Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya believes that a showdown between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Miguel Cotto could generate around 2 million pay-per-view buys.

De La Hoya said in an interview with USA Today that he sees no reason why an Alvarez-Cotto showdown will not generate big PPV numbers, citing Cotto's popularity and Canelo's huge fan base.

"When Cotto-Canelo gets made, I see no reason why it can't come close to the two million mark in pay-per-view buys," De La Hoya said. "Yes, you have to give credit to Miguel Cotto, he's a great fighter. But you bring in the Canelo factor and it brings pay-per-view fights to a whole new level."

De La Hoya admitted that the Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown is still the best possible fight in terms of PPV potential, but the Hall of Fame boxer said that the Alvarez-Cotto fight is not too far behind, especially if the reigning pound-for-pound king continues to turn down fighting the Filipino boxing icon.

"Like every fan out there, I'm waiting patiently," De La Hoya said. "But my patience is starting to run out and now I'm smiling over Cotto-Canelo, which I know can fill that void."

Alvarez has fought in big-money bouts before, including his showdown with Mayweather in September 2013. Previous reports indicated that the Mayweather-Canelo fight generated more than $150 million revenue, which made it the highest-grossing fight in history.

Alvarez, who is coming off two straight convincing victories against Alfredo Angulo and Erislandy Lara, is scheduled to face Joshua Clottey on Dec. 6 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

And if he wins against Clottey, Alvarez, who holds an impressive 44-1-1 record with 31 knockouts, is expected to face Cotto next year, possibly on the Cinco De Mayo weekend on May 2.

Mayweather has occupied the Cinco de Mayo weekend fight dates over the past three years, but Alvarez said that he has instructed his camp to schedule a fight on May 2, saying that the date belongs to Mexican fighters.

"That's the plan we have," Alvarez said of fighting on Cinco De Mayo weekend via BoxingScene. "They're Mexican dates and we want to recoup them and take over those dates. Those are important dates. The Mexicans want to see a Mexican fight."