Olympic Gold Winner De La Hoya Sets Sights on World Lightweight Title

Having achieved his dream of an Olympic gold medal, boxer Oscar De La Hoya has set new goals for himself: to win the world lightweight title and “make history.” He also has his eye on an acting career. But De La Hoya, 20, learned early in life not to look too far ahead.

“I always try to stay focused on just that one (imminent) fight. I never think about other upcoming fights,” De La Hoya said recently. “I know my mother is watching me from up there. And I know she will want me to give it my best.”

His mother, Cecilia De La Hoya, died of cancer in 1991 and has remained Oscar’s inspiration. And so far, De La Hoya’s best has earned him seven consecutive victories, including six knockouts, in his short professional career.

On May 8, De La Hoya defeated Frank Avelar in a televised bout from Caesars Palace in Lake Tahoe. His next fight will be June 8 against Troy Dorsey at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

De La Hoya says he hopes to reach his goal as lightweight champion by the end of the year. Those close to him agree that he is on track for a chance at the title but they are not ready to say that it will occur this year.

Before he hangs up his gloves for good, De La Hoya said, he wants to “make history . . . and I know I can make history by training hard and dedicating myself.” His long-term goal is to win the world lightweight championship (135 pounds) and later move up to the next weight class or classes and win those too.

“He’s got great potential,” said Dan Goossen, who promotes other boxers. “ . . . He’s willing to work hard for his greatness in boxing. He’ll go far by dedicating himself.”

Oscar has plans outside the ring as well. A project is under way to make a motion picture about his life, and he hopes to play himself and launch an acting career. One of De La Hoya’s managers, Steve Nelson, declined to give details about the film project other than to say that it’s a “done deal.”

He has also thought of becoming an architect eventually. But for now De La Hoya is on a roll, although he is quick to remind people, it was not easy getting to this point.

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Standing on the podium last August, an Olympic gold medal draped around his neck, De La Hoya was a swirl of emotions.

All those years of fist-pounding, muscle-building training were being realized in a moment as precious as any piece of gold.

There he was, a teen-ager from East Los Angeles, being heralded on an international stage at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

But while the athletic achievement was so dear and so great that all of America celebrated with him, De La Hoya was sharing a private moment.

Finally, after all the pressures and talk, he had fulfilled the promise to his mother.

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De La Hoya was an accomplished amateur boxer by the time his mother became gravely ill with breast cancer.

For the longest time, the family kept the tragic news from him because they did not want to disrupt his training. At 17, De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Goodwill Games in Seattle. The family made the trip to witness this glorious moment.

But the day after his victory in Seattle, De La Hoya was informed of the heartbreaking circumstances. His mother had even skipped a week of radiation treatment to watch him compete in the Goodwill Games, an international event featuring many Olympic competitors.

On Oct. 28, 1990, Cecilia De La Hoya, 39, died. In his grief, her younger son vowed to win a gold medal in her honor. It was the best way he knew how to express his love.

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De La Hoya had started boxing at the age of 6. His father, Joel, was a professional boxer, and took his son to a gym in East Los Angeles. Oscar accompanied his father every other day to train, although he boxed for fun at the time.

If he got tired, the youngster would leave the gym to play with friends. The elder De La Hoya never pushed him, although he told Oscar that he could some day become a great boxer.

“Without him I would have never become an Olympic champion,” De La Hoya said one day while sipping soda at a restaurant. “There is nothing I can do that will repay my dad for what he has done for me. He is my best friend.”

At 10, De La Hoya’s perspective toward boxing changed dramatically.

He won his first national title and realized his father had been right all along--he could become a champion. He took training with a new vigor. He put everything he had into boxing. He wanted a professional career.

Then, with the same fervor, he suddenly quit two years later. As often happens, De La Hoya had burned out on the daily training.

So, instead of going to the gym, he did what most Southern California youth do: He hung out with friends and enjoyed life. He shunned gang activity. He always tried making friends and had no enemies.

After four months, De La Hoya was injected with renewed enthusiasm. It came to him one day while riding his skateboard. “I knew from that day that fighting meant everything to me,” he said.

By the time he was 13, De La Hoya was at the gym six or seven days a week. Boxing took up so much of his time that when he reached the age of 16, he left Garfield High and studied with a private tutor hired by the U.S. Boxing Team. Later, when he completed his academic work, he got to graduate with his friends at Garfield High School.

As De La Hoya’s talents grew, his father was always there, helping and encouraging him. “He yells at me and gets mad at me all the time,” De La Hoya said. But it is the anger of a father’s caring, De La Hoya said.

Robert Alcazar of El Monte, a key figure in preparing De La Hoya for the Olympics, continues as his trainer.

“We want to build his record right now,” Alcazar told Nuestro Tiempo earlier this year. “He’s learning a lot in the gym every day. His attitude is great.”

De La Hoya says he owes a great deal to his older brother, Joel De La Hoya, 22, whom Oscar calls “Cayo,” and Oscar’s best friend, Joe Pajar, 20.

Joel said he has never been jealous of his brother. “I respect Oscar a great deal,” Joel said. “More power to him.”

Pajar, a school friend, is the person that makes sure that De La Hoya is comfortable and relaxed before a fight. “I love Oscar very much,” Pajar said. “I will do my best to help him in any way I can.”

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What does an Olympic champion do for fun and relaxation?

“I like going out and having a good time just like any other teen-ager,” De La Hoya said. “I like to go cruising and stop by King Taco and get something to eat and just kick back and sign some autographs. I really like to be around people.

“It makes me feel real good inside knowing that I have so many fans out there that love me. I feel that I need to pay off my fans somehow for all their love and the support they have given me throughout the years. And the only thing that I can do is to sign autographs and shake hands.”

At night, he said, he likes to get dressed up, climb into his black 1992 Corvette and “go clubbing” at nightspots in the Eastside and San Gabriel Valley.

De La Hoya is in great demand to make personal appearances at schools and community events. He understands and relishes his status as a role model.

De La Hoya’s message is straight from his life experience: setting goals, working hard and “making your dreams come true.”

He said that young people look up to him. “I always tell them to study hard and to stay off of drugs and stay in school. Not to get involved with gangs.”

De La Hoya already has earned more than $1.5 million from the boxing matches and an extra bundle from TV and radio commercials.

Soon after getting his first big paycheck, De La Hoya bought a home for his family in Montebello, where he lives with his father, brother Joel and sister, Cecilia, 11.

But De La Hoya does not want to stray very far from his roots. He plans to buy property in East Los Angeles and someday build a house there.

Perhaps when it is completed, he will find a special place for his Olympic medal. And, if his new dreams come true, it would also have a place for his professional championship belts.