Why Oscar De La Hoya Says He Let Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler Raise Daughter Atiana

Oscar De La Hoya is praising Travis Barker for being a knock out dad.

The boxer recently opened up about the positive influence the Blink 182 drummer had on his and ex Shanna Moakler's daughter Atiana, 24, reflecting on why he was absent for a lot of her childhood.

"I basically ran away," Oscar admitted on the Allison Interviews podcast July 20. "I was scared. I was fearful. I did try to be a father full time for a few years, and it was beautiful."

But during those years, negative thoughts started to creep up in his head.

"It was amazing to raise a little girl," the 50-year-old continued, "but there came a point where you say to 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 through, not receiving that love when I was a kid."

He further pointed to the dynamic that shaped his childhood.

"My father never told me, ‘I love you.' My mother never told me she loved me," Oscar explained. "She never really gave me a hug. When I would cry, she would start hitting me. That is how bad it was."

So, at the time, the heavyweight champion felt it was best for Travis and Shanna—who divorced after four years in 2008—to raise Atiana, due to his trauma. (The musician and former beauty queen are also parents to Landon, 19 and Alabama, 17.)

"You convince yourself that you are not worthy of giving love," Oscar noted. "Then you start feeling sorry for yourself. Life starts just spiraling and you're lost. All you want to do is drink and do drugs and escape. Luckily for me, when I was boxing, all the way to the end, it kept me in line. I always felt I wasn't worthy of anything, that I wasn't worthy of love."

But that's not to say he didn't have a relationship with his daughter, it was just a different one.

"As a father I was always there, but not there, you know?" he quipped. "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. You have to check in and you worry. 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."  

But these days, Atiana is all grown up, with Oscar being proud his daughter can pack a punch with her own path. 

"I love it," the Hall of Famer told E! News in June 2022. "I always wished the best for her. That's what a father always wants for his daughter. So, I give her all the love I can give her and I'm always there as her number one fan."

Kourtney posted a photo of her baby bump in June 2023, a week after she and Travis publicly shared that they're expecting.

Kourtney shared a close up of this sweet throwback of Alabama and Penelope for Alabama's 17th birthday.

Kourtney and Travis' families kick off their Italian wedding celebrations in Portofino in May 2022.

Landon Barker trails Reign Disick as they lead the way during Kourtney and Travis' wedding ceremony.

Alabama Barker and Penelope Disick match in coordinating Dolce & Gabbana outfits as they walk down the isle during Kravis' nuptials.

Alabama snaps a silly selfie with Kourt, Penelope and sister Atiana De La Hoya during the festivities.

The bride and groom stroll around Portofino with Reign in tow.

Kourtney and Alabama pose for another sweet selfie.

Kourtney, Travis, Alabama, Atiana, Landon and Reign posed at Disneyland on April 18 for Kourtney's 43rd birthday celebration. 

Kourtney, Travis, Alabama, Atiana, Landon and Reign spent the day at the Happiest Place on Earth on April 18 in honor of Kourtney's 43rd birthday.

Landon, Atiana and Kourtney posed together while enjoying a day at Disneyland for Kourtney's 43rd birthday on April 18.

Penelope the artist! Travis shared her drawing of him on March 6. 

Kourtney, Travis (wearing an Enfants Riches Déprimés sweater), Mason, Alabama and Atiana watched Landon model in the AMIRI Autumn-Winter 2022 Runway Show in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2022.

On Christmas Eve, the Kardashian-Jenners joined the Barkers for a night of celebrations.

Travis and Penelope enjoyed a game of checkers, alongside Kourtney and MJ who watched the pair.

For Alabama's 16th birthday Dec. 24, Kourtney and Travis surprised her with balloons that spelled out BAMA 16. As her dad wrote in the caption, "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!"

Travis appeared with Kourtney and Penelope in a TikTok video posted on the mom and daughter's joint account.

"So happy for you guys," Travis's daughter Alabama wrote on a photo of the Blink-182 drummer and Kourtney as they celebrated their engagement. "I love u both!"

Travis' 17-year-old son Landon Barker joined his dad and Kourtney for some Halloween fun at Knott's Scary Farm in Southern California.

Seeking out more spooky scenes, Kourtney recruited her 11-year-old son Mason Disick for a trip to Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights with Travis and his daughter Alabama.

Travis' stepdaughter and Alabama and Landon's half-sister Atiana De La Hoya posed as the Bride of Frankenstein to Reign Disick's Frankenstein.

Kourtney's daughter Penelope Disick rocked a devil costume for yet another family Halloween outing in early October. This time, the crew headed to immersive L.A. jack-o-lantern experience, Nights of the Jack.

During their Nights of the Jack adventure, Alabama captured Travis and Penelope sharing a sweet moment as he walked around carrying her on his shoulders.

Even before they were dating, Travis and Kourtney were friends for years. Just look at this throwback photo of Mason, Landon, Alabama and Penelope from 2017 that the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star shared in honor of Landon's 18th birthday in October 2021! 

Talk about a sweet birthday present! Travis gifted Kourtney's daughter Penelope a state-of-the-art drum set when she turned nine back in July.

What better place to spend the Fourth of July than Disneyland? The happy couple celebrated the holiday there with Landon, Alabama and Reign.

Atiana opted to twin with Kourtney in matching snow gear during their first family trip together in Deer Valley, Utah back in April 2021.

Who needs to hit the slopes when you've got snowmobiles? Alabama joined in on the fun in this candid snap of her, Kourtney and Atiana.

Reign struck a pose while on Alabama's back atop Deer Creek's beautiful mountains.

Like his sister, Landon made sure to get his own photo with Reign.