Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya is not worried about the chatter regarding his upcoming opponent's past controversies with performance enhancing drugs.

De La Hoya, 48-years-old, will return to the ring for the first time since December 2008, when he faces former UFC champion Vitor Belfort at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Belfort, who had a single professional fight several years ago, is well known for his power punching ability in the cage.

“The whispers around me are always telling me, dude this guy is going to be juiced up. He’s known for that. They’ve popped him for that. Look at his physique, look at how hard he hits. He’s got the knockout streaks in the UFC, this and that,” De La Hoya said to Morning Kombat.

“You know what, I literally don’t care because what I’m doing it for is much bigger than anything else. I have a good chin. I haven’t fought heavyweight but I have a good chin. I have good skill, I’m ready, let’s go.”

During his retirement, De La Hoya's life spiraled out of control.

The boxer was involved in highly publicized battles with alcohol and drugs.

“When you retire, you’re taking away your soul. You’re taking away a part of you that you’ve been doing all your life, since I was five years old, six years old. So now you’ve yanked that out of your heart, and what do I turn to? Alcohol, drugs, this, that,” De La Hoya said.

“All that time that I was retired, dude my life was spiraling. I was functioning, I was like, hey I present myself good, oh he’s the Golden Boy… I washed up really good, I brushed my hair, hey let’s go. But dude, I was dying, bro. Dying. So everything, all those emotions are suppressed… so I said you know what, f--- it, I’m just going to do it for myself. I’m going to do this one for me, and when I say boxing saves my life, it literally does.”