Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya attends an open to the public media workout hosted by boxing legend "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya at XBOX Plaza Getty Images | Amy Sussman

KEY POINTS

  • Oscar De La Hoya admitted that he wasn't a present dad to his daughter, Atiana De La Hoya
  • De La Hoya said Travis Barker stepped up to the plate as Atiana's stepdad
  • The boxing great said that the drummer is a "good guy" and that he is "grateful for what he's done"

Oscar De La Hoya is expressing his gratitude to Travis Barker for being an admirable father figure to his daughter, Atiana De La Hoya.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight ahead of the premiere of his two-part HBO documentary "The Golden Boy," the former boxer admitted that he wasn't a present dad to Atiana, whom De La Hoya shares with former beauty queen Shanna Moakler, and said that he wanted to give "credit where credit is due."

"Look, I didn't raise my kids, you know? Their moms did. And I have to give credit where credit is due," De La Hoya told ET. "I'm grateful that Barker was there, you know, as a father figure for my daughter. I have to be grateful that Shanna was a mother to Atiana, and just know my place, basically, you know? My place — I'm obviously a father, and I'm proud of it. But, again, I'm grateful for what they've done. Especially with Barker. He's obviously stepped up to the plate."

De La Hoya and the former Miss USA welcomed Atiana in 1999. They split a year later, after she saw him on TV in September 2000 attending the Latin Grammys with another woman. Atiana was only 5 when Moakler married Barker in October 2004.

Atiana formed a strong bond with her stepfather, which remained even after Moakler and Barker divorced in 2008.

De La Hoya told ET that he's in communication with the Blink-182 drummer.

"He's such a nice guy," he said of Barker. "I have the utmost respect for him."

He added, "He's a good guy. I've talked to him several times. And we communicate about Atiana. I'm just grateful for what he's done."

De La Hoya's comments came nearly two years after he praised Barker during an "Ask Me Anything" session.

After being asked by one of his Instagram followers how he feels about Barker raising his daughter Atiana, the boxing great responded that he has "nothing but respect" for the musician.

De La Hoya also has two sons — Jacob, 25, and Devon, 24 — from previous relationships with Toni Alvarado and Angelicque McQueen, respectively.

He also has three children — son Oscar, 17, daughter Nina, 14, and daughter Victoria, 9 — with Puerto Rican singer and actress Milagros "Millie" Corretjer, whom De La Hoya married in October 2001. They split in 2016, but he only filed for divorce in January.

Barker, who is now married to Kourtney Kardashian, also shares son Landon, 19, and daughter Alabama, 17, with Moakler. The musician and Kardashian are also expecting their first child together.

"The Golden Boy" premieres on HBO on July 24, with Part Two airing the next day.

Moakler And Barker
Shanna Moakler, here with former husband Travis Barker at the 2005 American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in 2005, recently shared her opinions on the topic of breastfeeding. Reuters