Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya, has reiterated his belief that Mayweather will suffer his first defeat to Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 14, and then face the 23-year-old RING and WBC junior middleweight champion in a rematch.

“I just see it. I can envision that because I know what he’s capable of. I understand his potential, and he hasn’t shown not one bit of what he’s capable of,” said De La Hoya, who lost a split decision to Mayweather in May of 2007, during an international conference call on Tuesday.

“I strongly feel that on Sept. 14, we are going to see a Saul Alvarez who is going to be fast, and who is going to be younger, and who is going to be strong as we know, and who is going to be smart. He’s the whole package, and he hasn’t put it all together because he hasn’t fought Floyd Mayweriather, who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Floyd Mayweather will bring out the best in Saul Alvarez.”

De La Hoya confirmed his prediction that Mayweather, 36, will be stopped in less than eight rounds by Alvarez, potentially as the result of a one-punch knockout.

“That’s my personal position, and that’s my personal feeling. That’s how I feel that the fight will pan out,” said De La Hoya.

“In boxing, anything can happen, and in boxing, any punch can land and knock you out. So, my feeling is that a fighter like Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has what it takes to land that perfect punch.”

De La Hoya also maintained his belief that the matchup between Mayweather (44-0, 26 knockouts) and Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs) will surpass the record numbers drawn by his fight against Mayweather, which holds the all-time pay-per-view record with more than 2.5 million buys.

“I know why the fight has caught on so big, is that people have hope. People strongly feel that Mayweather’s going to get beat. That’s why I feel that this fight is catching fire,” said De La Hoya.

“You have a young guy in Saul who is like a seasoned veteran. He knows what he’s doing. He’s a fighter that has a game plan, and he’s a guy that is in the best shape of his life. People have hope and they strongly feel that Mayweather is going to get beat.”

If Alvarez wins, De La Hoya said that he strongly believes that there will be a return bout.

“If Canelo wins, there is going to be a rematch. Both guys are competitors, both guys want to be in against the best,” said De La Hoya, “and with Canelo winning — we know and we’re sure that we’re going to see a great fight — I strongly feel that both guys will want to fight again.”

Coming off a unanimous decision over Austin Trout in April, Alvarez will face Mayweather at a catchweight of 152 pounds.

“There is a [monetary] penalty” if Alvarez does not make weight, said De La Hoya, in response to a question by Mark Ortega of RingTV.com.

“But, obviously, “Saul is not going to have any problems whatsoever making the weight. He weighed 153 against Austin Trout with no problem, so Saul is going to have no problem whatsoever.”

Photo by Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos, Golden Boy Promotions

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]