Oscar De La Hoya revealed why he let Travis Barker raise his daughter, Atiana, whom he shares with ex Shanna Moakler.
The former professional boxer, 50, got candid about taking the backseat in parenting Atiana, now 24, during Thursday’s episode of the “Allison Interviews” podcast.
“I basically ran away,” De La Hoya admitted. “I was scared. I was fearful.
“I did try to be a father full-time for a few years, and it was beautiful. It was amazing to raise a little girl, but there came a point where you say to yourself, ‘Wait a minute, you’re not worthy of this.'”
He went on to explain that a lack of love in his childhood resulted in him feeling undeserving of the love from his daughter.
“You try to convince yourself that you are not worthy of this,” he said. “That love is not possible in your life, because of what I lived through, not receiving that love when I was a kid. My father never told me, ‘I love you.'”
He continued, “My mother never told me she loved me. She never really gave me a hug. When I would cry, she would start hitting me. That is how bad it was.”
De La Hoya clarified that although he was not the main father figure in Atiana’s life, he was never fully absent and always had a strong love for his daughter.
“I was always there, but not there, you know? It wasn’t your typical relationship with the father and the mother there 24/7. It wasn’t like that, but obviously, she is my daughter and I love her,” he explained.
“Even though I was apart, I felt like I was always close, but I didn’t feel like I was worthy enough to do the job.”
In the past, De La Hoya has praised Barker, 47, for his role in raising Atiana.
“I have nothing but respect for my man @travisbarker,” he responded to a fan during an Instagram Q&A in 2021.
The retired boxer welcomed Atiana with Moakler, 48, in 1999. Just a year later, the couple split.
Moakler went on to marry Barker in 2004, and the Blink-182 drummer raised Atiana since she was 5. The exes, who divorced in 2008, also share son Landon, 19, and daughter Alabama, 17.
Moakler previously claimed that she caught Barker having an affair with Kim Kardashian — the younger sister of his now-wife, Kourtney Kardashian.
Barker and Kourtney wed in May 2022, and she is currently pregnant with their first child together.
The Poosh founder, 44, has three other children — Mason, 13, Penelope, 10, and Reign, 8 — with her ex Scott Disick.
The former Miss USA has publicly criticized the rocker and reality star’s blended family, posting on Instagram in April that Kourtney “posts more with my kids than hers.”
Moakler, however, seemed to change her tune after news broke that two were expecting a baby.
“Very excited for them, hope they have a great experience bringing in a new life to the world,” she wrote via Instagram after a fan asked her thoughts on the pregnancy.
