Khan, 29, landed the massive bout that had previously eluded him in talks with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao – although had to head up to 155 pounds in order to secure a pay-per-view date with the popular Mexican.
Even with some seeing the fight completely one-sided in favour of Canelo, De La Hoya believes Khan has proven himself in the combat stakes when taking on hard-hitting Marcos Maidana back in 2010.
“Amir Khan is a warrior, a fighter who will take on anybody to become great,” said De La Hoya.
“Nowadays, you have fighters that don’t want to fight each other. Amir steps up to the plate and dares to be great.
“I remember the fight Amir Khan had with Marcos Maidana. Maidana went down, and Amir did not. Amir did a tremendous job. That’s who he is – he has heart and passion and fights to the very end.
“That’s what makes boxing what it is today – the best sport in the world.”
On the fight itself, which sees the pair contest the WBC middleweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the ten-time world champion added: “It will be a mega fight with high-intensity action between two the most powerful and popular fighters on May 7.”
