Oscar De La Hoya Is the Promoter, but Says, 'I'm a Full-Time Fighter' vs. Manny Pacquiao

Oscar De La Hoya is the world's most popular boxer, but unlike so many boxers who have blown their millions, De La Hoya has built his boxing career into a business empire.

But as De La Hoya prepares for his December 6 fight with Manny Pacquiao, is there a concern that working as the fight's promoter in his role as the head of Golden Boy Promotions could distract him from his preparations?

I asked De La Hoya that today, and he said that when he's training for a fight, there's no question of how he balances his responsibilities: He's concerned about what he does in the ring, period.

"When I become the fighter I become a full-time fighter, 100 percent," De La Hoya said. "Once in a while my partner Richard Schaefer will come up and ask me a question about how I think we should promote something, but I have all the confidence in the world in my team at Golden Boy Promotions. It's no distraction whatsoever. Big Bear isn't far from my office in Downtown L.A., but I'm focusing only on Manny Pacquiao."

De La Hoya added that there was a time, early in his boxing career, when he might not have been able to manage his time so well: "If I would have started Golden Boy 10 years ago it would have been a huge distraction," he said.

But De La Hoya said that's no longer the case.

I asked De La Hoya if there are any athletes he's tried to emulate in terms of their business acumen, and I thought he might name Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. But he said his role models as athlete/businessmen are the people who have shown him what not to do -- the boxers who have made millions in their primes only to live in poverty in retirement.

"I've looked at the negatives, not the positives," De La Hoya said. "I've looked at how they mis-managed their careers, how they didn't have a strong team around them. I looked at how they mis-managed their money, and that's how I've been able to establish myself. I've avoided the mistakes of other athletes."

De La Hoya has made well over $100 million in his boxing career. Avoiding those mistakes may mean he'll make even more in retirement.