Advertisement

Canelo Alvarez-Caleb Plant news conference turns violent amid cheating accusations

Fight promotions are littered with obviously staged conflicts to ramp up interest.

This does not look like that.

Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant met face-to-face in a news conference on Tuesday to promote their Nov. 6 unification fight for the super middleweight championship. Things got violent.

The two exchanged some not-safe-for-work language as they faced off for the cameras. Alvarez then shoved Plant, sending him reeling. Plant responded with a left hook that Alvarez dodged, and it was on. The pair exchanged blows before order resumed.

The altercation left Plant with a gash under his right eye.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 21:  Caleb Plant after a face-off with Canelo Alvarez during a press conference ahead of their super middleweight fight on November 6 at The Beverly Hilton on September 21, 2021 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Caleb Plant after a face-off with Canelo Alvarez during a press conference ahead of their super middleweight fight on November 6 at The Beverly Hilton on September 21, 2021 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) (Ronald Martinez via Getty Images)

Plant told TMZ that he didn't anticipate the cut forcing the fight to be postponed.

"Nothing I need surgery for or anything like that," Plant said, per TMZ. "It's just a little scratch."

'He's talking about my mom'

After the dust settled, Alvarez revealed what set him off. He told Showtime's "Morning Kombat" that he interpreted Plant calling him a motherf***er as a direct insult to his mother.

"He's talking about my mom," Alvarez said. "He said, 'you motherf***er.' So you passed a line right there. That's why I pushed him and he came back with a left hook."

Alvarez added: "He's an insecure person."

Did cheating accusation fuel fisticuffs?

Prior to Plant's perceived insult of Alvarez's mother, he lobbed scathing cheating accusations at the universally recognized pound-for-pound king.

Plant delivered an unfiltered Twitter rant targeting Alvarez after Oscar Valdez tested positive for a banned substance. Valdez and Alvarez both train under 2019 BBWA Trainer of the Year Eddy Reynoso, and Alvarez has his own history with banned substances, having tested positive for Clenbuterol in 2018. He blamed the positive test on eating tainted meat.

Plant let loose on Alvarez on Sept. 2 in response to Valdez's test in a multi-post Twitter tirade. Be warned again. The language below is definitely not safe for work.

Plant's accusation seemed enough to put November's highly anticipated fight at risk. But the fight remains on, scheduled for Nov. 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) will pit his WBC, WBA, and WBO super middleweight titles against Plant's (21-0, 12 KOs) IBF title, with the winner walking away as the undisputed champion at 168 pounds.

That is, if they don't end up settling things in the street before hand.