De La Hoya, who guided part of Canelo's career before a bitter split and legal case, continues to voice his disapproval through the media. His latest criticism targets Canelo's matchmaking, claiming the champion's avoiding tougher opponents like David Benavidez and opting for an easier fight with Berlanga.
The former champion didn't hold back when discussing the bout, scheduled for next week. He called it "another snooze fest" and expressed shock at the pricing.
"It's just robbery at this point. To pay for another lame Canelo fight that will go the distance against a sub-par opponent."
With pay-per-view prices set at $90 and in-person tickets starting at $500, De La Hoya predicts poor sales. He believes the event will struggle to compete with a UFC event at The Sphere on the same night.
De La Hoya, who calls himself the "PPV king", made a bold forecast:
"I'm the PPV king and [the] Canelo vs Edgar Berlanga fight will not exceed 100k homes. Nobody is paying $90 for this snooze fest. Just speaking the facts as always."
This prediction would mark a significant decline for Canelo, who usually pulls in 500,000+ buys and has topped 1 million for his biggest fights.
Despite De La Hoya's criticism, the card features some notable matchups. Caleb Plant faces Trevor McCumby, Eridlandy Lara takes on Danny Garcia, and Rolando 'Rolly' Romero meets Manuel Jaimes. The event will air on PBC PPV, Prime Video, DAZN, and PPV.com.
De La Hoya's comments carry weight given his own box office success. Before Mayweather and Pacquiao, he was boxing's biggest draw, reportedly generating $700 million in pay-per-view income during his career.
As fight night approaches, all eyes will be on the sales figures to see if Canelo's star power remains as bright as ever or if De La Hoya's prediction comes true.