In this week’s packed mailbag, top trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards covers all manner of bases, from PEDs to the career of Josh Taylor, looking at the best challengers for Oleksandr Usyk, and what would have happened had Lennox Lewis boxed the “The President” Ike Ibeabuchi
Dear Bread, I know you have been very outspoken in the past about doping and peds in boxing, curious to get your opinion on the Francisco Rodriguez situation who tested positive for heptaminol which is capable of boosting athletes’ stamina, combat fatigue, boost blood flow, mask other illegal substances etc. ln the gal yafai fight, I was shocked early, although he was clearly the bigger man in the ring, the way he dominated that bout relentlessly and ruthlessly walked forward landing big shots on Galal without any fear for what was coming back and without seemingly getting fatigued started to make me suspicious and by the end of the bout I had no doubt this man was dirty as the way he fought was simply unsustainable for even most elite clean boxers let alone a 32 year old boxer on the doorstep of journeymen status, He connected on 575/1089 punches that night a record and 969 of those punches were power punches thrown, so overall 528 of 969 power punches landed on Galal who miraculously survived 12 rounds of being brutalised by this drug cheat. We now find out the WBC had initially cleared F/rod of intentionally taking the banned substance, changed the fight to a No Contest, reinstated Galal as interim champ and then ordered him to defend against this Ped cheat again? Am I missing something here? Because as a boxing fan, it makes me sick to the stomach and I feel for Yafai who has probably had what prime years of his career taken away by the beating he suffered at the hands of this Ped cheat. If things couldn't get any worse in this situation we now find out F/rod tested positive for a banned substance in his previous bout in Texas which was changed to a No Contest, which begs the question why was this guy fighting for a world interim boxing belt his next fight against Galal? Seems like a lot of heads have been buried in the sand here and need to roll but history shows what will probably happen next Rodriguez will serve a one-year ban which is probably one fight he would miss, while Yafai – who I believe had his soul taken that night – will probably never be the same again the physical and mental beating he suffered will last forever. Yours sincerely B
Bread’s response: I feel like someone dropped the ball. If Rodriguez had tested positive in his previous fight, then he shouldn’t have been in the ring with Yafai. Yafai is 100% the victim in this case. I feel like that all PED tests should be transparent to the boxing and general public. There shouldn’t been hidden results. If a fighter tests positive or is suspended for whatever reasons, it should be publicly accessible. Hidden test results only add to the problem.
In my opinion the first positive PED test should result in a two year ban. A second positive test should be a lifetime ban. So if you’re asking me, Rodriguez should be banned for life. He’s obviously a chronic cheater.
I also feel like Yafai has a lawsuit. He not only fought a man who was on PEDS, but a man who shouldn’t have been in the ring with him anyway because of a previous PED test.
Hey Bread, hope you're well. Last week you said Opetaia and Benavidez would be good opponents for Usyk because the size of today's heavyweights works against them and it would be harder to tire the above-mentioned boxers. I think this is a very limited assessment of both Usyk and Benavidez and Opetaia. Firstly, there is more to heavyweights getting tired against Usyk than just their size alone. Most of his previous opponents have said Usyk's constant movement causes mental fatigue, I don't think that is limited to heavyweights, we've seen Lomachenko do that to lighter opponents. Mental resilience has nothing to do with size. Secondly, you’re not taking into account the chin, grit and power of Usyk who has settled into the heavyweight division. If 250-pound-plus fighters cannot wobble him, what chance do Opetaia and Benavidez have? Their punching prowess isn’t impressive versus elite opponents (Benavidez vs Gvozdyk, Morrell, Opetaia vs Briedis 2). Usyk's also notoriously hard to hit and if you scale those two to 230 pounds, they'll be hitting thin air. Usyk might not have round one ending power but his KO prowess is overlooked because of his style but in my opinion it is as good as his contemporaries: Crawford and Inoue. Thirdly, Benavidez and Opetaia are not even number the top dogs in their own division. While Opetaia may win against Zurdo, I don't have any faith in Benavidez beating Bivol or even a 40+ Beterbiev. Let's not put the cart before the horse and think they'll be competitive against one of the greatest fighters of the modern era. The only person right now who may have a chance is Moses Itauma due to his youth and ferocious style, but it's a gamble because we haven't seen him taken to deep waters or fight someone of Usyk's caliber.
