I’ll Plant ’n deck him
CANELO WILL SOCKET TO RIVAL
CANELO ALVAREZ says Billy Joe Saunders got what he deserved when he broke his eye socket – and Caleb Plant will suffer a similar fate.
The Mexican superstar faces American Plant for the undisputed super-middleweight crown in Las Vegas tonight.
Alvarez, 31, broke Saunders’ socket with a brutal right when they met in May and forced the Brit to be retired by his corner.
Saunders goaded Alvarez in a fiery build-up – and unbeaten IBF champion Plant has done the same by bringing up his opponent’s drug test failure.
Alvarez now plans to punish Plant just like he did Saunders.
He said: “I enjoyed it a lot, he (Saunders) deserved it.” When asked if he aims to do the same to Plant, he added: “Yeah, I’m going to enjoy it a lot.”
It seems bizarre rivals think a good way to unsettle Alvarez is to rile him – Saunders found it was a failed tactic and Plant will suffer like he did tonight.
WBC, WBO and WBA champion Alvarez has lost only once in 58 fights and has ruled in four divisions from light-middleweight up to light-heavyweight.
The only other blemish on his record is a drugs ban between his first meeting with Gennady Golovkin and their second clash.
But he is widely considered the world’s best fighter and certainly the biggest attraction.
Premier Boxing Champions and Showtime have paid him around £30m, which could rise if pay-per-view sales in America go well for the fight that will crown the first ever undisputed super-middleweight champion.
Alvarez wants to be remembered as the best from his land, saying: “Will I be the greatest from Mexico? We’ll see. I’m just happy to make my own history.”
BT Sport Box Office will show Canelo v Plant exclusively live in the UK tonight. For more info go to www.bt.com/sportboxoffice