Angel’ Saved Him From Selling Golden Boy Promotions

An Olympic gold medalist and a six-division world champion with a storied 16-year professional boxing career, Oscar De La Hoya solidified his legacy with marquee victories over legends like Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Jeff Mayweather, Arturo Gatti, and Hector Camacho. But following a decisive loss to Manny Pacquiao in 2008, De La Hoya finally decided to retire from boxing and transitioned full-time into boxing promotion, leading the company Golden Boy Promotions, which he founded back in 2002 after his victory over Fernando Vargas. As the head of the company, he found considerable success, though his journey as a promoter has not been without controversies and public disputes. However, his journey as a promoter almost came to an end.

In September 2013, while undergoing treatment in a rehab facility for the second time, De La Hoya came very close to selling Golden Boy Promotions. Eight days into his rehabilitation, attorney Robert Shapiro presented him with a $100 million deal negotiated by then-CEO Richard Schaefer to sell the company. In a vulnerable state, De La Hoya was advised that boxing was harmful to his health and that selling would ease his burdens. Thankfully for the Golden Boy, the sale never materialized, as De La Hoya was not in a position to make such a decision and later chose to retain complete control of the company. Years later, Oscar De La Hoya now reveals the story behind the fiasco.

Oscar De La Hoya was a mere signature away from the sale

A few days ago, the 52-year-old promoter sat down with Ak & Barak on Ring Champs, breaking down the biggest moments of his long career in boxing. When asked by Ak about the rumors of him nearly losing control of his company, and being asked to sell it out of desperation, De La Hoya revealed, “Golden Boy was almost sold and closing shop. Almost! It was just a signature away. But something, man, I don’t know what it is. An angel, my mother, whoever, I don’t know what it is that’s looking down at me, man, I caught it just like that. I was in rehab. I said, you know, I just woke up. I got them papers and I was like, ‘No, this is not happening. I’m not selling my company. I love boxing. Come on now.’”

He continued, “I actually escaped from rehab, coz I even told myself like, ‘What am I doing here?'” Ak then asked, “If you were to sign that paper, was Al Haymon going to be the owner of Golden Boy? Is that what was going to be?” De La Hoya replied, “No, I don’t know the details about it.” Later, when Ak followed up with, “But you are happy that did not happen?” De La Hoya smiled and said, “Obviously! That’s my baby, man. Golden Boy’s my baby. I love boxing. I built Golden Boy from the start.”

It’s clear that Oscar De La Hoya trusting his instincts led him to save his company from a complete sale. If he had gone about it, the boxing landscape would be completely different today. Speaking about the current boxing landscape, in the same interview, De La Hoya pointed out a fatal flaw in the new TKO boxing model as Dana White continues to push for the amendment of the Ali Act.

Golden Boy shuts the door on Dana White

The recently introduced Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act aims to expand the existing Ali Act, paving the way for alternative sanctioning systems such as Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), like the one proposed by the TKO Group. If passed, this bill would allow promoters to operate outside traditional sanctioning bodies, potentially reshaping titles, rankings, and matchmaking in the sport. Despite the buzz surrounding this new league, veteran promoter Oscar De La Hoya has made his stance clear: he can’t imagine ever working with Dana White.

“I can’t see me and Dana work together. I just cannot see it,” the 52-year-old told Ring Champs with Ak & Barak. If that wasn’t enough, Oscar De La Hoya added, “For purposes of making huge fights happen, I’m all for it. But look, I’m focusing on Golden Boy. I have my lane. I’m staying in my lane. I’m doing my business. I’m producing champions and fighters and, you know, these prospects, just building them.”

He further emphasized that his partnership with Riyadh Season is simply “icing on top.” However, when asked about the possibility of unifying fighters under one promotional banner, as TKO is attempting, the 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medalist pointed out what he sees as the fundamental flaw in TKO’s vision. “I feel that boxing is a fractured business… It’s so fragmented. You have promoters everywhere, all over the world,” he told Ak & Barak. That said, do you agree with what Oscar De La Hoya is saying about TKO? And what did you think of his story?