(Sports Network) - Former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya announced his retirement on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old "Golden Boy" last appeared in the ring against Manny Pacquiao on December 6, but was battered in an eight-round lopsided loss. De La Hoya suffered a bruised left eye in the eighth and his corner decided to not let him continue.

"After heartfelt discussions with my family and my closest friends, it is with deep gratitude and appreciation that I announce my retirement from professional boxing," said De La Hoya. "Boxing has been the single, most consistent part of my life and although I will miss the ring, I know that it is time for me to step away from the sport competitively and become more active in the other aspects of it that are already in place and ready for me to pursue."

De La Hoya, a 10-time champion in six different weight classes, ends his brilliant career with a 39-6-0 record with 30 of the wins coming by knockout. He won titles in the super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight divisions.

"My career has been nothing short of magical and I am forever grateful to all of the people who made it possible," said De La Hoya. "Most importantly I deeply appreciate all of my fans who showered me with their cheers and support, consistently holding me up throughout my 17-year professional career. I believe the true meaning of my career was not in the winning or losing, but in the gift of sharing my fights with all of them, as I never imagined it would mean so much to so many. It has been an honor to fight all of my fights for each and every one of you."

The native of Los Angeles and chief executive in Golden Boy Promotions returned to the ring on May 6, 2006 after a 20-month layoff and captured the last of his titles with a sixth-round TKO of Ricardo Mayorga for the WBC light middleweight crown.

A year later he battled Floyd Mayweather Jr. for 12 rounds before losing on a split decision. A May 2008 win over Steve Forbes preceded his final bout against Pacquiao.

Among his many accomplishments, De La Hoya claimed the only U.S. gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics after beating Marco Rudolph by a 7-2 decision.

De La Hoya turned professional on November 23, 1992 and earned a first round knockout of Lamar Williams. He quickly moved up the ranks and won the WBO super featherweight title after taking down Jimmi Bredahl in 10 rounds on March 5, 1994.

Following a single title defense, De La Hoya went up to the lightweight division and knocked out Jorge Paez in two rounds in July of 1994 to take the WBO belt at 135 pounds.

He jumped to the 140 pound division in 1996 and beat Julio Cesar Chavez for the WBC light welterweight title, then to 147 pounds and garnered the WBC welterweight crown from Pernell Whitaker. He had seven successful title defenses before bowing to Felix Trinidad in a 12-round controversial setback in September 1999.

The former champion was stopped by Shane Mosley in June 2000 as De La Hoya attempted to reclaim his title. However, he would become a light middleweight and knocked out Fernando Vargas on September 14, 2002 for the WBC crown. His reign lasted just two fights, as Mosley captured a unanimous decision in September 2003.

In June 2004, De La Hoya claimed the WBO middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Felix Sturm, then lost to Bernard Hopkins three months later in a bout for the undisputed middleweight crown. The ninth-round KO kept De La Hoya sidelined for nearly two years before his comeback against Mayorga.

De La Hoya, regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers, is expected to relocate to Pasadena, California, along with wife Millie and his two children. He was previously residing in Puerto Rico.



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