By Stephen 'Breadman' Edwards

The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen "Breadman" Edwards discussing the legacy of Floyd Mayweather Jr., the finalized welterweight clash between Errol Spence and Kell Brook, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Canelo Alvarez, Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Jason Sosa and more.

Bread,

What's up?

I wouldn't be surprised if Canelo got hurt during training and has to pull out of his fight against Chavez Jr. I think with the right preparation Chavez Jr. outweighs and upsets Canelo. GBP is banking on the idea that Chavez Jr. will struggle to make 164.5lbs and be ineffective on fight night.

Like I said before Thurman flurries like Khan, throwing caution to the wind and can be countered by DSG's left hook. At one point in their careers I had Thurman ahead of Garcia, but DSG has closed the gap and is on even footing with the Floridian. DSG by KO!

Wilder will be in tough against ex gridiron star El Gallo Negro, but his experience should pull him through. The only problem I have with Wilder is his legs, but that won't matter against Washington.

Saw some Broner training footage on YouTube. Broner's sparring showed him executing a little more defense in with his offensive minded fighting. With better defense Broner can go a long way.

What do you think of Bellew and Haye?

I think Haye is running game on them regarding him taking that fight seriously, with him being seen laying out on the beach or in the clubs having a good time. Bellew is a good boxer but I don't see Haye letting it be a boxing match, he's going to try and blast Bellew out!

Bread’s Response: If everything there is a fair and level playing field then I think Canelo beats Chavez. I think Chavez will be game but Canelo is just too athletically gifted for him in my opinion just like Sergio Martinez was. There is a big gap in natural physical gifts. On top of that Canelo is technically better. I also think Canelo is the harder puncher. I never thought Chavez was a big puncher. He’s more of a brute who bludgeoned guys.

In order for him to win this fight he would have to drastically change. I can think of some scenarios. One he would have to condition himself to throw at least 80 punches/round and just swarm Canelo. That’s feasible I guess. Two his team would have to find a glitch in Canelo and be quick enough to take advantage of it all night. That’s feasible too but unlikely. We shall see.

Thurman flurries but not like Khan in my opinion. I can see Danny clipping Thurman. Thurman is offensive. The major problem for Danny in this fight is choosing how to attack. Because he’s the less athletically gifted fighter does he press the fight or does he wait on Keith. Danny is better when he's sort of a stalking counter puncher. We shall see..

Wilder vs Washington should be good while it last. I wish Washington had a few more fights of experience to get him ready for this fight but he has a tremendous young trainer in John Pullman. I know he will have him ready. Washington has a dilemma. Does he go after Wilder early or does he wait out an early storm. The dilemma is because Washington does not have 12 round experience and he has faded in fights. But he’s not what you call an offensive killer who you can sick on a fighter early and ask him to go get them. He’s more of a boxer who just happens to be a huge man.

I agree with you about Wilder’s legs. He’s a tremendous puncher but he’s legs always look unsteady.

I feel a little bad for Adrian Granados. He gets the opportunity of a lifetime at a catch weight of 142lbs. Then he finds out that the opportunity will come at 147lbs to benefit the A side Broner. It really does suck being the B side in this era, especially for a kid like Granados who has 4 losses. I think the extra 5 lbs will definitely benefit Broner. 5lbs is an awful lot of weight to not have to cut.

I like Broner too in the fight but now you have to wonder about his conditioning. We shall see…

You’ve always been a big fan of Haye. I think he’s just too big and fast for Bellew. But is it me or is Bellew punching really hard these days. I mean really hard….

Bread,

I was debating with a few boxing buddies recently about Floyd Mayweather.  Obviously opinions are always split on Floyd's legacy and where he stands historically.  He beat most of the top names of his era, even if he fought them all at the right times in terms of matchmaking.  One name that he never got in the ring with, who in my opinion may have given him his most difficult time, was Paul Williams.  At the height of Paul's prime after beating Margarito in 07 (this is pre-Mosley fight, so it's very possible Margarito's gloves were loaded), how do you think he would have done with Floyd? 

Thanks man!

Bread’s Response: People have been debating Floyd’s legacy since he called himself TBE. I actually think if your legacy is good enough to debate then it’s a good thing.

