All hell broke loose at a boxing press conference ahead of one of the biggest combat events of the year

• All hell broke loose at a boxing event Tuesday in Beverly Hills, California.
• Saul Alvarez and Caleb Plant had a bloody altercation, but it wasn't the wildest thing to go down.
• Plant stood across Alvarez and called him a drug cheat to his face - not for the first time.

All hell broke loose at a boxing press conference Tuesday ahead of one of the biggest combat events of the year.

Boxing's No.1 fighter Saul "Canelo" Alvarez puts his WBA, WBC, and WBO world super middleweight championship belts on the line when he hopes to annex Caleb Plant's IBF title November 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The two fighters attended a media event in Beverly Hills, California, this week and came face-to-face for the first time since agreeing to the bout.

But as they exchanged words on the dais, with Plant calling Alvarez "motherfucker," the Mexican four-weight champion shoved his American rival so hard that he had to take several steps back to regain his composure.

As Plant made his way back to the middle of the stage, he threw an open palm strike at Alvarez, which barely connected with his cheek.

Alvarez pull-countered the slap with two strikes of his own, slapped the sunglasses off of Plant's face, and left the 29-year-old with a double laceration which bled profusely.

It was a wild introduction to the promotion for this event, but things continued to heat up as they flamed each other during their respective times on the mic.

Plant said Alvarez took 'illegal substances'

Plant, unwilling to back down, called Alvarez a drug cheat to his face.

Alvarez was suspended from fighting for six months in 2018 when he tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol.

The fighter and his team claimed that it came from contaminated meat he consumed in Mexico.

It is not the only scandal to have hit the camp of Eddy Reynoso, Alvarez's manager. The coach faced criticism again when another of his fighters, Oscar Valdez, tested positive for the banned substance phentermine.

Again, Valdez and his team claimed he unknowingly took it, and said it came from herbal tea.

Speaking at the time, Plant was unconvinced.

"All of them are suspected," he said in a series of tweets. "Everything out of that camp is intentional."

He later added: "This sport has no place for cheaters."

This week, he continued his anti-drug rant. "Is taking illegal substances, is that insecurity?" Plant said, according to ESPN.

"Does that stem from insecurity? Because taking illegal substances, that doesn't stem from confidence. That stems from fear."

Alvarez dismissed the cheating allegation. "He's a very insecure person," said Alvarez. "You can see in his body language. That's all I take. He lost [confidence].

"In his mind, he lost already because he [thought] different, like he's gonna come into the fight trying to punish me. But he's in a dangerous place."

The 168-pound world title unification match will be Plant's 22nd pro bout. He is unbeaten in that run, with 12 knockouts scored so far.

Alvarez, meanwhile, is preparing for his 60th fight and has 38 knockouts from 56 wins, with one loss and two draws.