By Keith Idec

If you thought Oscar De La Hoya was finished finding overmatched opponents for Canelo Alvarez to fight, you might be wrong.

De La Hoya told a TMZ.com reporter outside a Los Angeles restaurant Thursday night that the Mexican superstar “will beat Conor McGregor’s ass.” De La Hoya, Alvarez’s promoter, was referring to the UFC’s McGregor being approved by the California State Athletic Commission for a boxing license earlier this week.

The 28-year-old McGregor never has participated in a professional boxing match, but continues to discuss boxing retired Floyd Mayweather Jr., an undefeated five-division champion who left boxing as the sport’s pound-for-pound king last year. Mayweather, 39, and his handlers repeatedly have dismissed McGregor’s challenges as publicity stunts, but speculation persists largely because mainstream media continues to push the narrative on television, radio and the Internet.

It is highly unlikely that any government agency responsible for regulating boxing in the United States would approve a legitimate boxing match between Mayweather, who retired as the WBC 147-pound champion, and McGregor, the UFC lightweight champ (155 pounds), due to the great disparity in boxing experience and skill levels.

That didn’t stop De La Hoya from suggesting Alvarez, whom Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) beat by majority decision in September 2013, would fight McGregor if the polarizing mixed martial artist really wants to box a boxing star.

“I’ll tell you who will beat Conor McGregor’s ass,” De La Hoya told TMZ.com. “And they call him Canelo Alvarez. And he looks Irish, just like Conor. So think about it, if they step inside the ring, people will think that there’s two Irish going up in the ring. But guess what? Canelo’s Mexican and Conor’s Irish.”

The 26-year-old Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) currently is recovering from a fractured right thumb sustained during his ninth-round knockout of England’s Liam Smith (23-1-1, 13 KOs) on September 17 in Arlington, Texas. Alvarez is expected to return to the ring May 6 against an undetermined opponent.

If Alvarez wins that bout, De La Hoya has promised that he would accept a long-awaited showdown with IBF/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) for sometime in September.

Meanwhile, De La Hoya also extended an invitation for McGregor to attend the boxing card headlined by light heavyweights Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs, 2 NC) and Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) on December 17 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

“If Conor received his license,” De La Hoya said, “his boxing license in California, which I heard … I’m extending an invitation to Conor. On December 17th, Bernard Hopkins is fighting on HBO, at the Forum, live on HBO. I’m extending an invitation to Conor to witness a real legend in the ring. If he wants to witness a real, live legend, then go see Bernard Hopkins December 17th at The Forum.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.