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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.
Heated face off here before the #CaneloPlant press conference
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) September 21, 2021
Streaming live: https://t.co/mIPZRjJbFo pic.twitter.com/7WXH6hAQu6
"He's going to pay on Nov. 6. You know, when somebody bothers me with a lot of sh!t, they know. I have something special for him," Alvarez said. "You know what happens when they mess with me. It's extra motivation for me. This is something personal. So on Nov. 6, I am going to go with the same mentality that I had versus Billy Joe Saunders.
"I'm on my way to being undisputed. I'm happy to be here. I'm glad to have this fight. It's a very special fight for Mexico and for me, to be one of the unique fighters. To be undisputed. I am one step away from doing that. [Being undisputed] is what I want in my career -- to make history. This fight is very important for me. I have the experience to deal with any style."
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.
Caleb Plant has suffered a serious cut as a result of his brawl with Canelo Alvarez at the start of their press conference… pic.twitter.com/e7oopSAH8u
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) September 21, 2021
"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.
Source: CBS Sports
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