By: Sean Crose
“He came with a bad attitude,” Canelo Alvarez says to BT Sport’s Caroline Pearce. “He came already angry.” Canelo is referring, of course, to the day last month where he and Caleb Plant ended up in a physical confrontation while trying to promote their November 6th battle for the undisputed super middleweight championship of the world. “Then in the press conference,” Canelo continues, “he started saying things. When he said ‘you motherfucker,’ that is the time I pushed him.” Although Plant is far from pound for pound great Canelo’s most famous opponent, the bad blood between the two fighters – which seems real – is adding an element of intrigue to the bout.
Although there has been some hostility between himself and Gennady Golovkin, Canelo always presents himself as a professional. Rare is the time where the man is seen letting his emotions truly show in the lead up to a fight. Plant, however, clearly had him irked. “I never have problems with my opponents,” Canelo says. “I always respect my opponents.” The Mexican star may respect Plant, but he’s clearly not a fan. Not that Plant has caused Canelo to lose focus. “It’s not my case,” the fighter says in slightly broken English. “I have a strong mind. I’m going to use that in my favor.”
Strangely enough, Plant – like Canelo – isn’t usually apt to get heated. Both men, however, come across in recent interviews as having been grounded enough to not have let their emotions become the dominant factor during their fight preparations. “Everybody says hey this is maybe a tough test for Canelo,” Canelo says when Plant’s slippery style is brought to his attention. “Everyone says the same thing.” Yet Canelo admits that Plant won’t be a walk in the park wen they meet next week in Las Vegas.
“It’s going to be difficult the first rounds like I said before,” Canelo admits, “but nothing new for me.” Sure enough, Canelo is an extremely patient fighter, perhaps one of the most patient ever. Opponents like Amir Khan, Sergey Kovalev, and Gennady Golovkin have proven problematic for Canelo in the ring – yet he hasn’t lost a single fight since he faced Floyd Mayweather what now seems like ages ago. So confident is Canelo of a victory this time around that he says he’s going to win by knockout. When asked what shots he’ll take his opponent out with, the fighter appears a bit amused.
“I just need one or two,” he says.