Bread’s response: It’s not a limited assessment, it’s my assessment. You said Usyk’s movements causes mental fatigue on the heavyweights. I agree, but the reason for the mental fatigue is because they aren’t used to seeing the rhythm. It also fatigues them because they know they won’t be able to keep up with it, whereas a smaller more conditioned fighter will have more confidence keeping up because of familiarity. So mental resilience in this specific case, does have to do with size.
Just because a smaller fighter can’t hurt his opponent, it doesn’t mean they can’t beat them. Besides who says they can’t hurt them? Boxing isn’t always logical. Sometimes a fighter can hit you with shots you can’t see and those shots have a bigger effect. Here are some examples, to help expand your limited viewpoint.
Evander Holyfield was never dropped by huge punchers in George Foreman and Lennox Lewis. But James Toney who is not a one punch KO artist even at super middleweight, was able to drop and stop Holyfield who was older but still very durable.
James Toney himself is known to have an iron chin. But Toney was dropped by Reggie Johnson at 160lb and Roy Jones at 168 but yet cruiserweights and heavyweights couldn’t stop or drop him. There is no cookie cutter assessment of how a fight will go.
Just because Usyk has a great chin and hard punch at heavyweight, that doesn’t mean a smaller guy can’t hurt him or would get KOd by him. That’s not how boxing works. I don’t care if Benavidez is not the top dog at 175. It hasn’t been proven that he’s not. He hasn’t had a chance to fight Bivol or Beterbiev. But I picked him because he’s younger than them and his body type seems more inclined to move up. I know Bivol and Beterbiev are special but they’re older and haven’t shown a desire to move up.
Speaking of Beterbiev, he dropped Usyk with a body shot in an amateur match. So explain how Beterbiev can do that in an amateur fight with bigger gloves, but large heavyweights can’t. According to your simple minded theory, because Usyk was dropped by a body shot by a smaller man, then that must mean bigger, heavy punchers will drop him with body shots also. Again, it doesn’t work that way.
Moses Itauma can fight. I like him. I never dismissed his chances. But I haven’t heard much traction on putting him in with Usyk at such a young age. And again that’s your opinion that Itauma is the only fighter with a chance to beat Usyk. Your opinion isn’t the absolute truth. It’s just your opinion. I would like to see all of the mentioned fighters get a crack at Usyk, so we can see how their skills and styles match up.
Hi Breadman, With Josh Taylor recently being retired, it's a good time to evaluate his career. When you picked him out years ago as someone to watch, I knew he was the goods. At around this time he wasn't the highest rated prospect in the UK, there was more buzz for the flashier Josh Kelly. How do you rate his career? Unfortunately everything after the Ramirez fight was a little disappointing. I was talking with my friends about if he's the best 140lb-er from the UK, I’d say so for the quality of his resume at that weight, what do you think? Stylistically how do you see him against Hatton/Khan/Witter? Do you think any of them rank in the top 10 140ers since WW2?Also, on the website I read about the passing of Tommy Brooks, I wasn't familiar with him but from the obituaries I've read he trained a list of great fighters, unfortunately there's not too much detail on when he had fighters, do you know some of his biggest nights? I gather he was in Holyfield's corner for the two Tyson fights? Regardless, RIP to another legend. As always thanks for the mailbag. Darns, Marrakech
Bread’s response: RIP Tommy Brooks. I met him and worked an opposing corner in sparring many years ago.
Josh Taylor was one of my best picks as far as career projection. I really liked what I saw in him. But it always worried me that he had such hyper aggressive energy. That energy may work in other sports but in boxing it causes a fast burn out. Nevertheless I think Taylor had an excellent career. He made it on the top ten P4P list. And he unified his division winning all four belts in tough fights. I wouldn’t call him a great fighter or a HOF. But I would call him an elite fighter within his era.
