The Golden Boy

The Golden Boy is an emotional and honest portrayal of a champion's life, showing not just the glory but the immense sacrifices behind it. The story takes you through the highs and lows, capturing moments of triumph alongside the raw realities of personal and professional struggles. It feels deeply personal, with performances that bring genuine heart to the screen.

The pacing is perfect, keeping you hooked from start to finish, while the emotional depth hits hard. Whether or not you're a fan of sports, this film resonates as a story of resilience and humanity. It's inspiring, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.

De La Hoya fights evoked such paroxysms of excitement, weeks and weeks ahead of his fights. Never ducked the hard fight. Pure pugilist. What a boxer! Some fighters come along now and then and they seem so I'll-suited to the sport, if it weren't for the fact that they just glide balletically around as if gravity isn't a concern for them. Gracefulness wrapped inside a left lead that he would detonate whenever he saw the gap. It's such a huge shame that these warriors, these towering figures, cannot experience and enjoyment. As he says himself: "I can see in my eyes that I don't want to fight. I just wanted to be loved". A heartbreaking, flawless examination of one persons manifestation of pain.

I don't know much about this figure overall, since I am not much into competitive sports.

But HBO is ever a great network that continously provides a vast and interesting filmography of great dramas, or, in this case, documentaries.

This one does indeed fall very much in line with their other great works. It is very tightly paced and keeps up the interest beautifully. It is very well cut and edited, and showcases some good cinematography.

Overall, I would highly recommend this, whether you are interested in the subject or not. It does raise interest throughout its run regardless, and is a very competently made piece!

Not sure why this is getting so few reviews, but it's definitely worth the time. The fight footage is fantastic (duh), but much more importantly, the background about La Hoya and the interviews and the insights (from La Hoya as well as his family/partners/kids/business associates) are great. And the story is super interesting - I saw some of his fights on TV years ago, and liked him, but had no idea what was really going on...

Ok, yeah, I'm not completely convinced that even now he's come completely to grips with all that's happened (read: that he's done) in his life based on his character - particularly his treatment of some people close to him - but the fact that he even made this film, and is this honest in it, says a lot. The biggest thing that comes thru is that, for good or for bad, taking risks is always the way to go. I never realized how much he had done that.....

But most importantly, it's just really fun to watch!

I'm most impressed with his honesty. Nobody knows what it is like to walk in his shoes. Most of us have not had his success and fame. No judgement here because if presented with life's temptations on the level he was at I know the majority of us would have done the same thing. I respect the man to share his pain and I wish him well in his search for self- love and self-compassion. Oscar has shown more guts telling his story here than standing in the ring with some very dangerous fighters! Enjoy your family and try to learn and welcome intimacy in your life with your kids who want to know you!!