By Stephen 'Breadman' Edwards

The Daily Bead Mailbag returns with Stephen 'Breadman' Edwards discussing questions on Wladimir Klitschko vs. James Toney, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his skills, thoughts on Danny Garcia, Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev, and more.

Gabe

Bread’s Response: It wouldn’t have been easy because of Wlad’s size, power and pedigree but in that small window of around 03-04 I think Toney would have taken him.

Hello Breadman

I think people are missing the point concerning Floyd "Money" Mayweather. If one would look at how he fights, his only interest is to gather as many points as he can whilst at the same time showcasing art of boxing inclusive his skills. By the looking of things, he has no interest of a bloody fight or knockouts or injuring an opponent.

In all, in the ring he portrays a gentleman and he will wood-wink an and outbox to the end. The only way to beat Mayweather is to beat him in his style.

The mistake that all boxers do when faced with Mayweather is they go all in give it all operation destroy kind of boxing style. As a result Mayweather just pick them apart. That is more I agree with him that he is the The Best Ever (TBE).

Mayweather knows that each and every point counts. Hence all the selective accurate punches and counterpunches which every punch that lands, counts. He knows what judges need and he plays according to their rules.

I would love to hear your opinion on this Breadman. Thanks. I must add that the manner you articulate boxing and its pugilists is impressive. I would love to hear your comprehensive view of Mayweather and his weaknesses if any.

Bread’s Response: Ok here it is…..

Lot’s of times fighters do things that mere mortals describe in a way that a fighter does not think. I have heard some master boxers try to articulate certain things and it doesn’t come off as well as what they are doing in the ring. They are just geniuses.

I personally have seen every Floyd Mayweather fighter from his title victory over Genaro Hernandez up until now which is approximately 30 fights. He has evolved. If you go fight by fight in order it’s harder to observe the evolution. I you skip in 5 year gaps you will see it clearer.

Floyd seems to have a computer in his head. He never “lets’ an opponent get too much. He never allows himself to lose rounds too big. He also never “let’s” an opponent have his way in too many consecutive rounds. Therefore he has always been able to convince 2 out of 3 people he has WON a fight.

In the last 10 years or so Floyd’s activity rate and penchant for violence has went down. But I am not one who believes he does NOT want knockouts. Pressing for a knockout is one thing, but wanting to get a knockout is something different. If you ever see Floyd throw his sucker straight right hand you know he’s trying to knock his opponent’s out. He just won’t sacrifice the win or his health for a ko. There is a difference. Could you imagine if 4.4 million people watched Floyd do to Pacman what he did to Gatti? Make no mistake about it, Floyd wants kos. He’s just smart enough to realize that forcing kos can be counterproductive and his win streak is more important to him.

Floyd’s style….Currently he condenses the fight. The violence and the punch output are quelled. Floyd throws between 35-40 punches/round and he lands about half of them. In the meantime most of the time his opponent’s throw less than they usually throw and they land at a much lower percentage. Floyd also controls the climate of the fight for the most part. So let’s think about this. Fights are scored on Defense, Clean Punching, Effective Agressiveness and  Ring Generalship.

If an opponent is missing at a high rate, Floyd is displaying great defense, especially when the opponent is barely throwing punches. Floyd is one of the cleaner punchers you will ever see, cleaning punching. His workrate actually works for him there because you see everything he does. The opponent is usually pressing the fight and Floyd renders him ineffective. And Floyd usually controls the action in the ring. Ring Generalship.

Now I don’t know if Floyd has broken things down in his mind like I just did..But he has cornered the market in every aspect of how a fight is scored and judged.

Weaknesses…no fighter is perfect. But every fighter does not have to have weaknesses. All have tendencies. I don’t believe you have to beat Floyd at his own game to beat him. I believe the style that has to used, depends on the fighter. Oscar De La Hoya won’t be effective fighting him like Marcos Maidana did…

His opponent’s have to fight the best fight their skillset allows them to. I don’t know if Floyd has weaknesses but I do have hypothetical questions. Does Floyd have the temperament to “go get” a supreme threat he’s not controlling late in a tight fight. For example Leonard vs Hearns 1. I’ve always believed Floyd was a decent puncher. But he rarely scores knockdowns let alone knockouts. He won’t sacrifice certain things to be violent. But in a fight where the win was on the line could he be violent with a great threat. We may never know.

What''s going on Breadman, it's been awhile since I last wrote and now that your mailbag has moved to Boxingscene,  I wanted to get your thoughts on why Danny Garcia is so hated.  To me it just baffles me because the kid has a solid resume has had good performances against some of the top guys at 140 and his two fights with Herrera and Peterson were razor thin type of fights.  I felt Herrera earned a draw against Swift, but I had Danny barely beat Lamont.  Sure the Rod Salka thing was a farce, but people need to blame Al Haymon for that fight and I don't remember Mayweather getting so much flack when he fought Henry Bruseles and all the misses he had at every weight he competed, but Floyd is another story. 

