Oscar De La Hoya’s troubled past with substance abuse crept its way to the forefront again early Tuesday morning.
The Hall of Fame boxer and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions was arrested by the California Highway Patrol and charged with two misdemeanors: driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% or greater, according to a police report obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
De La Hoya, 43, was observed speeding in a Land Rover on Del Mar Blvd., west of Arroyo Blvd., in Pasadena, according to police. After he was stopped, the officer detected the odor of alcohol on De La Hoya’s breath. The former four-division champion failed several field sobriety tests and was arrested without incident at 1:57 a.m. PT. De La Hoya was later released from jail to his manager.
Oscar De La Hoya charged with DUI in California (Photo: USA Today)
De La Hoya’s spokesperson, Stefan Friedman, declined comment to USA TODAY Sports regarding the arrest
De La Hoya retired following a brutal defeat to Manny Pacquiao in 2008. The Los Angeles native has enjoyed success as founder and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, which handles the biggest star in boxing, Canelo Alvarez.
De La Hoya, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist, has two prior stints in a rehabilitation facility. He stepped away from Golden Boy and entered the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in May 2011 after acknowledging a substance abuse problem.
Then, in September 2013, days before Alvarez’s super fight vs. Floyd Mayweather, De La Hoya announced he was returning to rehab to address the issue.
Golden Boy has an HBO card scheduled for Saturday in Southern California. It’s unclear how the incident will affect De La Hoya’s availability for the promotion.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/
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