Boxing

OSCAR DE LA HOYA GOES TOE-TO-TOE ON BEYOND THE GLORY

FSN series profiles boxing champion on Sunday, Mar. 23 at 8:00 PM

The story of world and Olympic champion boxer Oscar De La Hoya is well documented, but it’s never been detailed in the way Fox Sports Net’s BEYOND THE GLORY treats it on Sunday, March 23 at 8:00 p.m. local time. With an extensive first-person recount, interviews and rarely seen footage, BEYOND THE GLORY steps outside the squared circle to get into the complicated mind of De La Hoya and those closest to him.

Trying to understand the world champion in five weight classes is no easy task. But De La Hoya pulls no punches in this episode. He candidly discusses his thoughts on several difficult issues, including his tough relationship with his father, his battle with the illness and eventual death of his mother, his two children out of wedlock, his two tough defeats in the ring and his misguided music career.

BEYOND THE GLORY chronicles his life during this one-hour documentary. From his growing up in poverty in East Los Angeles, to stepping into the ring for his first fight at age seven and through his fight with longtime local rival Fernando Vargas in 2002, BTG goes the distance to shed some light on one of boxing’s brightest stars.

People interviewed for this episode of BEYOND THE GLORY in addition to De La Hoya include: trainer Emanuel Steward, promoter Bob Arum, HBO executive Mark Taffet, former manager Robert Mittelman, father Joel, sister Cecilia and brother Joel Jr. Here are some of the quotes from the one-hour show:

De La Hoya:

"I had no childhood. I sometimes feel like I missed out on the activities that all the normal kids used to do."

On his mother: "She would go and watch me train. She would always be at my fights, cheering me on, saying ‘Hit him, you can knock him out, you can beat him.’ I got scared myself because my own mother is telling me to beat this kid up."

On his first fight when he was seven: "I liked hitting them, but I just didn’t like them hitting me. I hate being punched in the face. If you did punch me in the face I would get so angry."

On winning a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics: "It was the saddest and happiest moment of my life."

On discovering fame and fortune: "I just started spending it like crazy and after about eight months I realized I only had like a few several thousand dollars in the bank."

On his out of the ring problems: "Things just got out of control. They just got out of hand."

"Having two kids out of wedlock – even though I adore my kids, I just didn’t think it was going to be like this."

On the Julio Cesar Chavez fight, which Oscar won: "When I saw that blood, I just wanted to see more. It just felt so good to see him bleed."

"When I beat Chavez I started getting a following, a big following, a woman following."

On the Pernell Whitaker fight, which Oscar won: "It was a very, very tricky fight. He got inside my mind and made it a tough fight."

On the Felix Trinidad fight, which Oscar lost: "After the fight, I was very calm, not saying a word. I was still smiling. I went back to the locker room and I just went crazy. I started crying. I didn’t know what was going on."

"That was like the first time when I heard my father say, you did good, you beat him."

On the Shane Mosley fight, which Oscar lost: "I felt I lost. I just felt it. Because he was the better fighter that night, he beat me."

"I was blaming everybody. I changed promoters, changed trainers. I changed my whole team around."

On getting a rematch with Mosley: "I have to fight Shane Mosley. It’s just something I have to do. I just have to get revenge before I retire."

On recording a music album: "I had the opportunity to record an album or to train. I picked the music because it was kind of like the easy way out. I didn’t quit on boxing – I just kind of picked the one that was going to make me happy at the time."

On boxing: "Boxing is a brutal sport. I sometimes ask myself, ‘Why am I still boxing, what am I doing?"

Steward:

"It’s an extremely competitive side and a very vicious side of Oscar when he’s in the ring."

Arum:

On Oscar choosing to record an album prior to the Mosley fight: "It was a stupid thing for him to do. Boxing is a full occupation and requires tremendous focus. Oscar got diverted in his focus doing the album. I thought it was dumb as hell."

"He has attracted more women fans than any other fighter in history."

Joel:

"The fight he really wants is Trinidad. He wants to fight Trinidad and rematch with Mosley. After that, that’s it. No mas."

Accomplished actor and voice-over artist D.B. Sweeney narrates Fox Sports Net’s BEYOND THE GLORY series.

The third season for BEYOND THE GLORY, the Sports-Emmy nominated series, features 20 original programs and is now a Fox Sports Net in-house production under the direction of executive producers Frank Sinton and Steven Michaels.

Future original episodes of BEYOND THE GLORY include: Mark Martin (March 30), Chris Chelios (April 6), Vinny Testaverde (April 13), Mark Cuban (April 20), Nick Van Exel (April 27) and Jackie Joyner-Kersee (May 4).

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