Oscar De La Hoya as seen in “The Golden Boy”
Courtesy of HBO
A new two-part documentary on the life and career of famed boxer Oscar De la Hoya is premiering on HBO on Monday.
Entitled “The Golden Boy,” the documentary explores De La Hoya’s story from his beginnings in the sport to becoming “The Golden Boy of boxing.” The doc’s director, Fernando Villena, was excited to be able to tell the boxer’s story like it hasn’t been told before.
“Being Latino and being able to work on a project about a Latino icon, it’s super exciting. I had never had that opportunity before,” said Villena. “Once I started digging into the story — I didn’t really follow boxing, and I didn’t really follow his career all that closely — when I started to do the research, I realized there was a big story there.”
Villena got right to work meeting with De La Hoya, interviewing several times over the course of a year. When Villena asked De La Hoya why now, the boxer said it was time to tell his truth.
“I knew in doing the research that there was a lot to unpack, there was a lot to do as far as telling the truth, and that’s what he wanted to do,” said Villena. “It was gonna be a process, and he was like, ‘I want to do it by any means possible.’ And to his credit, that’s what he did.”
The first part of the documentary examines De La Hoya’s upbringing in East Los Angeles, looking at everything from a promise the boxer made to his dying mother to his preparations for the Olympics, which ultimately led him to become a media sensation. Despite the fame and popularity, the documentary explores the turmoil that was lurking with De La Hoya.
The second part takes a look at De la Hoya’s boxing empire and how it has grown into the founding of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as the launch of his Latin pop music album. However, De La Hoya’s self-destructive behavior not only continues to put a toll on his personal relationships, but his public…
Read the full article here