Taylor would have been a tough fight for Khan and Witter. Those are all tough pick em type fights. I can’t say if Taylor is the best UK 140lber because Ricky Hatton exists. Hatton made the HOF and he beat two HOF level fighters in Tszyu and Castillo at 140lbs.
Top ten junior welterweights since WW2. Let’s look really fast. Antonio Cervantes, Aaron Pryor, Julio Cesar Chavez, Niccolino Locche, Wilfred Benitez, Kostya Tszyu, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Duilio Loi, Carlos Ortiz, Oscar De La Hoya, Eddie Perkins, Zab Judah, Danny Garcia, Tim Bradley, Amir Khan… Those are the guys that stand out to me historically at 140lbs off the top of my head after WWII. I think Taylor fits in the list but I don’t know if he’s top ten. I would guess he’s a little outside of the top ten.
So I’m watching Spence-Bud again.. Spence looked to be possibly dehydrated imo… Clearly he was overdue to move up but he took the risk for the purse and legacy. Being boxing is already a dangerous game with high stakes. As a trainer if you had a guy like that and he’s struggling and or looks bad at the weigh in and day-of in the locker room, knowing your pupil should already be moving up, do you risk continuing on with the fight? Ok, so your fighter is hell bent on the fight moving on, is there anyway around it? How do you coach a fighter through that? If that makes sense… Spence seemed like a dead man walking… But Bud also has admitted 147 his last few fights were very hard to make so what the heck did he do different?!(Rhetorical) lol- Rock Young
Bread’s response: I thought Errol looked a little off but I don’t like to over think about these things without concrete proof. I can’t say if Errol was dehydrated because I don’t know what he rehydrated up to. And I don’t know what he usually rehydrates up to. I don’t remember seeing their night-of-the-fight weights. So it wouldn’t be fair for me to say that. But again I did think he looked a little off if I’m being honest.
I can’t say if I would’ve told him to move up or not because that depends on the role I play on the team. If I’m just the trainer, I wouldn’t have that much say in moving up or not. If I’m the trainer and manager then I would have more influence. You also have to be careful to not be cynical or negative in camp. You can’t keep telling a fighter to move up if he has plans on staying at the weight. It’s going to annoy him and cause friction. This is the reason why I don’t like to publicly criticize a team because I don’t know the inner workings of the team. The trainer is usually the first person to be blamed when something goes wrong, but oftentimes the trainer doesn’t have the influence the public may assume.
I don’t know exactly what Spence made in the Crawford fight. But I assume it was in the 25M ballpark. I don’t believe a trainer could tell Errol not to make that money at this stage of his life. It literally allows him to be comfortable for the rest of his days on this earth. That’s a big deal.
As far as risking going through with the fight. Let me tell you a secret. If a fight the magnitude of Crawford vs Spence is signed. And camp has begun. No trainer in the world can stop that fight from happening. That fight is bigger than a trainer’s opinion. Crawford vs Spence is a fight that could’ve possibly generated 100Ms. No one is stopping that fight once camp starts unless a fighter suffers a serious injury. Other than that, the trainer is going to get the fighter to the fight. This is a business and I’m not going to say what I would or wouldn’t do in that situation. Especially knowing it’s very little I could do anyway once the money has been put up and the contract has been signed.
Hi Bread, I’ve really been enjoying your mailbag — always insightful reading. Usyk has been receiving a lot of well-deserved praise following his win over Dubois. With victories over top names like Fury, Joshua, and others, his legacy continues to grow. Back in 2018, he fought Tony Bellew in what turned out to be a surprisingly competitive fight. Bellew was actually ahead on the scorecards after seven rounds before Usyk took control and stopped him in the eighth. Why do you think that fight was so close in the early rounds? Was Bellew genuinely giving Usyk problems stylistically, or do you think Usyk was simply taking his time, knowing he could break him down and finish him later? Best regards, Joel (Stockholm, Sweden)
Bread’s response: That’s one of the reasons I think a smaller, more agile fighter may give Usyk some trouble in his current run. Besides the Chisora fight, Usyks’s hardest fights have been against smaller fighters. And Chisora fought a high volume fight. I think Bellew can not only box, but he can punch. He was confident and he was on a hot streak. He was simply able to get off his punches with Usyk. There was not a drastic difference in hand speed. But I want to say something, Usyk is a pro’s pro. He’s not the type of fighter who loses his composure because his opponent is off to a good start. He’s the type of fighter who is okay with breaking even in the first half of a fight. Although Bellew was competitive I thought Usyk was always in control. Look at all of his tough fights. He’s not really a virtuoso guy who dominates every second of every round. He more or less takes inventory. Downloads data. Then he makes his move. So while I give Bellew props, what you speak of is Usyk’s normal fight pattern vs his better opponents.
