When it comes to the sport of boxing, promoters are many times more notable than the fighters themselves. Promoters get a ton of face time, both in and out of the ring, making every one of their moves worthy of scrutiny.
Oscar De La Hoya knows that all too well. He already had a large following after a highly successful fighting career. He parlayed that into an equally successful promotion company, turning Golden Boy Promotions into a power player in the sport. Yet it’s his antics that seem to be defining his legacy.
De La Hoya is no stranger to throwing jabs at rival promoters and boxers alike. In fact, he’s even gotten into it with some of his own boxers that he promotes; most notably, Ryan Garcia. Now, De La Hoya is in the news again, and once again for the wrong reasons.
Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions owe $23 million and face foreclosure
News surfaced this week that De La Hoya defaulted on a $27 million commercial loan. The mortgage-backed securities loan was for a Golden Boy Promotions office building in downtown Los Angeles. Now facing foreclosure, De La Hoya’s company reportedly owes around $23 million.
According to The Real Deal, De La Hoya and Michael Barker are the named loan sponsors. Barker, who founded Barker Pacific, passed away in January of 2025. Back in 2004, “De La Hoya’s Golden Boy purchased a controlling interest in the property for $16 million from Barker Pacific Group, which kept a minority share“.
It’s unclear how much De La Hoya is truly on the hook for, and whether he actually will or will be able to pay it. Regardless, it’s not a good look for Golden Boy Promotions, especially since they have lost some of their luster in the boxing world following the advent of Turki Alalshikh as a power player.
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