Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant: Body language during scuffle favors Canelo, expert says

Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant: An expert said that their body language during their press conference scuffle favors the Mexican star.

When Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant stood face to face during a press conference on Sept. 21 in Los Angeles to promote Saturday’s pay-per-view fight, words were exchanged, tempers flared and the Mexican superstar shoved the American across the stage.

Plant collected himself, sauntered across that same platform and literally slapped “the face of boxing,” to which Alvarez responded with a light one-two.

Did that fracas provide us with more symbolic offerings than meet the eye? DAZN approached body language expert Blanca Cobb looking for answers.

Cobb, who has shared her expertise with CNN, Good Morning America and USA Today, reviewed footage from the Canelo-Plant faceoff and came away with distinct body language observations from the moment the conference started all the way to the heated scuffle.

“Caleb is coming out and looking down,” Cobb told DAZN. “He’s shuffling his shoulders and shifting his weight a little bit.”

Meanwhile, she noted that “Canelo is walking up on stage, looking at the crowd and ignoring Caleb.”

Cobb additionally noted that when Alvarez was announced, Plant noticeably showed “contempt.” “There was some disdain there,” she said.

Cobb made other observations about the moment the 168-pound titleholders walked across the stage to meet face to face.

“Canelo is solid, Caleb is swaying just a little bit,” she said. “If Canelo is feeling any type of angst or anxiety, he’s not showing it. Whereas Caleb has the tight lips.

“He’s drawing his lips in,” she added about Plant. “When you tighten them, there’s something that’s bothering you. [Plant’s] not a good poker player. On this stage, you can read his emotion.”

Conversely, she said, “Canelo is like a brickhouse.”

When the boxing superstar shoved Plant across the stage, Cobb observed his “neck strain,” which told her that Alvarez “means it.”

All in all, when the fray erupted and eventually was extinguished, Cobb was left with the following: “I think [Canelo] has the psychological edge at that moment on stage. He definitely has the psychological edge, and I believe that’s what Caleb is responding to.”

How, if in any way, that pans out when they meet to crown the first undisputed super middleweight champion Saturday remains to be seen.

[lawrence-related id=25341,25333,25146,25143]

Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant: Body language during scuffle favors Canelo, expert says

Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant: An expert said that their body language during their press conference scuffle favors the Mexican star.

When Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant stood face to face during a press conference on Sept. 21 in Los Angeles to promote Saturday’s pay-per-view fight, words were exchanged, tempers flared and the Mexican superstar shoved the American across the stage.

Plant collected himself, sauntered across that same platform and literally slapped “the face of boxing,” to which Alvarez responded with a light one-two.

Did that fracas provide us with more symbolic offerings than meet the eye? DAZN approached body language expert Blanca Cobb looking for answers.

Cobb, who has shared her expertise with CNN, Good Morning America and USA Today, reviewed footage from the Canelo-Plant faceoff and came away with distinct body language observations from the moment the conference started all the way to the heated scuffle.

“Caleb is coming out and looking down,” Cobb told DAZN. “He’s shuffling his shoulders and shifting his weight a little bit.”

Meanwhile, she noted that “Canelo is walking up on stage, looking at the crowd and ignoring Caleb.”

Cobb additionally noted that when Alvarez was announced, Plant noticeably showed “contempt.” “There was some disdain there,” she said.

Cobb made other observations about the moment the 168-pound titleholders walked across the stage to meet face to face.

“Canelo is solid, Caleb is swaying just a little bit,” she said. “If Canelo is feeling any type of angst or anxiety, he’s not showing it. Whereas Caleb has the tight lips.

“He’s drawing his lips in,” she added about Plant. “When you tighten them, there’s something that’s bothering you. [Plant’s] not a good poker player. On this stage, you can read his emotion.”

Conversely, she said, “Canelo is like a brickhouse.”

When the boxing superstar shoved Plant across the stage, Cobb observed his “neck strain,” which told her that Alvarez “means it.”

All in all, when the fray erupted and eventually was extinguished, Cobb was left with the following: “I think [Canelo] has the psychological edge at that moment on stage. He definitely has the psychological edge, and I believe that’s what Caleb is responding to.”

