Oscar De La Hoya: “The Ring Is 102 Years Old. I’ve Been Fortunate Enough to ‘Hold This Child’”

Oscar De La Hoya, founder and head of Golden Boy Promotions, spoke in an exclusive Ready to Fight interview about the rebirth of The Ring, boxing’s oldest magazine.

– You’ve been closely involved with The Ring magazine and with where boxing is today, which, honestly, is just incredible. Evenings like this feel almost like a dream, don’t they?

De La Hoya:

– It’s simply incredible. You couldn’t imagine anything better. The Ring magazine has been around for 102 years. I was fortunate enough, you might say, to ‘give birth’ to this idea, to hold this ‘child’ in my hands.

And now I see how Ring Magazine has grown, and it’s wonderful. Turki Alalshikh, you’re doing a fantastic job with it. I’m very happy that this is the first annual The Ring awards ceremony. It’s a historic event, and we’ll keep it going for many years to come.

– And what about having so many boxers gathered here tonight? As a fan, I love it, but for you as a boxing legend, what’s it like seeing Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Shakur Stevenson, Canelo, and all the others in one place?

– It’s incredible. It’s like gathering all the leaders from around the world in one room, and everyone is speaking the same language. That’s exactly what boxing needs. And pardon the pun, but it’s like the Oscars, isn’t it? It’s like the ‘Golden Gloves,’ all rolled into one.

On January 11 in London, The Ring magazine held its annual awards ceremony. You can check out the winners in all categories via the link provided.