Legendary retired boxer Oscar De La Hoya, an Olympic gold medalist who holds 10 world championship titles in six weight classes, has had quite the illustrious career. Though he was nicknamed “Golden Boy,” the champion boxer’s next chapter has taken him out of the ring and into the heart of Sin City, where he recently completed customizations on a Blue Heron-built home in Henderson, Nevada, a Las Vegas suburb. He and his girlfriend, Holly Sonders, listed the property for $20 million.
The home is located 15 miles from the Las Vegas Strip in the exclusive MacDonald Highlands neighborhood and specifically within the community’s DragonRidge neighborhood. It’s technically a community within a community, with its own DragonRidge Country Club and a clubhouse. Set behind double gates at the end of a private cul-de-sac, the home, called Casa de Oro, is set on nearly an acre at the foothills of the McCullough Mountains with panoramic views of the Las Vegas Strip and beyond. The home spans 9,000 square feet and currently is configured with three bedrooms (with room for up to five bedrooms) and seven bathrooms.
The open-plan living room and kitchen.
Theo Ayala
“I started fighting in Las Vegas 30-plus years ago,” Oscar De La Hoya tells Forbes. “I remember flying in a helicopter over the city back in 1993 with Kirk Kerkorian, and he said ‘This is where you’re going to be fighting.’ I fought 30 times at the MGM, which he built, and my only regret is that I didn’t move to Las Vegas 30 years ago.”
De La Hoya and Sonders bought the ultra-modern property when the foundation was laid and being built. The couple purchased it early enough that they were able to change the function of some of the rooms. For example, the home’s sitting room was transformed early on into a custom tribute room/man cave celebrating the boxer’s career. The glass-enclosed room features a 10-by-10-foot boxing ring, 16 mannequins dressed in his robes, an arcade machine, medals, championship belts and more.
The custom tribute room celebrating De La Hoya’s incredible career.
Theo Ayala
“Oscar wanted the home to be smooth, tranquil, and luxurious,” Sonders tells me. “He wanted to be very zen and inspired by Armani Casa. The home has clean lines and earthy tones when it comes to the couches and the rugs.”
The contemporary home prioritizes views, with double-height ceilings and walls of windows and automatic pocket doors that open directly to the back patio. The open-plan living space also includes the contemporary kitchen, with a massive island and state-of-the-art appliances. Other rooms include a massive TV room (there are 25 TVs throughout the entire house); a games room with a billiards table and TVs; a golf simulator room; office; formal dining room with a temperature-controlled wine cellar; and a fourth bedroom that Sonders uses as a glam room. The primary suite is like a luxury apartment, complete with a spa-inspired bathroom, massive walk-in closet for Sonders, outdoor shower and a private lanai area.
The primary bedroom overlooks the Las Vegas Strip.
Theo Ayala
De La Hoya and Sonders added life into the home via colorful large-format pieces of wall art and sculptures. They worked with Claire Conrad of Conrad West Design to source meaningful pieces. Pocket doors open from two separate living places directly to the outside, where there’s an additional 2,400 square feet of living space with a pool, fire pit, and al fresco dining area. Native landscaping adds a sense of place to the property.
“The home is very modern, but it’s warm, so I wanted to give it some color and pop,” says De La Hoya. “When you walk in you think, ‘These people who live here are fun and playful and don’t take life too seriously.’ For instance, I have a piece that I bought specifically for Holly that reminds her of growing up in Ohio. Her parents would take her to fast-food chain Big Boy because it was inexpensive to eat there, so I bought this big statue of Big Boy that’s probably seven or eight feet tall. His head is on the plate instead of a burger and the artist, named Ryan ‘Rhino’ Franklin, called the piece ‘You Are What You Eat.’”
There is an additional 2,400 square feet of living space.
Theo Ayala
While the couple is selling this property, they’ve already spotted a nearby property where they plan to build an even larger house, this time from scratch. De La Hoya and Sonders love the design process and creating a livable work of art. De La Hoya paid $14.6 million for their Las Vegas home in 2022 and spent millions in customizations. The listing is held by Zar Zanganeh of The Agency Las Vegas.
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