Oscar De La Hoya is admitting to what many already knew ... he WAS boozed up during his appearance at the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight ... and now he's apologizing.
48-year-old Oscar was a babbling mess when he joined the announcer's table to commentate during one of the undercard fights at the April 17 event in Georgia ... leaving many wondering if something was wrong with the boxing legend.
In fact, Frank Mir -- who was fighting Steve Cunningham when Oscar joined the broadcast -- tweeted after the fight that he hopes Oscar's people get him professional help for his issues.
"I could be angry and I could laugh too but addiction is no joke, I know," Mir said ... "I sincerely hope that those around Oscar get him the help he needs."
As you may know, Oscar has publicly talked about his battles with substance abuse over the years ... and has sought treatment on several occasions.
But, Oscar is playing off the situation as no big deal ... saying he just got caught up in the party atmosphere at the event -- which included live performances from Snoop and Justin Bieber -- and simply drank too much.
"I started having a couple drinks. And then [the Triller producers] told me, ‘Why don’t you go and commentate?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, man! Okay, okay,'" Oscar said this week on the DAZN Boxing show.
"I got a little over carried away. And I apologize. But it’s all good. It’s all good."
Oscar says he's now back in "beast mode" and focusing on making his return to the boxing ring in July. His opponent has not yet been announced.