Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant trade blows ahead of title bout

With a feud that's been well documented, it didn't come as a surprise when things kicked off between the two fighters.

Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant trade blows.

The two boxers got into a sudden and aggressive punching exchange match during a stare-down at a press conference on Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton hotel. Both fighters were in attendance to promote their upcoming fight, a unified super middleweight title bout scheduled for November 6th in Las Vegas.

Alvarez and Plant were literally nose-to-nose during the stare-down as they exchanged words. According to Alvarez, Plant called him a "motherf---er," which he refused to accept. At that point he shoved Plant backwards. Plant, a Tennessee native then walked forward and immediately entered with a left hook. True to form, Alvarez - with amazing reflexes - dodged it, though there may have been a graze. The Mexican instantly responded with a flurry of punches.

"He started talking a lot of things," Alvarez said. "I answered. Then the bad thing he said, 'You motherf---er.' You can say whatever you want to me, but not to my mother. My mother is not here."

Alvarez & Plant give their side

In the immediate aftermath, Plant could be seen to have a cut under his right eye, while Alvarez was bleeding from a small nick on his left forearm. Incredibly the press conference resumed. Before it's end, however the pair would once again have to be parted before finally being ushered off stage. "He landed first," Alvarez said. "And then, I don't know how, but I responded quickly. I don't know how. I just do it."

Plant would later explain he doesn't know why Alvares was angered. According to the American the word he used was the same Alvarez spoke when faced with Demetrius Andrade at a press conference following Alvarez's most recent fight in May. "Wasn't he saying that?" Plant said. "But now, all of a sudden, those words mean something completely different? ... Now, all of a sudden, I'm talking about his mama? C'mon man. That don't even make no sense."

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Plant good to go while Alvarez unmoved. The war goes on

According to Plant's manager Mike Coppinger,everything is fine. "No punches landed in the scuffle; Caleb's glasses scratched his face, which caused a slight scratch," DeCubas said. "No stitches, no butterflies, no nothing. ... He's good to go. The rivalry is real, and this is gonna be a war."

In the lead up to the fight Plant has been more than critical of Alvarez and his team. Alvarez's training partner Oscar Valdez tested positive for a banned substance but didn't face suspension Plant has accused the team, including Alvarez, of using performance-enhancing drugs. It is interesting to note that Alvarez did in fact face a six month suspension in 2018 for the banned substance clenbuterol. At the time Alvarez and his camp exaplained that it was due to the consumption of tainted meat in his native Mexico.

"Is taking illegal substances, is that insecurity?" Plant said while speaking on Alvarez. "Does that stem from insecurity? Because taking illegal substances, that doesn't stem from confidence. That stems from fear. He may be upset with me, but there's no need to be upset with me. He should be upset with himself. There's nothing I've done. These aren't by my rules and my standards."

In response Alvarez spoke frankly."He's a very insecure person," Alvarez said. "You can see in his body language. That's all I take [from it]. He lost [confidence]. In his mind, he lost already because he [thought] different, like he's gonna come into the fight trying to punish me. But he's in a dangerous place."

How do Plant and Alvarez match up?

Alvarez, who is considered one of the best boxers in the sport today, comes into the fight with an ominous record of 56-1-2 with 38 KOs. His last fight in May saw him shatter Billy Joe Saunders' orbital bone as he took victory in a nine-round TKO. At present he holds three of the four belts in the super middleweight division.

Plant, regardless of punches and verbal exchanges comes into the fight as a true threat. His current record of 21-0 with 12 KOs is impressive even before considering the idea that he holds the one belt that Alvarez doesn't in the division. The Tennessee native last entered the ring in January when he won by unanimous decision against Caleb Truax to maintain his unbeaten record.