How, if in any way, that pans out when they meet to crown the first undisputed super middleweight champion Saturday remains to be seen.

[lawrence-related id=25341,25333,25146,25143]

Fight Week: Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant: Who will be undisputed?

Fight Week: Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant: Who will be undisputed?

FIGHT WEEK

CANELO ALVAREZ AND CALEB PLANT WILL FIGHT FOR THE UNDISPUTED 168-POUND CHAMPIONSHIP ON PAY-PER-VIEW SATURDAY NIGHT IN LAS VEGAS.

***

MIKAELA MAYER (15-0, 5 KOs) VS. MAIVA HAMADOUCHE (22-1, 18 KOs)

  • When: Friday, Nov. 5
  • Where: Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Junior lightweight
  • At stake: Mayer’s WBO and Hamadouche’s IBF titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Hassan N’Dam, middleweights
  • Prediction: Mayer UD
  • Background: Mayer could face her stiffest test yet in the ESPN+ main event on Saturday. The 2016 U.S. Olympian has faced increasingly tough opposition, including Ewa Brodnicks to win the WBO title (UD) in October of last year and Erica Anabella Farias in her first and only defense (UD) this past June. The 31-year-old Los Angeles-area product, a polished technician and good athlete, has been able to outbox even her most-accomplished opponents. Hamadouche, also 31, won the vacant IBF title by outpointing Jennifer Salinas in 2016 and has successfully defended six times, including an eighth-round stoppage of Nina Pavlovic last December. That was the Frenchwoman’s most recent fight, meaning she will have been out of the ring for 10-plus months. Hamadouche is an aggressive fighter, which should make for an interesting style matchup against the slick Mayer. She also has an unusually high knockout rate, which is a product of her style but also might be attributable in part to her opposition. Hamadouche competed in the Tokyo Olympics this past summer. She was eliminated in the first round.

***

CANELO ALVAREZ (56-1-2, 38 KOs) VS. CALEB PLANT (21-0, 12 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Nov. 6
  • Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
  • Division: Super middleweight
  • At stake: Alvarez’s WBA, WBC, WBO and Plant’s IBF titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Alvarez No. 2
  • Odds: Alvarez 8-1 (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Anthony Dirrell vs. Marcos Hernandez, super middleweights; Rey Vargas vs. Leonardo Baez, junior featherweights; Elvis Rodriguez vs. Juan Pablo Romero, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Alvarez KO 10
  • Background: Canelo Alvarez has accomplished as much as any active fighter but has never become one thing: an undisputed champion. He will check that off his list if he beats Plant, who holds the only major 168-pound belt that isn’t in Alvarez’s collection. The 31-year-old Mexican, a four-division titleholder and pound-for-pound star, outpointed Callum Smith to win the WBC and WBA belts last December, stopped Avni Yildirm in three rounds in February and added the WBO title by knocking out Billy Joe Saunders in eight in May. He’s 14-0-1 (8 KOs) since he was outpointed by Floyd Mayweather in 2013, his only loss. He’s 16-1-1 (9 KOs) in major title fights. The 6-foot-1 Plant started his career in 2014 as a middleweight but quickly moved up to super middleweight, which makes him a natural 168-pounder. He has excellent skills, honed during a successful amateur career, as well as unusual speed and athleticism. He won his belt by easily outpointing the favored Jose Uzcategui in January 2019 and successfully defended against Mike Lee six months later, Vincent Feigenbutz in February of last year and Caleb Truax this past January. He has fought only twice in the past two-plus years while Alvarez has fought twice this year. Alvarez is a significant step up in opposition for the Las Vegas-based Tennessean, who, of course, has his own chance to make history.

***

Also fighting this weekend: Matteo Signani (30-5-3, 11 KOs) of Italy faces Ruben Diaz (26-2-2, 17 KOs) of Spain in a scheduled 12-round middleweight bout in Rome (DAZN).

Fight Week: Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant: Who will be undisputed?

Fight Week: Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant: Who will be undisputed?

FIGHT WEEK

CANELO ALVAREZ AND CALEB PLANT WILL FIGHT FOR THE UNDISPUTED 168-POUND CHAMPIONSHIP ON PAY-PER-VIEW SATURDAY NIGHT IN LAS VEGAS.

