Wednesday 2 March 2016 15:42, UK
Oscar De La Hoya has warned Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez that if he makes the slightest mistake, Amir Khan will capitalise and beat him.
The former multi-weight world champion is the promoter behind the May 7 showdown in Las Vegas which he believes is the perfect match-up between "power and speed".
Khan is stepping up two weights to challenge Alvarez for his WBC world middleweight title - at a catchweight of 155lbs - and remains the underdog.
But De La Hoya believes that if 'Canelo' makes the slightest mistake it will go the same way as his own final fight, in December 2008, when Manny Pacquiao moved up a weight to stop him in eight rounds.
"We all know what happened there - he retired me," De La Hoya told Sky Sports in New York.
"I remember thinking when I was in training camp, 'He's not going to do anything to me, he's not going to hurt me because I am faster than him and I could knock him out with one punch'.
"But round-by-round he took me apart and eventually stopped me.
"That can happen if a fighter isn't 100 per cent or doesn't have the capability of having the perfect strategy. It's up to Canelo Alvarez.
"If he can stay focused he obviously has a great shot of winning, but if he gets it slightly off, a lot can go wrong."
Khan is also expecting a large British contingent following him out to Las Vegas, coinciding with the Mexican national holiday, Cinco de Mayo.
Ricky Hatton was the last British fighter to do that but De La Hoya is expecting the weekend to produce something similar.
"It will be like a beer festival," he said. "I have told all the hotel executives to order extra beer!"