Good morning, Do you discuss the feeling of fear before fights with your fighters? If so, break down what that conversation looks like between you and your fighter. I fought amateur briefly and stopped mainly because I was too old and needed to devote more time to my job to provide for my family. But I feel that had my coach discussed fear with me the way I read Cus D’Amato did with his fighters, it would have helped. Thank you, Dakota
Bread’s response: I personally like it when a fighter is a little afraid. It’s really no big deal. Fear is a good thing. All humans have fear unless they’re criminally insane and even then they fear stuff. It only becomes an issue if you can’t channel the fear. No fighter will admit to you that they’re scared. So don’t ask that. That’s not a language they speak. But you will be able to see it through their actions.
I’ve talked to fighters about being nervous and having butterflies. I like to put fighters on notice that they are in tough and they need to lock in. A fearful fighter won’t be complacent. I talk to them about being calm and composed. Fighters lose composure when the fear takes over too much. So we talk about it just not in the context you may think. I don’t ask a fighter if they’re scared of their opponent. I talk to them about having fun. Not allowing the moment to be too big and remaining composed. I talk about allowing themselves to warm up. When I say warm up I’m talking about the mind as well as the body warming up.
I also tell them it’s ok to be nervous or have butterflies. Today there are many mental health terms. Hyper stimulation, anxiety driven etc. But when I was growing up it was just called having butterflies. After the event gets into a flow, the butterflies usually go away. I let them know it’s ok to feel these things, it’s just not ok to let the feelings get the better of them….
Hi Breadman, This fight seems to have been forgotten about, Schofield Vs Farmer, my question is about how it actually happened. Farmer was rolling and doing great, taking A+ contenders to the brink, and arguably beating them, and then he gets KOd in one by someone who wasn't even considered an A+ talent, and I'm still struggling to understand how it happened. Have you had a chance to decipher that fight? Do you think the outcome will have done something to Tevin that will affect him going forward? I don't believe he has ever been beaten like that.
Bread’s response: Tevin took on Raymond Muratalla and Williams Zepeda 2x. Sometimes the totality of tough fights have an effect on you. You also have to realize that Schofield is a fast, explosive fighter who fights on the bounce. Zepeda is a volume punching, pressure fighter. And Muratalla is a big, strong kid but Schofield is way more dynamic.
Just because Schofield didn’t have the name or number of fights as Muratalla and Zepeda. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t a more dangerous opponent. He certainly was different.
From what I saw Schofield started out locked in and was on point and Tevin never got a chance to warm up to the task. Sometimes the answer we want is extravagant. But oftentimes it’s simple. In another aspect of this. I observed how locked in Schofield was. I would be interested to know if he put his phone down and turned it off at least a day before the fight. I’m just curious because of his level of focus. And with him being a young fighter, coming off of the Shakur Stevenson pull out, Schofield had a lot to prove and he proved it.
I am not a massive fan of Devin Haney. I have rooted against him in numerous fights. I also thought he deserved to lose his fight against Vasiliy Lomachenko. That being said, I think there’s a very good chance Devin Haney ends up being remembered as one of the greatest fighters of all time. I think if Haney beats Brian Norman, which is a big if, he has to be considered a top pound-for-pound fighter. I also think that win would make Haney’s resume hall-of-fame worthy, right now. He would be a three division champion and a former undisputed champion. I find this to be hilarious given how everyone has left Haney for dead after his last two fights. If Haney beats Norman, is he a lock for the hall of fame and back on the most popular pound-for-pound lists?
