Oscar De La Hoya Hospitalized With COVID-19, Replaced by Evander Holyfield for Vitor Belfort Comeback Fight
Oscar De La Hoya attends an open to the public media workout hosted by boxing legend "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya at XBOX Plaza on August 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Days before his comeback fight, Hall of Famer boxer Oscar Dela Hoya was hospitalized for COVID-19. The Mexican American fighter confirmed it through his social media posts.

The fully vaccinated De La Hoya also announced that his planned return to the ring after almost 13 years of being away would be put on hold due to his medical condition.

Oscar De La Hoya's Biggest Fight Against COVID-19

According to CNN, the 48-year-old boxer thanked everyone for supporting him while he's preparing for his comeback fight since it meant everything to him over the past months.

De La Hoya said he was currently in the hospital getting treatment, and he was confident that he would be back inside the ring before the year ends. He then reminded everyone to keep safe.

"I mean, what are the chances of me getting COVID? I've been taking care of myself, and this really, really kicked my ass," De La Hoya said in a video that accompanied the statement.

Nicknamed "The Golden Boy," Oscar De La Hoya was set to fight Vitor Belfort on September 11 in Los Angeles. Fight promoter Triller confirmed the fight between the two, but it would be canceled due to De La Hoya's medical condition.

Instead of fighting "The Golden Boy," Belfort would fight 58-year-old boxer Evander Holyfield.

Oscar De La Hoya's Boxing Career

Based on the data of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, which inducted Oscar De La Hoya in 2014, The Golden Boy is a 10-time world champion in six different weight classes.

The Ring magazine named De La Hoya the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in 1997 and 1998.

Oscar De La Hoya was nicknamed "The Golden Boy" after he won a gold medal as a lightweight in Barcelona in 1992. He was the only U.S. fighter to be an Olympic champion that year.

Aside from winning an Olympic gold medal for the U.S., De La Hoya fought in some of the most memorable professional bouts in boxing history.

De La Hoya fought other Hall of Famers 10 times in his career based on the details of BoxRec.com. He defeated Mexican fighter Julio Cesar Chavez twice, Puerto Rican fighter Hector Camacho, Italian Canadian fighter Arturo Gatti and American boxer Pernell Whitaker.

However, he lost to other Hall of Famers like "Sugar" Shane Mosley twice and Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Felix Trinidad.

Oscar De La Hoya also lost to Manny Pacquiao, who would most likely become a Hall of Famer. His career record in world title fights is 24-5 based on his BoxRec.com records.

De La Hoya also founded Golden Boy Promotions in 2002.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Oscar De La Hoya Hospitalized With COVID-19, Withdraws From Comeback Fight Against Belfort - From ABC7