The fight has already begun.
Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant exchanged punches at a wild news conference Tuesday afternoon to promote their pay-per-view fight for the undisputed super middleweight championship Nov. 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The fighters were exchanging trash talk nose to nose after they were introduced when Alvarez, apparently offended when Plant called the Mexican star a motherf—–, pushed the American fighter across the raised platform at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Alvarez returned the insult as Plant walked toward him. Then, when Plant was in punching distance, he unloaded a left to the head that Alvarez avoided by leaning backward. Alvarez countered with right to the head that connected.
At that moment, security personnel and the handlers of both fighters rushed to get between them and prevent the situation from escalating. Afterward, Plant, who evidently suffered a cut below his right eye, dabbed his face with a cloth until the fighters finally sat at the dais the news conference continued.
Heated face off here before the #CaneloPlant press conference š¤Æš³
Streaming live: https://t.co/mIPZRjJbFo pic.twitter.com/7WXH6hAQu6
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) September 21, 2021
The heat between the fighters didnāt end there, though. They went back and forth verbally from across the platform even when others were speaking, including Plant repeatedly calling Alvarez a drug cheat because he tested positive for a banned substance in 2018.
Plant was asked what prompted the fighters to take the trash talk to the next level.
āFirst off, all we was doing was staring at each other,ā he said. āHe had something to say, I had something to say. Heās going to beat me, Iām going to beat him. And then, you know, he did what he did.
āSo you have to ask him that question.ā
Said Canelo: āHe can say whatever he wants to me but not to my mom because Iām going to f— [up] anybody who says something about my mom. ā¦ And he swing first. I just pushed him, but he swing first. And then I do what I do.ā
Plant said he has always surprised his doubters and will do so again in the fight of his life. Alvarez predicted a knockout within eight rounds, saying “You’re not on my level. You’ll see on Nov. 6.
Caleb Plant has suffered a serious cut as a result of his brawl with Canelo Alvarez at the start of their press conferenceā¦ pic.twitter.com/e7oopSAH8u
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) September 21, 2021
Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) holds the WBA, WBC and WBO 168-pound titles. Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) is the IBF champion.
The winner will be the first to be the undisputed super middleweight champion.
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