Oscar De La Hoya says he wants a Floyd Mayweather vs. Saul Canelo Alvarez rematch, but does he really mean it?

Saul Canelo Alvarez is in a tough spot. Fans want to see him fight Gennady Golovkin, but his promoter doesn’t. In the meantime, he has a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to sell. Oscar De La Hoya’s solution? Call out Floyd Mayweather for a rematch.

Mayweather beat Alvarez by majority decision in 2013, but save for incomptent judge C.J. Ross, Floyd dominated every round. Oscar thinks things would be different this time around.

 RELATED: De La Hoya steers Canelo around GGG to Chavez 

“If Floyd wants to have a big fight, a huge fight, the only guy he could fight is Canelo Alvarez,” De La Hoya said to Sports Illustrated. “And I guarantee you, I believe in my heart of hearts that Canelo would probably beat him easy, maybe even knock him out.”

– Boxingscene

De La Hoya, head of Alvarez’s promotional team Golden Boy, missed the fight after checking into rehab for substance abuse.

Mayweather, 40, retired from the sport in 2015 after points wins over Manny Pacquiao and Andre Berto. He’s gone on the record to say he’d only return for a fight with UFC superstar Conor McGregor.

This isn’t the first time De La Hoya has promised fans one of his fighters would defeat the unbeaten Mayweather. It’s been a long-running joke in boxing that everyone he’s given his supposed blueprint to has failed. That includes Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz and more.

It’s obvious De La Hoya would love nothing more than to see Mayweather humbled. The two have been bitter enemies since Floyd defeated Oscar in 2007. It’s just as obvious he doesn’t truly believe it will happen. De La Hoya uses Mayweather’s name to generate headlines; Mayweather craves relevance now that his in-ring career is over. The formula is mutually beneficial.

Don’t expect a rematch to actually take place. Canelo is naturally 20-25 lbs. heavier than Mayweather at this point and still at the height of his powers. Do expect De La Hoya to continue to pull the Mayweather card whenever interest in Canelo’s fight with Chavez wanes. It may not be the cleverest promotional tactic but it’s effective.

 SEE ALSO: Deontay Wilder vs Gerald Washington odds & prediction