By Sean Jones: Eddie Hearn sounded positively gleeful in reacting to Canelo Alvarez starting a brawl during Tuesday’s kick-off conference with Caleb Plant in Los Angeles, California.
Hearn calls what Canelo (56-1-2, 38 KOs) did as “Cool” with him punching IBF super middleweight champion Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) in the face, causing a cut that could prevent him from sparring to prepare for their November 6th fight.
According to Hearn, Plant had it coming to him by pushing Canelo’s buttons by disrespecting him with his remarks during their press conference. Plant called a “drug cheat” and said he was a “mother****.“
Hearn pleased with Canelo punching Plant
“I don’t want to sound like too much of a fanboy, but how cool was Canelo? The bloke’s taken a swing at him, and it’s just an unbelievable slip counter, bang with the left hook. It was embarrassing for Plant. So embarrassing,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV in reacting to Canelo starting a brawl by pushing and punching Plant during their press conference on Tuesday.
“I think he went with the b*** slap with the right hand. I don’t know if that worked out, and it was
“I’m obviously a Canelo fanboy, but Caleb Plant swang. I know Canelo pushed him.
Hearn claims Canelo was ganged up on
“When they sat down for the press conference, I felt they were ganging up on Canelo Alvarez,” said Hearn.
“You had Brian Custer basically reading out Tweets that Caleb Plant had posted like interrogating Canelo Alvarez and Eddy Reynoso.
“So that gave Canelo even more credit. He basically pitched up with Eddy Reynoso in a Caleb Plant, PBC-promoted show.
“He [Canelo] gave him a little tickle and then just basically deals with the situation and moves on. It was a great build-up to the fight.
“I can’t wait, it’s going to be really lively. I feel it was a half a set-up with the way they put questions to him [Canelo], but I felt that Canelo dealt with it fantastically well,” Hearn said.
This writer didn’t see Canelo being ganged up on by Showtime and Plant. It may have seemed like it because Plant was so effective with his trash-talking, pointing out things that had happened in the past with Canelo getting suspended for testing positive for a banned substance.
Also, Plant questioned why Eddy Reynoso’s fighter Oscar Valdez wasn’t suspended after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug last August.
Hearn says Plant got “owned”
“I know Caleb Plant posted some pictures saying, ‘Look, my fingers touched his face,’ but let’s be honest, he got absolutely owned,” said Hearn in sounding like he was in denial on whether Plant had landed on Canelo.
“I just messaged him [Canelo], ‘Too f*** sharp, mate.’ I don’t know. It’s a fight, isn’t it. It really wasn’t just about what was said in the head-to-head.
“There’s been a lot in the build-up and a lot of comments coming backward and forward from Caleb Plant. I think Canelo just wants to knock him out and take him out, and he will do as well.
“He’s [Canelo] the pound-for-pound #1 fighter in the world, and he’s going to go in a very spiteful mood when he fights Caleb Plant, and I believe he’s going to take him out. I think he said inside eight rounds, and I believe he’ll do that,” said Hearn.
When a fighter can’t handle being trash-talked, as we saw with Canelo, this is what happens. They act out, but I fail to see where Plant got “owned” by Canelo.
We saw Plant being pushed without warning by Canelo after he supposedly called him a “mother f****,” which is a name that the Mexican star reportedly called Demetrius Andrade last May when he invaded his post-fight press conference.
The question is, was Canelo’s valid rationale for starting the brawl because Plant called him a “mother f****”? Or was it because he was angry at all the trash-talking he’d done by labeling him a “drug cheat” and talking bad about his trainer Eddy Reynoso?
Plant’s trash talk started the brawl
“I wish I were there, but hopefully, I’ll get the fight-week one,” said Hearn on the Canelo vs. Plant press conference. “It’s going to be lively, really lively.
“Listen, Plant played his part as well. I didn’t agree with the things he said, but he’s talking it up, isn’t he?
“I mean, he’s really talking it up, and the whole thing escalated yesterday because of Caleb Plant and his behavior.
“Saul isn’t the type of guy that is going to start swinging and throwing punches. But if you start pushing buttons and disrespecting, he doesn’t give a f***.
“This guy is a serious fighter, and just because he built himself to this level. Just because he has money and just because he has belts doesn’t mean he’s a soft touch.
“He showed that last night. So whether it’s in the street or whether it’s in the ring, the simple rule is ‘Don’t f*** with Canelo Alvarez.’
“We saw that yesterday with Caleb Plant, coming off with a couple of bad cuts under his eye,” said Hearn.
Wow, that’s interesting how Hearn is blaming Plant for Canelo choosing to initiate the brawl. I’m speechless. So, it’s Plant’s fault that Canelo got his feelings hurt by his trash talk and couldn’t control himself and started shoving?
If Canelo can’t handle what Plant is telling him, maybe they need to get a barrier in place to keep the Mexican star from getting violent in future press conferences?
Or better yet, have Canelo in a studio on a screen giving him thoughts during the press conferences, so he doesn’t act out again if he gets his feelings hurt.
Caleb’s eye injury will prevent him from sparring
“He’s [Plant] not going to be able to spar for a couple of weeks or a week or so, but it’s nothing major, so it’s not going to affect the fight,” said Hearn.
“But it could have done. It never really seen that before. If you open up a big cut over the eye, the fights off.
“A good pressor. I’m really looking forward to the fight; I’m really looking forward to Saul making history.
“We had four or five hours. It was really lively; I don’t think anybody was expecting that,” said Hearn about the Canelo-led brawl.
“It was great for the pay-per-views and good for Saul. For one, sticking up for himself and getting himself pumped for the fight. Not that he needs to get even more pumped.
“He wants to go out there and become undisputed. But obviously, now he has a spring in his step and Eddy Reynoso too; he went through it as well with a few comments. Good for him,” said Hearn.
If Plant can’t spar for two or three weeks, that will put him behind in his preparation for the November 6th fight.
That’s not a good thing, mainly because he’s fighting someone impossible to beat by a decision in Canelo.
Nothing has been said yet about postponing the fight until December, but they might need to consider doing so because of Plant’s eye injury.
You can’t have Plant recovering from a cut for the first six weeks of training camp, unable to spar because Canelo could not handle being trash-talked.
