I was a world champion boxer but leaked photos of me in stockings went viral despite paying Russian mafia millions
BOXING legend Oscar De La Hoya was on top of the world when photos of him crossdressing went viral.
An exotic dancer took photos of De La Hoya dressed in stockings during a wild party back in 2007 and leaked them.
The American bruiser found himself in crisis mode and was desperate to make the snaps go away.
So much so, that the Golden Boy was even convinced to pay "millions of dollars" to the Russian mob as he felt they would help erase all the evidence that he thought would tarnish his image.
De La Hoya told : "They told me this story about the Russian mob and this and that and [how] we gotta pay millions of dollars…
"I’m like, ‘Yeah, well, just make it go away. It’s gonna ruin my image. It’s gonna ruin who the Golden Boy is, and people are gonna hate me. Just make it go away.”
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De La Hoya, though, also revealed he had a "whole machine" behind him that helped him repeatedly deny the photos' authenticity until he finally admitted the truth in March.
The 50-year-old also confirmed he paid forensics to tell the public those images were Photoshopped.
The incident created issues with his marriage, however it didn't stop him from continuing to party.
The now boxing promoter, though, believes that all the press helped him sell more pay-per-views.
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De La Hoya told : “I have a whole machine behind me. I’m in the peak of my career, right?
"And we’re, like, ‘Holy s**t! How are we gonna make these things disappear, these photos? Let’s hire this forensic…’ I don’t know what he was.
“He was going through everything, pixel by pixel, and we convince him with money, to say that they were fake.
"And the world believed it that they were Photoshopped. And we were home free.
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"And guess what happens? I’m married at the time. My wife is angry at me.
"She’s fed up with me because I’m left and right cheating on her and this and that. She convinces me to go on national TV and tell the truth.
“She wanted me to look like a fool. She wanted to get back at me. And I did it.
“I think there’s a certain feeling when you tell the truth. But what was incredible is that I was so big at the time, popular and making money and this and that, that I couldn’t do any wrong.
“I think I sold more pay-per-views because of it. Which was crazy.
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“I went back [to partying]. I didn’t care. I didn’t learn a lesson, not at all. I’m, what? I’m 23, 24.
"Come on. I’m unstoppable. I’m indestructible. Nobody can take me down. You have that mentality. It’s childish, yes. But that’s exactly what I was living.”
