How dumb is Showtime?
Dumb enough to send boxing’s top star, super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, into an unprotected staredown opposite undefeated bruiser Caleb Plant ahead of their Nov. 6 showdown at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That’s according to UFC President Dana White.
Tuesday’s media day face off, which turned into a drive-through meal for Plant, left “Sweet Hands” with a bloody cut under his eye. Fortunately, the gash does not appear to be severe enough to delay their upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) fight.
“How long have you been in the business that you would let two fighters go up to each other face-to-face without somebody there to try to [keep them from fighting],” White said at the “Contender Series” press conference. “And then, when it breaks out, there’s like two women that are there before there’s a man anywhere near it. You couldn’t be fucking dumber than what they did today, risk a massive fight with one of the biggest stars in the sport, by not having the fighters safe.”
Good thing White wasn’t around for Larry Holmes’ flying butt bomb:
Canelo pushed.
Plant slapped.
Heavyweight, Larry Holmes (236lbs), jumped off a car and crushed Trevor Berbick.#CaneloPlant pic.twitter.com/r4VgV7q2ch
— Lineal Boxing Champion (@LinealBoxChamp) September 22, 2021
White knows a thing or two about staredowns becoming meltdowns. The promotion recently instituted a no-contact policy at press conferences and weigh ins after Drakkar Klose suffered a fight-canceling concussion at the hands of “primal” Jeremy Stephens.
“You can’t have two alpha males walk up to each other face-to-face at the fucking supper club or wherever they were today having that press conference, and let two guys stare down without someone there to break it up,” White continued. “But they’re awesome, they do a great job with everything they do.”
They’re certainly doing a great job of keeping White miserable.