Emotions heated up Tuesday as Guadalajara superstar boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went eyeball-to-eyeball with his next opponent at a media promotion event in Las Vegas.

Alvarez hopes to become the first Mexican to hold all four super-middleweight world championship belts, when he takes on Caleb Plant of the United States in Las Vegas on Saturday, November 6.

If the first media junket is anything to go by, the fight promises to be a thunderous affair.  The pair had to be separated after trading blows during the “stare-down” session when Alvarez said his opponent insulted his mother. No real damage was done, although some reports said Plant suffered a slight cut on his cheek.

Alvarez holds the WBA, WBC and WBO belts, while Plant is the reigning IBF super-middleweight world champion.

Such is Alvarez’s box office appeal in the United States that the cheapest seats for the fight to be held at the MGM Grand sold out within three minutes of becoming available online. While these tickets were priced from $US200 to $US400, the most expensive ones ringside go for just over $US5,000.

Plant, from Tennessee, is unbeaten in 21 fights, while Alvarez’s record is 52 wins, two draws and one loss.  

Alvarez, 31, hails from an economically challenged family in the Guadalajara suburb of Juanacatlan, and has accrued an estimated net worth of around $US140 million.

He is unanimously considered the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter, and will be heavily favored by bookmakers to beat Plant.