Bread’s response: You know what ,I never really gave it much thought. But Haney has a solid resume. I think a win over Norman puts him on the HOF ballot for consideration but I don’t know if it gets him in as a lock. I would have to see how he performed first. We are in an era where most of the top fighters who start out under 147lbs win titles in three or more weight divisions. It’s a quality achievement but it’s not like doing it in the 1980s. So we have to look deeper at the quality of the resume.
The Loma wins is very good. It was close but I don’t think it was a robbery. Loma was not in his prime but he was still great. The Prograis win was also very good. Prograis has slipped since but going into the fight he was considered a legit threat. Maybe Devin took the rest of Prograis's prime. The Kambosos wins were good but I don’t consider them elite wins. Kambosos deserves credit for the Teo win but he’s not an elite fighter. After that, Devin ‘s best win was an ageing Linares who is skilled but not durable. I don’t consider that a great win. I think it’s solid win.
Overall I want to be fair to Devin. I think he has a good resume. And beating Norman would make him a three division champion. But I don’t know if it makes him a HOF. His resume is good for the era but it’s not exceptional. Let’s wait a little longer and most importantly see how he looks vs Norman. We have to give performances the eyeball test, not just the on paper test. What I will say is Devin is heading in the right direction. He’s willing to take some tough fights, regardless of what people think. And a Norman win would put him on HOF trajectory.
Hello, I am a loyal reader, I look forward to your column every Saturday, I want to get your opinion on a fight that never took place, but I think it would have happened if one guy had not gone to jail. That fight is Lennox Lewis vs Ike Ibeabuchi. I have always believed that Ibeabuchi would have knocked out Lewis and would have been champion for a long time. Remember he beat a prime 225lbs David Tua, when Lewis fought him a few years later Tua weighed 250lbs and was not the same fighter. I do not think that Lennox could have stood up to the power of Ibeabuchi, remember he was knocked out twice, was hurt against Frank Bruno and Shannon Briggs went life and death with Ray Mercer in a fight that could have gone either way and was lucky they stopped the Vitali Klitschko fight because he was losing. I know Lennox had a great right hand but Ibeabuchi against Tua was hit by Tua with solid left hooks and was never hurt. Tua at that time was avoided by everyone because of his power, and he was the hardest puncher in the heavyweight division, especially with the left hook, whenever he would land it the fight was over, but Ibeabuchi took it and always came back with something just as hard. I do not think that Lennox could have taken Ibeabuchi's power or pressure for 12 rounds. Who do you think would have won? Thank you, this is my first time writing you, Ernie
Bread’s response: You know I was looking forward to Ike Ibeabuchi challenging Lennox Lewis. Lewis is one of the few older champions in history that was ok with taking on a young in their prime stud. He did it vs Shannon Briggs, David Tua, Andrew Golota, Vitali Klitschko and Michael Grant. He beat all of them. But out of everyone, I thought Ibeabuchi had the best chance.
However, as I’m typing let me state something that often happens. Great athletes who stop practicing their sport in their primes before we see everything play out, often get overrated. I want you to close your eyes and imagine how Mike Tyson would be viewed if he got in a plane crash in 1989 and we never saw the Buster Douglas or Evander Holyfield fights. I know it’s morbid but this is necessary.
I thought Ibeabuchi was the real deal. He took both David Tua’s and Chris Byrd’s 0s. That’s a massive resume for someone of limited experience. Ibeabuchi reminded me of a bigger version of Evander Holyfield with a little mix of Mike Tyson, although I believe Tyson was a bigger puncher for a single shot. But the issue is we didn’t see enough of him. I know we saw a lot vs Tua and Byrd but neither of them fight like Lewis. I don’t want to overrate or underrate Ibeabuchi. I can honestly say my guts tell me the history of boxing would be different if he didn’t go to jail. But that’s just a feeling. It’s not a fact. The fact is he did go to jail and he didn’t get a chance to do what Salvador Sanchez did and that’s establish a solid legacy before his absence.
