Oscar De La Hoya Released From Hospital Following Breakthrough COVID-19 Diagnosis

Hall-of-fame boxer Oscar De La Hoya is back home after he was hospitalized earlier this month with a breakthrough case of COVID-19. The 49-year-old boxing legend revealed in a Wednesday update that he is “out of the hospital” following a three-day stay for treatment. In the 20-second-long video, which he shared to both Twitter and Instagram, De La Hoya also opened up about his experience with the virus, which he said “hit me really hard.”

Speaking to fans, De La Hoya said that despite being “in the best shape,” he virus still hit him “really hard.” Now out of the hospital and continuing his recovery at home, the boxer said he “really can’t wait to get back in the ring.” De La Hoya also took a moment to thank fans, stating, “thank you very much for all your well wishes and all your support. I appreciate it.”

De La Hoya’s release from the hospital came just days after he revealed in a Friday post that “despite being fully vaccinated, I have contracted Covid” and he would not be able to participate in his scheduled boxing match. He had been slated to fight Vitor Belfort on Sept. 11 in Los Angeles, a match that would have marked his first since his retirement from the sport in 2008. It was later announced that former boxing champ Evander Holyfield will step in for De La Hoya in the fight, though it will now take place in Hollywood, Florida.

“Preparing for this comeback has been everything to me over the last months, and I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support,” De La Hoya wrote in the post’s caption, adding in an accompanying video, “I mean, what are the chances of me getting COVID?” he said in the footage. “I’ve been taking care of myself and this really, really kicked my a-.”

Although the vaccines currently being administered offer high levels of protection against both contracting the virus and severe symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that “breakthrough cases,” ones in which vaccinated people become infected with the virus, “are expected.” The CDC notes that “like with other vaccines, vaccine breakthrough cases will occur, even though the vaccines are working as expected. Asymptomatic infections among vaccinated people will also occur.” However, the chances of contracting the virus once vaccinated are slim, and the majority of deaths in the United States are in unvaccinated people, with the Associated Press recently reporting that between “98% to 99% of the Americans dying of the coronavirus are unvaccinated.”