***

MIKAELA MAYER (15-0, 5 KOs) VS. MAIVA HAMADOUCHE (22-1, 18 KOs)

  • When: Friday, Nov. 5
  • Where: Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Junior lightweight
  • At stake: Mayer’s WBO and Hamadouche’s IBF titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Hassan N’Dam, middleweights
  • Prediction: Mayer UD
  • Background: Mayer could face her stiffest test yet in the ESPN+ main event on Saturday. The 2016 U.S. Olympian has faced increasingly tough opposition, including Ewa Brodnicks to win the WBO title (UD) in October of last year and Erica Anabella Farias in her first and only defense (UD) this past June. The 31-year-old Los Angeles-area product, a polished technician and good athlete, has been able to outbox even her most-accomplished opponents. Hamadouche, also 31, won the vacant IBF title by outpointing Jennifer Salinas in 2016 and has successfully defended six times, including an eighth-round stoppage of Nina Pavlovic last December. That was the Frenchwoman’s most recent fight, meaning she will have been out of the ring for 10-plus months. Hamadouche is an aggressive fighter, which should make for an interesting style matchup against the slick Mayer. She also has an unusually high knockout rate, which is a product of her style but also might be attributable in part to her opposition. Hamadouche competed in the Tokyo Olympics this past summer. She was eliminated in the first round.

***

CANELO ALVAREZ (56-1-2, 38 KOs) VS. CALEB PLANT (21-0, 12 KOs)

  • When: Saturday, Nov. 6
  • Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
  • Division: Super middleweight
  • At stake: Alvarez’s WBA, WBC, WBO and Plant’s IBF titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: Alvarez No. 2
  • Odds: Alvarez 8-1 (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Anthony Dirrell vs. Marcos Hernandez, super middleweights; Rey Vargas vs. Leonardo Baez, junior featherweights; Elvis Rodriguez vs. Juan Pablo Romero, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Alvarez KO 10
  • Background: Canelo Alvarez has accomplished as much as any active fighter but has never become one thing: an undisputed champion. He will check that off his list if he beats Plant, who holds the only major 168-pound belt that isn’t in Alvarez’s collection. The 31-year-old Mexican, a four-division titleholder and pound-for-pound star, outpointed Callum Smith to win the WBC and WBA belts last December, stopped Avni Yildirm in three rounds in February and added the WBO title by knocking out Billy Joe Saunders in eight in May. He’s 14-0-1 (8 KOs) since he was outpointed by Floyd Mayweather in 2013, his only loss. He’s 16-1-1 (9 KOs) in major title fights. The 6-foot-1 Plant started his career in 2014 as a middleweight but quickly moved up to super middleweight, which makes him a natural 168-pounder. He has excellent skills, honed during a successful amateur career, as well as unusual speed and athleticism. He won his belt by easily outpointing the favored Jose Uzcategui in January 2019 and successfully defended against Mike Lee six months later, Vincent Feigenbutz in February of last year and Caleb Truax this past January. He has fought only twice in the past two-plus years while Alvarez has fought twice this year. Alvarez is a significant step up in opposition for the Las Vegas-based Tennessean, who, of course, has his own chance to make history.

***

Also fighting this weekend: Matteo Signani (30-5-3, 11 KOs) of Italy faces Ruben Diaz (26-2-2, 17 KOs) of Spain in a scheduled 12-round middleweight bout in Rome (DAZN).

Video: What will Canelo Alvarez do if he becomes 168-pound king?

Video: What will Canelo Alvarez do if he becomes 168-pound king?

Canelo Alvarez is one step away from unifying all four of the major 168-pound titles.

The Mexican star, who holds three belts, is expected to face IBF titleholder Caleb Plant in September. If he wins, he becomes undisputed super middleweight king.

Then what?

Would Alvarez move back up to light heavyweight, where he stopped Sergey Kovalev to win a title? Would he stay at 168 and face the likes of David Benavidez, Gennadiy Golovkin (for a third time) and Jermall Charlo?

In this episode of The DAZN Boxing Show, hosts Akin Reyes and Barak Bess discuss Alvarez’s future.

Here’s what they had to say.

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