De La Hoya: If McGregor boxes, Canelo fight 'makes the most sense'

It was only a matter of time before Oscar De La Hoya got in on the Conor McGregor talk.

With the recent news that McGregor is officially licensed to box in the state of California, the door is now open (or at least ajar) for a potential meeting between "Mystic Mac" and students of the sweet science. A bout with Floyd Mayweather has been discussed ad nauseam, and veteran Paul Malignaggi has also exchanged words with McGregor, but De La Hoya believes the true money match is with Golden Boy Promotions' prized pugilist Canelo Alvarez.

"If Conor is serious about fighting - first of all, I would love to talk to him and promote him," said De La Hoya in an interview with Fight Hub TV. "Imagine Conor McGregor and Golden Boy coming together. But the only fight I would love to see, and this is the one that makes the most sense, that would be the most exciting, that would be a guaranteed knockout, is Canelo Alvarez.

"They're the same weight class so it makes all the sense in the world. It would be at 160. Imagine, a Mexican and an Irish, it would be a hell of a fight, that's for sure."

Canelo is fresh off his sixth straight win, a ninth-round TKO of Liam Smith that earned him the WBO light middleweight title. He's 48-1-1 in his pro career with the lone loss coming to Mayweather. At 26 years old, Canelo is one of boxing's most prominent young stars, though he has struggled to draw better than decent box office numbers since the Mayweather fight.

That dilemma would undoubtedly be fixed by a matchup with McGregor. "The Notorious" knocked out Eddie Alvarez (no relation) in November to become a UFC champion at both 155 and 145 pounds, and his flirtation with boxing has fans and fighters intrigued as to whether it's even possible for him to compete outside of the Octagon.