By Leo Gonzalez

The seven-time world champion, Oscar De La Hoya, is fully convinced that his boxer, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, will exceed what other great figures of Mexican boxing have accomplished. De La Hoya, was present at all of the public events to promote the fight between "Canelo" and Matthew Hatton, which takes place on March 5 for the the world super welterweight championship of the WBC, at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

"We will support our champion. He may be the next great figure not only for Mexico but for all Latinos, for the entire race. He may be the next Chavez, De La Hoya and Ali."

- What did you see that made you bring him to Golden Boy Promotions?

"The fact is, he all of the necessary qualities needed to be champion, not only in the ring but outside as well. He has endurance, he's fast, strong, intelligent, and thinks in there. His feet move well, he can box and obviously the fact that many women follow him. The fans want to see a great show and he hits hard. "

- Do you identify with him?

"Sure, but he is in a position where he can be bigger than anyone in this sport. He is only twenty-years-old, and in that position I was lucky enough to have the whole world seeing me in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, but he already has the support of all the Mexicans. Winning this fight will make him the pride of all Hispanics in the U.S. and he is slowly capturing the attention of the public worldwide, so it's going in the right direction."

- What would follow if he won, when we will see against fighters with big names?

"Against Mosley, Cotto, Angulo, Mayweather and Pacquiao. That depends because his next fight is a difficult test. Pressure is knowing how to react in your first fight for a title, mentally, physically, and being the star on HBO's After Dark. That is a lot of pressure for a young man. If I see that he's ready, we will sit down with Team Canelo to decide his next fight. "

- What is your prediction?

"It's a tough fight, Matthew Hatton is well prepared, has stamina, he's complicated, but I believe that if he were to get tired, by the tenth, eleventh and twelfth rounds Canelo can stop him or knock him out"

- If he was knocked out quicker, would you surprised?

"I'd be very surprised if he knocked him out in the first four rounds because Hatton has a good chin and a lot of stamina."