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Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya parties with the gays in Vegas
De La Hoya was a grand marshal in the Vegas Pride parade.
Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya is one of the biggest names in sports. And earlier this week, the 11-time world champion lent his stardom to Las Vegas’ biggest LGBTQ+ event of the year.
De La Hoya, who won a gold medal in the 1992 Olympic Games, was a grand marshal for the 40th Vegas Pride Parade along with his partner, Holly Sonders. The signature event, which draws more than 10,000 people annually, celebrates the Sin City’s burgeoning queer community (more than 20% of residents identify as LGBTQ+).
“I am a member of two communities–Latinos and boxers–who have a checkered past in our treatment of the LGBTQ+ community,” he said. “Whether it’s due to the machismo inherent in both groups or some other reason, it is high time to accept all communities.”
“I am proud to carry that banner and hope that others will follow my lead.”
De La Hoya and Sonders recently moved to Vegas and have wasted little time ingratiating themselves with the city’s diverse residents. The pair wore custom Pride outfits by designer Michael Costello.
They sparked all night, literally and figuratively!
De La Hoya, 50, rose to superstardom following his 1992 gold medal. The boxer won his first world title at age-20, capturing 10 more in six weight classes. The “Golden Boy of Boxing” compiled a career record of 45-6, winning 30 of his matches via knockout.
As a pro, De La Hoya generated $700 million in pay-per-view income, making him the top PPV earner of all time before he was surpassed by Floyd Mayweather Jr.
While De La Hoya dominated in the ring, he dealt with a variety of personal issues and tragedy outside of it. His mother, who wished to see her son win a gold medal, died of breast cancer months before his Olympic debut.
Years later, De La Hoya opened the Cecilia Gonzalez De La Hoya Cancer Center in honor of his mom.
One of the low points of De La Hoya’s personal life occurred in 2007, when photos leaked of him wearing women’s lingerie. He was battling substance abuse issues at the time, opening up about his struggles in a new HBO doc (executive produced by Mark Wahlberg and Mario Lopez).
“When I retired from boxing, I felt lost,” he told Variety. “I felt like life wasn’t worth living anymore because I could not have my passion, which was inside the ring. So, I wanted to tell the truth. I wanted to tell my story in my words, from my heart, about what I’ve been through my whole career. It’s been quite a rollercoaster.”
He says he took solace in opening up about his life, including the aforementioned lingerie incident (the photos were leaked against his will).
“I’ve faced the toughest individuals inside the ring throughout my whole life, but to be honest, to literally expose my feelings and my emotions was petrifying,” he said.
“I can see how people in my position or of my stature would shy away from doing something like this. But I had to because it was a way for me to escape from the reality that I’ve been living for the last 45 years.”
Free of burden, De La Hoya now wants to be a standard-bearer for the boxing community.
“Standing up for people who are underrepresented is never easy. There are ignorant people everywhere who will judge people on race, gender, or sexual orientation,” he said.
“As a leader in a community, our job is to educate people to accept all people, regardless of these factors. If I can convince one fight fan to accept a member of the LGBTQ+ community, that is a start.”
Boxing could certainly use more prominent figures willing to stand up for LGBTQ+ folx. Orlando Cruz, the only out gay pro boxer in the world, slammed his sport this summer for its lack of inclusion efforts.
“Young male boxers are killing themselves, as they are scared,” he told the publication Bad Left Hook. “They have nowhere to turn and depression hits them. Our sport is doing nothing to help them.”
Seeing an icon like De La Hoya leading a major Pride event is a start.
“I was a fighter, but now I’m a lover!,” he said in a TV interview.
We’re all for that!
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