Caleb Plant and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez had to overcome some negotiating hurdles to finally make a deal to meet in a Nov. 6 clash to crown an undisputed super middleweight champion. Those hurdles led to serious bad blood that spilled over in a violent way at a Tuesday press conference to formally announce the Showtime pay-per-view bout.
After the two sides engaged in a prolonged staredown at the press conference, Alvarez delivered a shove to Plant’s chest. Plant stormed back and began throwing blows in Alvarez’s direction with Alvarez returning fire. Security managed to separate the two sides as their camps also began exchanging words.
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The scuffle left Plant bleeding from a gash below his right eye. The severity of the cut could have an impact on the status of the fight. If it is bad enough to require a pause in Plant’s training for the biggest fight of his career, it could result in the fight being postponed, though it will require medical attention to determine if such steps are necessary.
“It’s a fight,” Plant said. “If he’s gonna turn it into a fight, then that’s what it is. I’m not no punk. You don’t just get to stand up here and do whatever you want to me. Maybe the rest of these guys, you can just come up and here and they’re all scared of you. That’s now how this works.”
Plant holds the IBF super middleweight championship while Alvarez is the WBA, WBC and WBO champion at the weight. The two previously had negotiations fall apart for a planned September bout only to overcome those hurdles to book the fight for November.
