Caleb Plant’s training camp t-shirt

Image: Caleb Plant’s training camp t-shirt
By Boxing News - 09/26/2021 - Comments

By Dan Ambrose: Calen Plant posted a photo of him wearing a t-shirt designed to further anger Canelo Alvarez ahead of their undisputed 168-lb clash on November 6th. Plant’s t-shirt has the words “Undisputed mother f****.”

Canelo (56-1-2, 38 KOs) seemed to get angry with IBF super middleweight champion Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) when he was called a MF during their press conference last Tuesday in Los Angeles, California.

The Mexican took it as a huge insult that Plant used that word on him. However, Plant and many boxing fans believe that REALLY got Canelo bent out of shape was him repeatedly calling him a “drug cheat.”

The Mexican star tested positive for the banned PED clenbuterol several years ago and was given a six-month suspension.

Video clips later turned up showing Canelo use the same “mother f***” term to refer to Demetrius Andrade and to another fighter.

Essentially, it makes Canelo look like a hypocrite for getting angry at being called a “mother f****” when he’s used the same insult towards other fighters.

So there it is. Plant showing off his new t-shirt and Canelo being caught using the exact MF words that Caleb used on him that supposedly set him off.

Hopefully, Canelo doesn’t continue to get physical with Plant at the other press conferences for their November 6th fight, and we can’t have these two fighters getting cut up.

Espinoza talks about Canelo – Plant brawl

“Personally, I do [have a problem with the brawl]. Philosophically, I’m not in the group of people that think it’s a good thing,” said Showtime Head of sports Stephen Espinoza about the brawl that took place between Canelo and Plant last Tuesday at their kick-off press conference.

Image: Caleb Plant’s training camp t-shirt

“I understand it’s trending and people are talking. I’m not at all convinced it translates into a single buy.

“Yes, people are going to talk about it. Yes, it’s going to trend for a while.

“The reality is, this [Canelo vs. Plant] is a high-stakes fight, it’s going to get plenty of attention, it’s the biggest draw in the sport, and we don’t need it.

“I think it does more negative to the long-term of the sport and the perception of the sport than it does short-term good for the promotion,” Espinoza said.

Many boxing fans would disagree with Espinoza about his view that the Canelo vs. Plant brawl won’t help bring in more PPV buys on Showtime.

I think it will. But the problem is, the brawl happened too early in the promotion for the fight for it to guarantee more PPV buys. Assuming Canelo and Plant continue to attack each other in the other press conferences, it’ll result in more revenue for PPV. It’s got to be real, though.

If these brawls look staged like a professional wrestling theatrical brawl, the fans will see right through it and there won’t be as much buzz.

Espinoza says Canelo was apologetic about brawl

“Caleb got under Canelo’s skin in a way that we haven’t seen anyone do before,” said Espinoza. “We’ve never seen him lose his cool like that.

“It’s not something he [Canelo] wants to do or likes to do. His whole demeanor and approach to the sport is the opposite of that.

“He goes out of his way to be respectful and honor the sport. That’s one of the things that’s very admirable about him.

“So speaking to him afterward, he was very apologetic that it happened. Certainly, he’s not doing it as, ‘Hey, we just got more buys and more attention.

“Canelo can dictate what he wants to do, and he has wisely decided he’s going to do fight-by-fight,” said Espinoza.”But I’m comfortable where we are,” Espinoza said.

If Espinoza has a problem with the brawls taking place during the Canelo vs. Plant press conference, he needs to have more security on hand to keep the two from getting at each other.

A physical barrier between the two fighters would be ideal, as then Plant wouldn’t have to worry about being jumped.

Since Canelo is taking offense to be called a “mother f****,” Plant should hold off on using that word. Hopefully, Canelo doesn’t attack Plant when he calls him a “drug cheat” again because he probably will.

Plant saw how Canelo reacted when he called him a “drug cheat,” and it’s almost a given that he’ll continue to use that label on the Mexican star up until the day of their fight.

Benavidez & Charlo legacy fights for Canelo

“We got a couple of good assets to offer him [Canelo] in [Jermall] Charlo and [David] Benavidez, and I think those are the legacy-defining fights.

“At this point, Canelo has everything. He’s got money, he’s got fame, he’s a Hall of Famer, and he’s already a legend in Mexican boxing. The only reason to say in the sport is to do big legacy-defining fights.

“That’s not, with all due respect, the guys at 175. The big mega-fights [for Canelo] are David Benavidez, the Charlo fights.

“Those are mega-pay-per-views and those are the fights that the fans are going to go down remembering,” said Espinoza.

Canelo will probably agree to fight Jermall Charlo, but David Benavidez is a different story. It’s doubtful that Canelo will ever agree to fight Benavidez.

To be sure, Canelo vs. Benavidez would be a huge fight, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. Benavidez has wanted to fight Canelo for years, and the feelings haven’t been mutual.

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