Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, has announced he will miss the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Canelo Alvarez fight Saturday in Las Vegas because he will be in rehab.

De La Hoya has had ongoing problems with substance abuse. Alvarez is his company’s star attraction.

“Canelo Alvarez and I have big fights coming up this weekend. His is the ring and mine in treatment,” De La Hoya said in a prepared statement. “I will not be at the fight to cheer Canelo to victory since I have voluntarily admitted myself into a treatment facility.

“I explained this to Canelo and he understood that my health and longterm recovery from my disease must come first.Thank you for your understanding. I ask for your support and privacy during this difficult time for me and my family.”

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer spoke to RingTV.com’s Mark Ortega regarding De La Hoya’s development.

“If you break your leg you can’t go and say, ‘I’m gonna go next week to the doctor.’ You have to deal with these things as they happen. It was extremely important for Oscar to get the help he needed now,” said Schaefer, indicating that De La Hoya’s absence could go beyond this weekend and perhaps beyond his exiting rehab.

“I think his focus now isn’t, ‘Let me go to rehab and come right back out and jump into Golden Boy.’ I think it’s going to be awhile. He really realized it’s a matter of focus and importance. He realizes what is important. It’s about his life, about his health, it’s about his family as well. Those three things are much more important than anything else.”

The wear and tear of a 10-city press tour could of had an impact on De La Hoya’s current predicament. Jetting around the country from place to place can often not be conducive to a sober lifestyle.

“If you are somebody who battles that illness, that disease, I think being around these things, yes. It’s certainly not a conductive environment for somebody with that kind of disease to be around the boxing scene and you guys know that,” said Schaefer.

“You’re surrounded by temptations, and even for someone with a strong character and personality, to be around the boxing circus, there are bad influences all around. We obviously wish him well and, as they say, the show must go on.”