--- title: Oscar De La Hoya: The Best Advice Muhammad Ali Ever Gave Me description: "It doesn’t matter what happens inside the ring; what matters is what you do outside the ring.” canonical: https://time.com/4360094/oscar-de-la-hoya-remembers-muhammad-ali/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-07T16:54:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:29.390Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Oscar De La Hoya: The Best Advice Muhammad Ali Ever Gave Me og:description: "What matters is what you do outside the ring” og:url: https://time.com/4360094/oscar-de-la-hoya-remembers-muhammad-ali/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1984833f10c58003/698896d3ab6d7754186a9fb2/oscar-de-la-hoya.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Amir Khan Media Workout og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Oscar De La Hoya: The Best Advice Muhammad Ali Ever Gave Me twitter:description: "What matters is what you do outside the ring” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1984833f10c58003/698896d3ab6d7754186a9fb2/oscar-de-la-hoya.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Oscar De La Hoya: The Best Advice Muhammad Ali Ever Gave Me > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Muhammad Ali 1942 - 2016 [Watch (HLS stream): Muhammad Ali 1942 - 2016](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bqrQRcbQ.m3u8) (2:05)  _Published 2016-06-04. Muhammad Ali, the heavyweight boxing legend who fought opponents in the ring and on behalf of social justice outside of it, has died at 74 years old._ by [Oscar De La Hoya](https://time.com/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) ## Oscar De La Hoya Jun 7, 2016 4:54 PM UTC  Oscar De La Hoya watches Amir Khan train during an open media workout in Hayward, Calif., April 18, 2016. Oscar De La Hoya watches Amir Khan train during an open media workout in Hayward, Calif., April 18, 2016. Alexis Cuarezma—Getty Images by [Oscar De La Hoya](https://time.com/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) ## Oscar De La Hoya Jun 7, 2016 4:54 PM UTC The first time I met The Greatest of All Time—Muhammad Ali—I didn’t know who he was. I was 6-years-old and living in East Los Angeles, a tough neighborhood plagued by gang violence, with my family in a small apartment. My parents decided it would be good for me to visit the local youth gym to keep me out of trouble and off the streets. The gym wasn’t even really a gym but rather an old church with the pews removed. The boxing ring was positioned in the same place where the altar for worship once stood. Ali didn’t say anything to us that day when he walked into the gym. He was alone and dressed in a sweatsuit for training that was fashioned from plastic, carrying a small gym bag. He went to the corner, wrapped his hands and quietly began training. We watched in awe as this towering man went from shadow boxing, to the speed bag, to the heavy bag. Suddenly, he stopped and called out to us: “All you kids! Get over here. I have something to tell you.” All of us were wide-eyed, not knowing who this man was and what he was going to say. We crowded around him and listened intently. “Kids, listen to me. It’s good to want to be a champion. I know that’s why you are here and why you work hard. But, never forget: It doesn’t matter what happens inside the ring; what matters is what you do _outside_ the ring.” All of us where surprised. We hadn’t heard this before. We all wanted to become champions, to make money and leave our rough neighborhood behind. This was a revolutionary idea for me to hear at such a young age. These few words from Ali had such an impact on me. This became my mantra and has guided how I live my life, how I run my business and what I teach my own kids. What matters most is the impact you leave on others around you and in your community. Ali lived his life this way. It’s part of the legacy he now leaves behind. It’s how I strive to live my life to this day. And it’s the same message I share every time I go back to my old neighborhood and speak with the young kids there, to inspire and encourage them to lead positive lives and build strong character. _For much more on Muhammad Ali, see TIME’s_ ALI: The Greatest_, a 112-page, fully illustrated commemorative edition. Available at retailers and at_ [_AMAZON.COM_](http://amzn.to/1rbALvP) ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ MUSIC ] Cassius Clay of Chicago. This will be no contest. This will be a total annihilation. I'm heavy weight champ of the world and I don't have to talk no more and say I'm the greatest because people tell me I'm the greatest. Would your next fight be billed as Cassius Clay or Muhammad Ali? Muhammad Ali Arrogant, boastful, sometimes as delicate. Be ready cuz I'm coming to get you. Why are you standing over him, Mohammad? I'm trying to tell the bum to get up and fight. [ UNKNOWN ] [ UNKNOWN ] Heavyweight champion Cassius Clay refused to take the oath of induction into the army. The black Muslim who is also known as Muhammad Ali was immediately stripped of his title by the World Boxing Association. Clay insisted that he is an ordained minister and should be exempt. The champ is sincere in his religious [ INAUDIBLE ] Beliefs. He believes in his religion and his stand is based wholly on that . >> I said, Mother, how come everything white? I said, why is Jesus white with blonde hair and blue eyes? Why is the Lord's Supper all white men? The black man and the black woman, should unite every good in them for the upliftment of the so- called American Negro - >> One of the greatest athletes of all time Muhammad Ali produced some of America's most lasting sports memories. From winning the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics to carrying the Olympic torch at At the 1996 Summer Olympics. As the first three time heavyweight boxing champion of the world, he thrilled, entertained and inspired us. His deep commitment to equal justice and peace has touched people around the world. 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