Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya revealed his father thought he’d lose to Julio Cesar Chavez when the pair met in a vast 1996 showdown.
De La Hoya agreed to face Chavez in a challenge for the WBC super lightweight title in an old guard versus new blood collision.
Despite Chavez having 98 fights under his belt, De La Hoya proved much slicker coming off his success at the 1992 Olympic Games.
How many times did Oscar De La Hoya beat Julio Cesar Chavez?
De La Hoya stopped Chavez in four rounds and scored a breakout victory for his career. Two years later, De La Hoya halted Chavez in eight.
However, as Oscar picks up the story, Joel De La Hoya Sr. wasn’t convinced his son would be able to defeat Chavez.
“It’s disappointing, but it’s expected,” he told ET. “I didn’t know that was his stance. I didn’t know that he was convinced that Chavez could beat me if he were younger.
“That’s who he is. I’ve accepted the fact that he’s a tough man. But he’s still my father.”
He continued: “I think part of me always wanted to make my father proud. And I’ve always heard whispers that I could have done much better, that your father expected more from you – you know?
“And so, it almost conditions you to really think that. Like, ‘Yeah, you know what? You could have done a lot better. What’s wrong with you?’ It’s a mind thing.”
Joel De La Hoya Sr.
De La Hoya added on what kind of influence his dad held over him: “When somebody has that power over you, that authoritative figure. It’s hard to control or take hold of it when they have that power over you.
“My father was very. He was a tough guy. When he said something, you had to believe it. You had no choice.
“I think, yeah, that’s why I was always so hard on myself because I always thought I could do better.”
Despite the first win being exclusively on Closed Circuit TV, De La Hoya’s two victories spawned almost a decade of Pay Per View domination. That’s until a certain Floyd Mayweather came along and took the mantel.
In the end, De La Hoya retired after losing badly to Manny Pacquiao in a one-sided weight-drained beating.
Walking away with eleven world titles to his name in multiple divisions, “The Golden Boy” was always destined for stardom, despite not being backed by his father.
