Oscar De La Hoya, 36, announced his retirement from boxing Tuesday after a decorated professional career of more than 16 years that included a record six world titles in different divisions, 10 belts in all and a secured standing as the most lucrative fighter in boxing history.
Four months removed from being battered over eight rounds by Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, De La Hoya (39-6, 30 knockouts) announced at downtown's L.A. Live venue that, "It's not fair to step inside the ring and not give my best. . . . When your body doesn't respond . . . it's a tough decision, very, very difficult."
He promised, "this is the end for me," and thus capped a career that one writer called a "phenomenon," as the young amateur from East Los Angeles rose from a humble childhood to become the most popular fighter in the world.
Here's 10 highlights that defined De La Hoya's journey:
* Won the 1992 Olympic gold medal. Two years removed from his promise to his cancer-stricken mother, Cecilia, on her deathbed to win an Olympic gold, De La Hoya showcased his speed and ring discipline throughout the Olympic tournament in Barcelona. His fights were given heavy coverage by NBC and made the "Golden Boy" a household name even before his first pro bout.
* Makes professional debut on Nov. 23, 1992. De La Hoya dismisses Lamar Williams with a first-round knockout at the Forum in Inglewood and embarks on a string of 21 knockouts in his first 23 fights.
* Fighting at the Olympic Auditorium in 1994, he scores a technical knockout of Jimmi Bredahl in the 10th round to win his first world title, as a super-featherweight.
* Starts the Oscar De La Hoya Foundation in 1995, which funds projects including a cancer center in his mother's name and a neo-natal intensive care unit at White Memorial Medical Center in East Los Angeles. He later starts a charter high school in East L.A.
* Dismantles Mexican hero Julio Cesar Chavez in a fourth-round TKO in 1996, and again by eighth-round TKO in 1998, to win a world light-welterweight title the first time and defend his world welterweight title in the rematch. The impressive victories provoke an anti-De La Hoya sentiment among some Latino boxing fans, mostly male, and boos shower De La Hoya at some Southland events he attends.
