Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Caleb Plant square off at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, November 6 (get tickets), which makes it Sunday, November 7 in the UK and Australia. A historic contest, that is set to crown the first undisputed super middleweight champion, features unified WBA, WBC and WBO champion up against IBF champion with 168-pound supremacy on the line. Boxing fans can watch the fight live on pay-per-view on Showtime.
At the kickoff press conference the fighters met for an intense stare down that turned into a scuffle. They exchanged words and threw glancing blows before their respective teams rushed the stage to separate the combatants, escalating a rivalry that will culminate on fight night in just over six weeks.
Check out below what they had to say.
Here is another view of #CaneloPlant showdown that started at the presser
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Canelo Alvarez: It will be over in eight rounds or less
“You are not on my level and you will see on November 6. You don’t want to fight now, I promise you. ”
“We come from nothing and we worked hard to be here. For somebody to lie and talk trash about us, that upset Eddy. It is what it is though. We just have to show everyone who we are on November 6. ”
“Caleb might be on the same level as Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith, but he’s not on my level. I respect that he isn’t here to back down. You can see from today that this is definitely going to be a good fight. ”
“I know what I need to do and I know a lot about him. He’s a good fighter but I know my skills. My experience is going to give me the edge in the fight. I have faced similar styles to Caleb’s against Floyd Mayweather, Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout and Saunders. ”
“He’s an insecure person and that’s why he came with a lot of excuses about lots of things. I don’t care about it though. I’m just going to do my best on November 6 and win the fight. ”
“To be undisputed is history for Mexico and for everyone on my team. To be the undisputed champion is just a great thing for my career. ”
On the on-stage scuffle: “You can say whatever to me, but not to my mom. I’m going to fight anyone who says something about my mom. And he swung first. I just pushed him. He swung first, and I do what I do. He crossed the line. ”
“It will be over in eight rounds or less. I’m going to knock out this guy. Easy.”
Caleb Plant: I want my name in those history books
“I know only one thing better than proving people right, and that’s proving people wrong. I’ve been doing that my whole life. As soon as I stepped on the stage, people started talking about what I can’t accomplish and what I can’t do. Where I come from, there is no boxing community. There was no other pro I could look to and say that if he can do it, then I can do it. All I had was my mind and my heart. ”
“I don’t do this to be famous or to get attention. When I first started, it was just me and my dad. No one thought I’d be standing here today. I can remember him and my grandfather scrounged up a little bit of money to open a little boxing gym. There was just one heavy bag hanging in the corner. But when you really want something, you don’t need all the fancy things. You just need your mind and your heart. ”
“I know that people don’t believe me when I tell them I’m winning on November 6. All those people who tell me that I can’t do something, you live believable lives and you do believable things. I promised myself that I was going to run this all the way to the top, with no problem crashing and burning along the way. I set out to live an unbelievable life and accomplish unbelievable things. Those people who doubt me are the very reason that I’m here. ”
“Miguel Cotto’s brother can make you do the chicken dance but I can’t? Okay. Mark my words, on November 6 you will hear the words, ‘And the new undisputed super middleweight champion,’ but you will also hear the words, ‘and still undefeated.’ ”
“Being undisputed would mean a lot. I’ve sacrificed so much to this sport and I’ve been doing this a long time. All that work would come down to one moment. I want my name in those history books and that’s the only reason that I’m here.”
On the on-stage scuffle: “We just had some normal back-and-forth banter up there and then whatever happened, happened. It’s none of my concern though. I’m focused and locked in on November 6.”
The list of bouts featured on Canelo vs Plant undercard is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
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