BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Canelo Álvarez and Caleb Plant traded blows at their news conference Tuesday to promote their upcoming super middleweight title unification bout, and the exchange left Plant with a cut under his right eye.

The two champions scrapped after trading verbal barbs during the ceremonial faceoff before the news conference began in the garden of the Beverly Hilton. Apparently in response to a comment from Plant about Álvarez's mother, the Mexican superstar knocked Plant backward with a two-handed shove.

Plant stepped forward and threw a left hook at Álvarez, who dodged it and threw an open left hand to Plant's face. The blow struck Plant's sunglasses, which jammed into his cheek and caused the cut.

The fighters' camps eventually separated them, but Plant was left dabbing at the blood on his cheek. He eventually put on his sunglasses for a frosty, combative news conference in which Plant repeatedly called out Álvarez for his doping violations in 2018.

Álvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) will risk his WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight titles against Plant (21-0, 12 KOs), the unbeaten IBF champion, when they meet Nov. 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

___

More AP boxing: https://apnews.com/hub/boxing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports