De La Hoya starts fresh after rehab

The former six-time boxing champion, now president of Golden Boy Promotions, has emerged from a three-month substance-abuse rehabilitation in Malibu, Calif., and is talking openly about the demons he has battled for the past few years.

De La Hoya, 38, entered rehab in May.

“It’s the best investment I’ve ever made,” he said in a telephone interview Thursday. “This news coming out was long overdue. I needed to get my story out there. I was living a lie and I was tired of it. It was eating me alive.”

De La Hoya had long denied he was using cocaine, shook off claims that he drank too much and said he never cheated on his wife, Millie Corretjer. He claimed that explicit photos of him wearing lingerie that appeared in newspapers and websites around the world in 2007 had been altered.

But De La Hoya’s denials were a lie, he says now. And as he lived a life of deceit, he was losing control of it.

De La Hoya admitted he contemplated ending his life, but said he didn’t have the guts to kill himself. Instead, he sought help and has emerged with a renewed sense of purpose as he returns to work to help promote the WBC welterweight title fight between champion Victor Ortiz and unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sept. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden.

“I love what I do and I’m re-energized,” De La Hoya said.

“I was going to attend the fight. But by getting the word out now about myself, I’m hoping I won’t be a distraction come fight week and the focus will be on Victor and Floyd.”

On Tuesday, De La Hoya appeared on the Spanish TV network Univision and spoke openly for the first time about his problems. He said during that interview: “I was reaching that point where I could no longer control it.”

He was also asked if he reached a point where he didn’t want to continue living.

“Yes. One of those nights when I was drunk and I was alone again, I asked myself, ‘Is it worth to be alive?’ ” he said. “I was already feeling like I had nothing, and what is going through your mind are your children, your wife, the people who love you and were strong.

“I thought about it. I’m not capable of doing something like that, but I did think about it.”

De La Hoya said living in the moment has been easier than expected since rehab.

“I still have my goals and ambitions,” he said. “But I live my life differently now. I pray every day. I don’t drink. I have a disease, and I’m dealing with it.

“I know there are people who will doubt my sincerity. But as I told my wife, saying I’m sorry doesn’t mean a thing. I’m going to walk the walk and show you. That’s all I can do.”

De La Hoya said he has found a lot of support since going public.

“I’m humbly taken aback by the outpouring of love,” he said. “It’s a good feeling. I’ve had people come up to me crying and telling me they have family that have gone through a similar situation, and if I can turn my life around that maybe they can, too.

“I’ve been a role model since I was 17. But that was because of what I did in the ring. Now, maybe I can be a role model for a different reason. If I can help one person get their life back in order because I went public with my addiction, then it was worth it.”

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.