Another corner of a boxer’s world

For a good chunk of his life, a “special weekend” for Oscar De La Hoya has meant facing another boxer intent on separating him from his senses. But as De La Hoya’s looks and 37-3 record illustrate, that’s been far easier said than done. The 31-year-old East L.A. native has become not only the sport’s box-office heavyweight, but also a budding show business entrepreneur.

His Golden Boy Productions saw the premiere of its new Fox show, “The Next Great Champ,” on Tuesday (repeating at 9 p.m. Fridays) after some legal challenges. And he’s in final approach for his middleweight title fight Sept. 18 versus Bernard Hopkins on HBO pay-per-view.

Still, De La Hoya found time to talk about how a quieter weekend might shape up for him and his wife, Millie, from their Pasadena home base.

‘A girlie flick’

We really like to live very simply, and on Friday nights we just love to go out to dinner and a movie. Cafe Santorini in Pasadena is our favorite. The atmosphere is very romantic. I might start with the calamari, and then I always order the risotto. I think as soon as they see us walk in they must start cooking it.

And when we pick a movie -- this might surprise some people -- we always choose a girlie flick. My favorite movie is “Braveheart,” not because of the fight scenes but because of the romantic story. I especially like romantic comedies.

Dinner in Paris

On Saturday mornings we get up early and take our mountain bikes out on the trails near the Rose Bowl and ride for two or three hours. Most of the people we see are jogging, but we love those bikes.

When we get home, we’ll have some breakfast, just some muffins and juice. Later, we’ll go out to a park and walk around. If I wear a hat and stay away from crowds, no one bothers us.

Saturday nights, even though I know I said we like to live simply, sometimes we spoil ourselves. This is “my favorite weekend,” right? Well, on those times, we’ll fly somewhere just for the evening right out of Van Nuys Airport. I’ll surprise my wife and ask her, “Do you want to have dinner in Paris?” and the plane will take us to Paris Las Vegas. Wonderful steaks, the lobster is amazing. Then we’ll head home. I can’t stay for very long in Vegas. I always feel as if I’ve got to fight some guy in a few hours.

Visits to East L.A.

Sunday mornings are for golf. We love it, and there’s a course only a hop, skip and a jump from our house. I’m very competitive, and when we first started to play, I used to feel a little impatient because she wasn’t up to par with me. But then I would remember that it’s only a game and I’d think to myself, “Hey, I’m here with my wife on a beautiful Sunday; what can be better than this?” When we get home, we’ll play backgammon for a while and then head out to East L.A. to visit with friends and family. That’s what great about living so close. I get together with friends I’ve known since I was 5.

For dinner, I like to barbecue, but my wife is a great cook. She’s Puerto Rican and cooks some of those dishes and Creole food too. One Valentine’s Day she surprised me by making my favorite, risotto. The only bad part is, she hasn’t made it since.