Oscar De La Hoya, boxing?s golden boy and one of the sport?s most powerful promoters and iconic figures, gave a bombshell of an interview Tuesday to Univision?s Teresa Rodriguez in which he laid bare the most intimate secrets of his personal life:
? He contemplated suicide, but didn?t have the courage to follow through.
? He is an alcoholic who also began using cocaine in the last two years.
? He was unfaithful to his wife, Millie, and the pair separated for a time.
One after the other, De La Hoya yanked the ghosts from his closet and waved them for the world to see.
It was hard not to feel sympathetic for him as he solemnly discussed the demons that nearly destroyed his life and caused him to enter a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Malibu, Calif., earlier this year.
Fortunately, he sought professional help before he faced an irreversible situation. Clearly, his actions were putting his very life at stake. De La Hoya appears to have recognized the warning signs in time, before he made an alcohol- or drug-induced decision that he could never turn back from. He recognized he needed assistance, as does anyone who contemplates suicide.
[Related: Former champ admits to suicidal thoughts]
?My life was a big mess,? De La Hoya told Rodriguez. ?Rock bottom was recently, within a couple of years. [Me] just thinking, ?Is my life even worth it?? I don?t have the strength, I don?t have the courage, to take my own life. But I was thinking about it. It got to that point.?
Thankfully, it never got beyond it.
