In an explosive and revealing interview, future Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya admitted to having thoughts of suicide after becoming addicted to alcohol and experimenting with cocaine, a toxic mixture that began at the time of the infamous "Fishnet Photo Scandal". Speaking to Teresa Rodriguez on "Aqui y Ahora's", De La Hoya admitted that the scandalous photos that surfaced back in 2007, showing him wearing fishnet stocking and nine-inch heels while posing with Russian stripper Milana Dravnel, were indeed real and not photoshopped.
Below is a translation from a portion of the interview:
ODLH: Let me tell you it began when a scandal came out a few years ago with a woman.
TR: Was that you or was that photoshopped?
ODLH: Let me just tell you, yeah. Yeah, it was me. I'm tired of lying. I'm tired of lying to the people. I'm tired of lying to myself.
TR: In that photo, you were under the effects of alcohol and cocaine?
ODLH: Yes, alcohol and cocaine. Yes, and it was the first time I tried it. And the drug for me wasn't like alcohol. I know that I needed alcohol more than the drug. I did a lot of bad things.
TR: Did you get out of control?
ODLH: Almost. There were some nights I didn't want to live anymore; some nights I was drunk and then alone. At one point, I thought, is it worth still living?
At the time of the scandal, both De La Hoya and his attorneys vehemently denied that the photos were real. At one point, Dravnel sued De La Hoya as she stood by her claims that the pictures were real, but ultimately the lawsuit was dropped when "experts" concluded that the photos had been digitally doctored. Evidently, those experts were wrong."
"When you're in the state of that high of driking and doing drugs, emotions run through your head like there's no tomorrow. I can't even recall what runs through my head because I'm sober now for the last three months...all these emotions just run through your head and you do crazy, stupid things, but there's something behind it. There's something behind every action. There's consequences obviously," De La Hoya would continue to explain to Rodriguez during their lengthy conversation about his addiction to alcohol. "It's the biggest fight of my life. I've been up against you name it; everybody. I mean, I can put Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Vargas, I can put all of my opponents in one ring and battle all of them, but this monster is going to be the toughest fight of my life, but I'll be ready."
All I can really say is, WOW! While it's good to know that De La Hoya is coming clean and getting his life back together, you can't help but wonder what else he may have been lying about. First we find out that both Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton abused cocaine, then we discover that Sugar Ray Leonard was molested, and now this...I suppose it should come as no surprise that there's truly more than meets the eye when it comes to the Sweet Science.
Check out a clip from the english version of the interview below. For those that are interested in seeing the original video in spanish where De La Hoya discusses the scandal, click here.
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