I personally think a fighter needs to be retired about 10 years before his legacy can be properly assessed. To determine a legacy of an active or just retired fighter is counterproductive. There is too much emotion involved to put it in proper perspective.

From what I have observed about 10% of people who know what legacy is thinks Floyd is the TBE. 40% has him in the top 10 ever. Another 40% think he’s in the top 25. Then you have about 10% who thinks he’s overrated and a product of business and a weak era.

I have heard many takes on Mayweather’s greatness but the wisest and most objective case I have heard came from a wise man after the Pacquiao. He asked me where I rank Floyd historically and I told him top 25 ever which is really high considering he has less than 50 pro fights. I told him I have to weigh everything when he’s completely done but definitely top 25.

Then he went on to spill some knowledge. He seemed to be a fan of Floyd but he wasn’t in awe of him. He told me that Floyd is an honorable fighter. He pointed out that he gave Marcos Maidana and Jose Luis Castillo immediate rematches and won both rematches clean. He told me that he thought Floyd got a draw vs Maidana in the 1st fight and that Floyd lost to Castillo clean. He didn’t think the results were a big deal because Maidana and Castillo both had great career best nights.

He told me that Floyd is also a great matchmaker. He brought up waiting on Pacquiao and Mosley. He even brought up Margarito and Williams. He thought in 2005 that Margarito was just too big and fresh for Floyd who had struggled with Castillo at 135, 3 years prior. He thought it was just a bad match up at the time. He thought Floyd was extremely smart to let Paul Williams who was bigger in stature eliminate Margarito for him. But he doesn’t give Floyd credit for beating Margarito just because Williams did.

He strongly felt that Floyd’s longevity was based on not fighting certain fights at dangerous times. He thought Floyd could have had a higher peak if he lined up everyone like Oscar did but not the same longevity. He thought that Floyd would have been the favorite to beat everyone he supposedly ducked but the major misses were Pacquiao circa 08-10 and surprisingly Winky Wright. He brought up that no one remembers Wright and Floyd going back and forth about a fight then all of a sudden no more talk from Floyd. He thought Wright was just too strong and his jab was too active. He said Wright would have imposed himself on the smaller Floyd. He wasn’t sure if Pacquiao was “clean” circa 08-10 but he feels that Manny would have beaten Floyd around that time. He pointed out that Floyd was too leery of a clearly declined Pacquiao who was able to win 4 rounds from him on a ho hum night.

All in all he felt Floyd is #1 at the business side of boxing as far as taking the right fights at the right time. But he gives his actual fighting ability major props because Floyd still had to deliver in the ring. As far as strictly fighting he has Floyd in the top 15 ever. He ended the conversation by saying it will take some time to put him in proper perspective but the question is, is Floyd the best fighter ever. The best fighter can’t be a guy who always tried to get everyone at the right time. It’s ok to be smart but it does affect your legacy if everything you do is timing and not about being better. Ali fought Foreman in the heart of his prime with no waiting or posturing. He told me he would’ve liked to see Floyd take that kind of fight and overcome 7 to 1 odds to win.

The conversation was the most respectable and objective I have had ever had about Floyd’s legacy. Out of respect I won’t say who the person was.

I think Floyd would have most likely outpointed Paul Williams but it’s no guarantee that’s why we fight the fights. Despite being stopped by Martinez I always thought Williams had an iron chin, great stamina and a huge heart. But his defense was leaky and technically he was easy to counter punch. It doesn’t help his hypothetical standing vs Floyd that he lost to Carlos Quintana in his prime. I think the fight would have been 60/40 in Floyd’s favor. Great match up.

Jason Sosa has nuts of steel. I can’t believe he’s fighting Lomachenko this early in his reign. I think he should have waited to put some money in his bank account against easier competition. Do you know if the rumors are true that he’s being stripped and if so why? Also what is his purse? Why does it seem like fighters who are not with the big promoters have to take these types of fights without building up?

Bread’s Response: Yes Jason Sosa has nuts of steel. I really respect that young man. I don’t know if he’s being stripped but if he is that’s a shame. A fighter challenging himself to fight in a unification match can only be good for boxing.

