Oscar De La Hoya is recalling the years when Travis Barker acted as a father figure to his oldest daughter, Atiana, 24.
While appearing on Allison Kugel’s “Allison Interviews" podcast on July 20, De La Hoya said he simply wasn't ready for fatherhood after he welcomed Atiana with Shanna Moakler in 1999.
"I basically ran away. I basically was scared," he said. "I was fearful. I did try to be a father full-time for a few years, and it was beautiful. It was amazing. I mean, to raise a little girl and — but there came a point where it's like, you ask yourself, 'Wait a minute. You're not worthy of this.'
“You try to convince yourself that you are not worthy of this, that love is not possible in your life because of what I lived, of not receiving that love when I was a kid. My father never told me he loved me. 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's how bad it was," he said.
De La Hoya split with Moakler one year after they welcomed Atiana. In 2004, Moakler married Barker and they stayed wed until they got divorced in 2008.
Barker shares two kids, Landon, 19, and Alabama, 17, with the former model.
In the interview, De La Hoya noted that fatherhood wasn't easy for him even though he knew he could be a dad.
"You start feeling sorry for yourself and then your life just starts spiraling, and then you're lost. And then all you do is want to drink, and do drugs, and this and that and escape," he said. "Luckily for me, when I was boxing, when I was fighting, all the way to the end, it kept me in line."
Although De La Hoya said he was "always there" in Atiana's life, he said he didn't have a "typical" relationship with his daughter where he would be there for her "24/7."
"It wasn’t like that," he said. "But obviously, she is my daughter and I love her. You have to check in, obviously, and you have to worry. Even though I was apart, I felt like I was always close, but I just didn’t feel like I was worthy enough to do the job.”
Earlier this month, De La Hoya spoke about his relationship with Atiana to "Entertainment Tonight," thanking Barker and Moakler for raising his kid.
"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," the former professional boxer said.
When Atiana celebrated her 24th birthday in March, she got a sweet shoutout from Barker on Instagram, who wrote, "Happy Birthday I love you !!!"