Oscar De La Hoya tells the First Take crew that Canelo Alvarez is not afraid to fight Gennady Golovkin, and promises to make the bout happen in 2017. (1:18)

To many, it is Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya who has prevented the big fight so many of us want to see -- Canelo Alvarez against Gennady Golovkin -- from happening. There are those who believe he simply doesn't want to risk his company’s only cash cow in a dangerous fight in which Alvarez would be the underdog.

De La Hoya has repeatedly said he wanted to build up to the fight and put it off until at least September 2017 to allow Alvarez time to grow into a full-fledged 160-pounder. Even though Alvarez was the middleweight world champion (before vacating and returning to the 154-pound junior middleweight division to win a belt against Liam Smith in September), he had been boxing in his middleweight title bouts at a 155-pound catch weight.

De La Hoya joined Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman on Wednesday’s “First Take” to talk about the potential fight and reiterated -- even promised -- that Alvarez would fight Golovkin in 2017 (presumably as long as both continue to win).

We’ve heard De La Hoya make promises before, but here is what he had to say:

“Canelo truly is a ’54-pounder. I mean, he is. He can make the weight with no problem, and Canelo and I and the team have that for 2017 he will move up to middleweight, full-fledged middleweight, and fight the middleweight champions of the world, and that’s including Triple G. At 160, that’s it.

“You have my word, and Canelo is not afraid of Triple G. September, we’re hoping he signs the contract and it will happen.”

Of course, before the fight can happen, both guys will fight at least once, maybe twice. Alvarez, coming off a hand injury suffered against Smith, could be back in February with another fight likely in May. Unified titleholder Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) is in talks for his mandatory defense against Daniel Jacobs for a fight ticketed for March 18 at Madison Square Garden in New York.