I also don’t know what his purse is. But I hope he gets paid well. Going by market value he probably get around 350k-400k. I hope he gets more! Sosa and his team are good folks.

Fighters who are not with PBC, Golden Boy or Top Rank sometimes have to take these kinds of opportunities because their promoters don’t have the leverage with the networks to let them build and make quality money. If Sosa could get 250-300k a title defense on HBO fighting good top 10 quality guys I’m sure he would do that for a few fights.

But he had to travel to foreign countries to win the title and defend it in his 1st defense ….Heck sometimes B side fighters who are with the BIG 3 have to do what Sosa is doing. It’s just the way it is in boxing. I don’t blame the kid for jumping at the opportunity.

But listen don’t feel bad for Sosa. He wants the fight. What if he wins? It’s boxing, Lomachenko is great but he’s not super man. He’s a human being. Stand up Jason Sosa.

Here is the thing, everyone always plays manager with someone else’s career. Just because you may think Sosa can’t win that doesn’t mean he thinks that. I had to learn this about the business of boxing. Everyone has their own set of individual circumstances and they have a reason for why they do certain things. You can’t be an Idealist in boxing. Obviously this is not an ideal circumstance but this is Sosa’s road to glory.

Finally Errol Spence gets his title shot. It seems that most are picking him to beat Kell Brook. How do you see the clash of styles playing out.

Bread’s Response: This is a great fight. You have a top 10-15 p4p fighter defending his title vs a true #1 contender who looks to be a future top 10 p4p fighter.

I think Brook is a heavy handed boxer puncher. He has a great jab, he’s extremely confident and his right hand has lots of variation. Brook is also extremely physically strong. He’s just not a pressure guy so people don’t realize his physical strength.

I call fighters like Errol athletic overwhelmers. Errol can box but his game is to bear down on his opponents and punish them. Shane Mosley at 135 was like that. So was Adrien Broner at 130 and 135. They have tremendous boxing ability but that’s not their profile.

Errol seems to have next level physical strength, serious punching power, off the charts stamina and a nasty attitude in the ring. The one thing that I see you can do to Errol is get off on him. He doesn’t have what you call freaky defensive reflexes, he’s not hard to hit. But he makes up for it because he overwhelms you. He also keeps his hands in punching position so he’s always in position to make you pay.

His stamina is so good because he trains at the same rhythm he fights at. I have seen him run, hit the pads and hit the bags. He does it all at the same rhythm. So in his fights his heart rate doesn’t have to pump at an unfamiliar pace. His pace is similar to GGGs, a volume power puncher.

Brook fights at a slower rhythm. One, because his reflexes are better. Two because he’s a natural boxer who doesn’t need that sort of volume.

I think Brook’s best weight is around 152lbs. I will tell you why. When he had a tough fight vs Carson Jones they made the rematch at 152. That let’s me know Brook has always struggled to make 147 and in the non title rematch they needed to give him every advantage. Brook and his team are extremely scientific they know his ideal weight.

Both guys have advantages outside of the ring. Brook has an advantage because Spence will have to travel. It’s not just the judges but acclimating to time, weather and food are not easy. Spence has an advantage because Brook just put on muscle to get to 160. Now he’s going back to 147. They both have excellent coaches so that’s a wash.

As for in the ring styles the fight comes down to two things can Brook slow the pace down and control Spence. Once Spence gets cooking all of his fights look the same way. He’s bearing down on his opponents banging their head and body and they either cover up and retreat or get knocked out.

The second question is can Brook hurt Spence. I know Brook will land his shots, he’s sharp and he punches correctly. Errol is trying to ko his opponents and offensive fighters can be hit. But being able to hit someone and being able to hurt them are different. It's easier to slow the pace down if you can hurt your opponent. If he can’t hurt him I think he will be carried too fast. Only master boxers can slow the pace down and not hurt their opponents. Whitaker and Mayweather level boxers.

If you notice Brook stunned GGG but the pace never slowed. It was violent and frenetic. I know Brook got injured and he was doing well. But that would have been a tough pace for him to keep for 12 rounds. It’s the same scenario in this fight.

Right now I favor Spence to win.

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