Oscar de la Hoya  was born on 4th February 1974 in Los Angeles, CA, USA.  His family, originally from Mexico, had a tradition of boxing. Both his father and grandfather fought in the ring, as did his older brother. De La Hoya's father told him to learn how to defend himself, and so at age six, he began training at a gym. As an amateur boxer, he won over 200 fights and a gold medal as the youngest boxer at the 1990 Goodwill Games. He was also named Boxer of the Year by USA Boxing in 1991.He was one of America's top amateur boxers during the late 80-s and early 90's, until he turned pro right after winning a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. The following November, he fought Lamar Williams and won the match with a first round KO.