Lennox Lewis is a legit ATG fighter. He may have been vulnerable but he was super clutch when he was pitted against a young stud or felt threatened. Remember what he did to Razor Ruddock when everyone thought Ruddock was a killer because of his good performances vs Mike Tyson? Remember the Michael Grant KO? Remember what he did to Andrew Golota after Golota’s good showings vs Riddick Bowe? Lennox was a rare fighter. He had let down nights vs guys like Rahman and McCall so it made it seem like he was more vulnerable than he actually was. In his big money threatening fights he was lights out. As much as I like Ibeabuchi, I do feel like he was hit too clean. Watch the Tua and Byrd fights….
After I mix all of my thoughts together. I will say that it’s a pick ‘em fight. It’s no guarantee that Ibeabuchi would’ve beaten Lennox. Lennox was no joke and he was as clutch a fighter as I have ever seen. And I haven’t seen enough of Ibeabuchi to know what his IQ would’ve been like in a deep hard fight vs Lennox Lewis. I won’t disrespect an ATG like Lennox Lewis and say he would’ve lost to Ibeabuchi without knowing more… Mental discipline shows up, inside and outside of the ring and we know Ibeabuchi lacked it outside of the ring.
I feel like the media takes your comments and they run them off as their own. You were the first person I heard say that David Benavidez has good defense. Now I’m seeing videos of Benavidez’s defense being highlighted. Before you said anything, all I heard was Benavidez takes too many punches. You were the first to see his defense in a better view. You were also the first expert I heard pick Crawford to beat Canelo. Now it’s a trendy pick and the exact reasons you gave are now being used. Personally I’m picking Canelo. I just don’t see a way Crawford can win. But if you’re right, I want to give you your flowers. I have two questions for you. One is do you see how others are taking your thoughts and passing them off as their own? Two, can you breakdown Canelo vs Crawford and tell me who has the edge in power, strength, durability, defense, speed and stamina?
Bread’s response: Yes I have seen people use my thoughts as their own. But it’s really nothing I can do about it. It’s part of being in the media. I wish they would give me attribution but we are in a selfish prideful sport, so it is what it is.
Yes I’m picking Crawford but I very well could be wrong. Most of the people I know, disagree with me and I respect their perspective. I will do your break down that you asked for, but I want to say I don’t break down fights like you. I break them down with who I think will be more effective. Not so much in individual categories.
Power – Canelo
Strength – I don’t know. Crawford is known to be very strong and I believe his strength also lies in his stamina, to be stronger longer.
Durability – Canelo has an ATG chin but Crawford has never been stopped or dropped. I will give the edge to Canelo based on reputation but Crawford has shown to be very durable.
Defense – This is tricky. I think Canelo has better natural defensive reflexes. Crawford has solid D but I think Canelo has better anticipation as far as avoiding shots. Crawford sometimes takes a little time in his fights for his defensive eyes to sharpen up. But some of Crawford’s defense lies in his ability to be an elite counter puncher. Crawford’s counter punching is better than his natural defense. So I will give a slight edge to Canelo but there’s many layers to it and I don’t believe it’s a big separation.
Speed – Crawford’s speed is more smooth and subtle. Canelo’s is more violent. I will give Crawford the edge. I feel like Canelo loads up more these days and you can see his punches coming a little easier and it’s why he hasn’t scored a KO in four years.
Stamina – I feel like Crawford has a big edge here. But I want to say, I want to see how Crawford’s stamina is with the new added weight.
I know Canelo may check more boxes, so therefore you would assume Canelo wins. But a fighter’s total package is more important than his parts broken down. Boxing is simple most times. And most times it comes down to who can land their best punches the most consistently and who can defend their opponent’s best punches the most consistently. Crawford just seems to get into a rhythm in his fights where he just rolls to a win. He gets it just about every fight. It’s not a coincidence.
I don’t know why he gets that rhythm. It may be an innate adjusting ability. It may be will power. It may be uncanny focus. He might be a fighting genius and Crawford himself can’t explain it. I don’t know. But I do know what I see. My pick is still Crawford. I believe it will be close early but at some point he catches this rhythm and he pulls away late in a competitive fight.
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