Danny to me seems like a good kid, I mean he's smart with what he says to boxing media, never expresses frustration with Al Haymon, doesn't talk bad about Floyd, and always says he wants who Al Haymon wants because that's the reality for most Haymon fighers.  Still, people just don't like this dude and I hear many say that many of the top Welters beat him.  However, I disagree, I only favor three figthers to beat him and that's Floyd, Manny, and Brook.  He's even money or a favorite against the other guys Porter, Thurman, Maidana, and Khan.  Maybe he'll never get the credit, but Swift is one of the most hated and underated fighters in boxing today.

Bread’s Response: Great question. I don’t know why people hate Danny so much, he’s a really nice kid but let me take a stab. First off I think people don’t like his dad but his dad is not the boxer. So rooting against Danny is their only recourse.

I also think that as a whole people don’t like the person they perceive as being “spoiled”. Danny has always received the benefit of the doubt in his close fights. In his other fights he always seems to get to fight the “right” opponent. I have seen siblings turn on each other because of similar situations.

All in all I really respect Danny and I remember him being the underdog vs Amir Khan and Lucas Matthysee. His resume is solid and I don’t think his controversial wins were gifts I think they were close fights. I think there is a subconscious mechanism in most sports fans. They want to see Danny up against it again. If he sparks Shawn Porter or Keith Thurman the world will embrace Danny again..

Bread,

I agree wholeheartedly with your Kovalev/Ward breakdown but add...Ward is clever too, in fact he’s more clever and experienced than Kovalev. Kovalev has had the benefit of match-making to pick the perfect matchups for him, Ward has fought all styles. Wouldn’t you say that Froch fights in a similar manner to Kovalev moreso earlier in his career than later where he boxed more? Kessler too? I think that Ward takes over the fight with Kovalev as the fight moves into the later rounds, frustrating him especially with his roughhouse tactics and body attack. Ward unlike Hopkins who sets traps by letting his opponents come to him, goes to his opponents and sticks to them like glue not giving them space…this will work well against Kovalev who needs space to punch.

When Kovalev gets tagged he settles himself and boxes until he re-asserts his dominance than he goes in for the kill but from the outside or mid-range. Ward will frustrate him by sticking to him like a shadow and beat him up on the inside. Once Ward establishes that inside game his mid-range and outside game will work too.

Bread’s Response: It’s fascinating to think about. I agree with you. And I think HBO is trying to force the fight on Ward. Let’s see if it happens. The winner should go in the HOF that night!!!

What's up Bread?

I just wanted to get your thoughts on a fight I've been thinking about that should have happened already but hasn't yet.  Chad Dawson is the common denominator in this equation as both Andre Ward and Adonis Stevenson defeated him to catapult to new heights in late 2012 and mid 2013 respectively.  You mentioned that Ward displayed hall of fame/all-time great potential (im paraphrasing)  in beating Dawson while Stevenson went from avoided mandatory to lineal champ at 175.  I remember wondering who SOG could possibly face after the Super six and Dawson masterpiece and i figured that Adonis would have been the perfect foil.  I know that Ward was going through his legal woes but i wish this fight had happened instead of the glorified sparring session with Edwin Rodriguez.   Who would you have favored in 2013 and who would you favor right now?  I know there are network politics to sift through but Stevenson shouldn't be wasting fights on the Tommy Karpencys of the world.

Keep up the good work

William in West Palm

Bread’s Response: I would always favor Ward to beat Stevenson but Stevenson is a serious threat to anyone. He has the best southpaw left hand since a prime Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Tarver. He absolute money with that shot and he understands how to draw you into it. Some people say he’s a one handed fighter but often the man who practices the same thing 10,000 times, he more dangerous than the man who practices 10,000 things one time apiece. That being said I think Ward is too well rounded for Stevenson.

For the record the perfect foil for Ward after the Super 6 was not Adnois Stevenson. The perfect foil was the then undefeated and highly regarded Lucian Bute. Bute has declined since and showed he wasn’t what the world thought he was. But in 2011 he was viewed as a serious threat to Ward and he was hot. SOG left Bute on the legacy table.

Breadman,

I hung out with my dad all weekend and we discussed the best fighters since 1970 by trying to rank the top 3 in each division.   My biggest take away was Floyd was at best 3rd at welterweight behind Hearns and Leonard and arguably ODLH had a better run at welterweight eventhough he lost head to head AND that Floyd didn't make the cut at 135/140 (which we lumped together) as we both rated Pernell Whitaker, Roberto Duran, and Aaron Pryor over him.     As I think of it in a historical perspective, I think Manny is a top 126 lber and Floyd a top 130 lber but neither have the natural size to beat welterweights throughout history (Leonard, Hearns, Gavilan, Ray Robinson, etc).   Can you name your top 3 at welterweight, 135/140, and heavyweight since 1970.   My dad had Ali, Holmes, and Foreman, whereas I had Ali, Holmes, Holyfield.   In their primes who wins Holmes vs Tyson, Holmes vs Lewis, Holmes vs Klitschos, Holyfield vs Holmes, Foreman vs Lewis, Foreman vs. Tyson....I already know foreman knocks out either Klitscko!

