Alvarez, Plant cap rowdy weigh-in with intense staredown

The familiar chants finally filled MGM Grand Garden on Friday afternoon. For the first time since Nov. 2, 2019, when boxing’s pound-for-pound king last fought inside the hallowed venue.

“Ca-ne-lo! Ca-ne-lo! Ca-ne-lo!”

Over and over and over and over.

All Canelo Alvarez could do was smile in approval.

The WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight champion and Mexican superstar stepped atop the scale on the makeshift stage inside the arena and weighed an even 168 pounds on the eve of his fight against IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant. The Nashville area native turned Las Vegan weighed 167 pounds and relished the chorus of boos he received as the underdog.

The two engaged in an intense staredown and traded trash talk after successfully solidifying their fight on the scale — much to the delight of the first crowd to attend a weigh-in in Las Vegas since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The winner of their fight Saturday becomes the first undisputed champion in the history of the 168-pound division.

“You can cheer for him all you want. You can boo for me all you want,” Plant told Showtime’s Jim Gray as the festivities concluded. “Remember, it’s easy to sit in those seats. … It ain’t easy to stand up there. Remember that. This is what I do. I was born for this. This is my destiny.”

Weigh-ins for fights like this typically tie together the promotion, allowing spectators to preview what they’ll see come fight night. But the pandemic has prevented fans from attending. Even for mega fights like Manny Pacquiao’s swan song against WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas or WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s trilogy against Deontay Wilder.

But this particular promotion allowed fans to return, and their presence intensified the feel of the fight. Most of the seating was closed, but thousands of fans still packed the arena an hour or so before Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 knockouts) and Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) tipped the scales.

Notable attendees included former Boston Celtics great Paul Pierce, WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney, WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo.

And heavyweight legend Mike Tyson.

Tyson was on the stage during the final staredown and told Gray he’s picking Alvarez to beat Plant come Saturday night.

“He’s a legend. A great fighter. I want to be like him one day,” Alvarez said of Tyson.

“He’s moving himself to be the best fighter of his generation,” Tyson said of Alvarez.

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.