The pair collide in what will be Canelo’s first contest since vacating the WBC middleweight title in favor of facing super welterweight champion Smith over a massive encounter with pound for pound star Gennady Golovkin.
De La Hoya sees Canelo and Smith going toe-to-toe as soon as the first bell rings next month and predicts the fans will go home happy once the dust settles in Arlington.
“Canelo is never, ever in a boring fight. He is one to take you apart and knock you out and that is what he plans to do with Liam Smith,” said De La Hoya.
“Liam Smith is going to come to the US wanting to take the title back with him to the UK. It’s going to be a battle one not to miss. I think this will be a fight fought in the center of the ring.
“Canelo has opened up his training camp in San Diego. Now he begins to sharpen his tools, get his timing where he likes it to be, the sparring intensifies, he tightens up his footwork, defense and offense,” he added.
Canelo has lost just once in his career when losing out to Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the tender age of 23 but has since shown great form in coming back to score wins over the likes of Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan.