We also watched different boxers jump rope routines through the years.  Ray Robinson was as stylish and impressive as Floyd and Tyson and Duran were both very good, agile, and impressive.   That said, Ray Leonard and Roy Jones seemed average and underwhelming relative to their in ring athleticism.    How important is jump rope and speed bag in a boxers training.   When guys were crossing the ropes in various ways my dad was saying "that's where your combinations from" which struck me.    how functional is jump rope and speed bag in a fighters training?  do they have significant benefits in the ring, or are they mainly for cardio?

Looking for big things from J-Rock on 9/22, would love to see him vs. Willie Nelson in  2016!

Billy Bomaye

Bread’s Response: My top 3 fighters at welterweight since 1970. Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Jose Napoles. Napoles is so underrated it’s absolutely sad. You have watch him bro. He’s better than Oscar was at the weight.

Top 3 fighters at 135/140 since 1970. Roberto Duran, Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.

My top 3 heavyweights since 1970. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield.

I think Tyson beats Holmes, prime for prime. Holmes could probably beat more people but head to head I think he got hit too clean to beat a prime Tyson.

I like Holmes to beat Lewis is a real close pick em type of fight. I may change my mind tomorrow but I think Holmes is slightly quicker and had better stamina.

I like Holmes to beat both Klitschkos. He could match their jabs and he had better legs. Holmes is real 15 round fighter.

Holmes vs Holyfield is another close one. I think they would have to fight 3 times to decide who was better.

I like the Foreman that beat Ken Norton to knock both Tyson and Lewis out. That George Foreman could literally kill you. Literally.

Jump rope is very important. It teaches fighters the rhythm of how hey should fight. Speed bag is also important but not as important as skipping rope. Both develop rhythm but I believe skip rope gives you more cardio.

You must have missed some of Ray Leonard jump rope sessions. He was the real deal on the rope.

Yo Bread, what's your assessment on the young bull out of D.C. Antoine Douglas? I've been following you since I was 16 I'm 22 now. I feel as if I'm one of your biggest fans. Keep up the great work. You're one of the sports greatest minds, the world just doesn't know it yet. But soon they will.

TJ in PA

Bread’s Response: Thank you.

Douglas is one of the better young fighters in boxing. He’s also very well grounded mentally. His draw with Michel Soro is looking better and better these days. Douglas has been brought along the right way. Not too fast but no babying.

I think he needs to learn to turn his punches over slightly better and change his fight rhythm up. He sorts of rocks his body to the same pace but other than that I think he’s super solid.

Whats good bread? 1st off with guys like joan guzman, carl froch, jermain taylor, vic darchanyan, juama lopezand  jorge arce recently announcing there retirement do you think any of them are hall of famers? Which ones get in and who had the best career out of that bunch? Also lets say Adrien Broner beats maidana in 2013 and remained undefeated do you think he would have eventually challenged floyd by now? He seems a bit wwe ish and i could see the 2 heels turning on each other. lastly not related to boxing but what do you think of joel embids future and should the 76ers bring Iverson in as coach for this up coming season? Peace and good luck sept 22

Bread’s Response: I think Carl Froch is a lock to get in. Vic Darchynian has a shot. Froch had the best career out of the bunch you named.

Yes I think Broner would have challenged Floyd by now. The world would have called for it.

I’m scared for Joel Embid. I’m really up in he air about his future. I don’t know what kind of coach AI would make but I do think he should have a job with the sixers as the face of the organization. I haven’t loved them since they traded my man.

Who do you have in LSC vs Mares and why?

Bread’s Response: I can’t believe this is the only question I got about Leo Santa Cruz vs Abner Mares. I’m picking Mares but I’m not confident. The oddsmakers have Santa Cruz as the favorite. The oddsmakers are usually right 80% of the time.

You have one fighter who seems stagnant vs another who may be past it. But in fights like this with high energy fighters the one who is the better boxer usually wins. See Barerra vs Morales and Gomez vs Pintor. My guess and please don’t bet on this is Mares can do a little bit more. I have seen him hustle to win a fight like he did vs Anselmo Moreno. I have seen him box like he did Daniel ponce DeLeon. I have only seen Santa Cruz win one way. Sometimes that’s all you need, sometimes you need more.

For the record I think this will close and controversial. For all of Mares’s praise during his prime run. He wasn’t a dominant fighter. He had a draw with Yohnny Perez. His fight with Vic Darchynian was super close. His fight with Moreno was a good victory but he had to fight an ugly fight to get it. I don’t expect him to overwhelm LSC either. Expect a drawish 114-113 type of fight where both fighters will “think” they won. Expect a rematch.

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