The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen "Breadman" Edwards tackling a mountain of questions regarding the recent rematch between WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and challenger Tyson Fury - which saw Fury capture the world title with a seventh round stoppage.
So... yeah... THAT happened. Fury defied convention yet again. Not really in beating Wilder so much as the way he beat him. That’s twice Fury has pulled that off. Against Klitschko, he boxed with a boxer. And WON. In the Wilder rematch, he brawled with a brawler. And WON. I was expecting Wilder to knock him out, but Fury was laser-focused and determined. Respect.
So... what do you think comes next for both guys? Does Fury line up some guys to keep him busy then take on AJ for all the marbles (assuming he doesn’t get stripped of any of his belts)? Does he walk away while still on top? Does he give Dillian Whyte a long overdue shot? Predicting Tyson Fury is like predicting Daffy Duck. Your guess is as good as mine.
As for Wilder, where do he and his team go from here? Rematch? Maybe, but I think that would be ill-advised. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot of people talking about how Wilder got “exposed”... fickle public or is there something to that? Will more fighters now take the risk of standing toe to toe and trading with Wilder? Or will that turn out to be a FLAWED blueprint (like the “blueprint” Antuofermo laid of pressuring Hagler)?
I’m still taking in the insanity of last night’s events. The Tyson Fury that fought last night would be a rough night for ANY heavyweight IMHO. On that subject... Assume all the Fury’s below are the ones we saw last night:
Tyson Fury vs Riddick Bowe (the version that first beat Holyfield)
Tyson Fury vs Joe Frazier (the version that beat Ali)
Tyson Fury vs Lennox Lewis (the one that beat Ruddock)
Tyson Fury vs Larry Holmes (the one that edged Norton)
Tyson Fury vs his namesake (the one that beat Spinks)
Bread’s Response: Yes Tyson Fury proved me wrong. I give him 100% credit. I thought Wilder would clip him. But I’m not shocked, I’m more impressed.
I’m not saying Tyson Fury is Muhammad Ali. But he has an Ali type of way about him. He does everything he says he will. He outboxed Wilder the 1st time. Then he mauled him and beat him up the 2nd. Another thing Fury does like Ali, is stop punchers.
Fury doesn’t have Ali’s resume. But Fury like Ali, is not known to be a puncher. But he brutalized Wilder. Ali stopped George Foreman, huge puncher. Ali stopped Joe Frazier, huge puncher. Ali stopped Sonny Liston, huge puncher. Ali stopped Floyd Patterson, big puncher. Ali stopped Bob Foster, huge puncher. Ali stopped Ron Lyle, big puncher.
Now here is the thing. Fury stopped Deontay Wilder, the thing that most experts thought wouldn’t happen, including me, happened. Very impressive.
Tyson Fury has next level confidence and IQ. He has natural fighting instincts. He doesn’t look the part but he is the part. Special dude.
I don’t know where they go from here. There is a rematch clause. Shelly Finkel is a smart guy. He’s been one of the most influential people in boxing for 3 decades. It’s not out of the question that Team Wilder makes adjustments and win the rematch. No one thought this fight would end like this. I’m not saying Wilder will win the rematch. I’m just saying it’s not out of the question. Often times in a top level fight, whoever shows up on their game for that night wins. I assume Wilder and his team will adjust. They will calculate what went wrong and attempt to fix it.
I don’t think Wilder was EXPOSED. He always loses more rounds than he wins. He consistently gets outboxed. He always looks for one shot. But he’s an animal, with a quick strike brutal ko punch. That’s what made him 28 million dollars Saturday night. It’s boxing! He can’t be exposed for the same thing we praised him for. We knew those things about Wilder and yet he was still the favorite(slight) going into the fight.
Wilder has to tweak minor things , just like anyone else after a LOSS. Sometimes things could have gone wrong that we don’t see. Personal, physical, illness….. There is so much more than what we see on FIGHT NIGHT. We have to see what Wilder chooses to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if he took an immediate rematch. Wilder is prideful and he always has a shot vs anyone. You also have to factor in money. A trilogy is huge. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he took his time and took a couple of fights. Knowing some of the powers that be, they may take the safe route. We shall see.
Fury is unique. I think Fury will retire sooner than later. I think his camps are hard because he’s so heavy and tall. I can imagine camps take a toll on his body. Fury looks to me by the way he runs that he has lower extremity issues like a tall, heavy basketball player.
From my perspective for as good as Fury is, he doesn’t look great in showcase fights. Think about it. He struggled vs Wallin. Going into the Klitshcko fight, no one thought he would win. He just doesn’t light the world on fire because he’s not overly dynamic in one area except for his Mind and IQ. That shows vs elite competition. I expect him to understand this and fight another big fight. Some fighters are harder to showcase. Big punching, dynamic fighters like Mike Tyson, Tommy Hearns and Felix Trinidad are easy to showcase. Well rounded high IQ fighters like Bernard Hopkins, Marlon Starling and Michael Spinks are harder to showcase. You have to see their gifts vs elite opponents.
Wow. Tyson Fury. Just wow.
What an incredible performance, you said that would be his best chance of winning as trying to avoid getting Ko’d by wilder for 72 mins is extremely unlikely. Without getting carried away, and I am NOT getting carried away, but head to head how many heavyweights would you pick over fury? With his unique combination of dimensions, size and skill he may very well have the beating of anyone ever.
I do not think he is the greatest heavyweight of all time, but would not dismiss anyone picking him in a head to head against the lot before him.
Also I see a lot of comments saying that fury has confined himself as the best heavyweight of this era. What rubbish! They still both need to fight AJ before that is decided. And I think AJ poses a tougher test to fury, and here’s why...
Fury used him superior jab, feints and feet to land on wilder. He used his superior strength and natural size to wear wilder down when they were in the clinch (even with the protection for wilder by bayless).
AJ has a more educated jab than wilder. He has better footwork and I think ring IQ than wilder. He’s naturally bigger and stronger than wilder and better at close and mid range. I also think on the offence he has a better punch selection so will be harder for fury to nullify.
I’m still fairly close to 50/50 on AJ vs Fury, maybe 55/45 in favour of Fury. After than performance, how do you see the AJ fight going?
Wilder showed the heart of a champion. I think he was taken back by fury’s game plan and was under both physical and mental stress the whole time. He bit down on his gumshield and fought as hard as he could. Props to him and props to his team who made a tough call with their fighters health at best interest.
Hopefully we get Fury vs AJ later on in the year.
I think we probably get wilder vs Charles Martin next and then hopefully someone like kownacki before he meets up with the Fury AJ winner. What do you think?
That’s the dream anyway.
Bread’s Response: Call me crazy but I think Joshua matches up better with Fury than Wilder does. Wilder is athletic and he’s fast and obviously powerful. But power and physical strength are different. Wilder has skinny little legs and I don’t know if he’s as strong as Joshua.
I also noticed that Wilder punches from one range. Long striking range. Joshua has a better jab and he can fight on the inside. He has a nasty hook and a nasty uppercut. I’m not saying I would favor him to beat Fury because Fury has so many tools in his box. He has that adjustable IQ where can process faster than most. But I am saying he’s not a lock to beat Joshua. Let’s see the fight get made before we break it down. Wilder still has a rematch clause.
Hey Bread,
Just read you MB, good sh-t as usual!
When Wilder first hit the scene after winning Olympic bronze, then promoted by Golden Boy, I thought he was all hype.
Watching him ascending in his career he's a very crafty, patient guy who sets up his big shots with patience.
Most talk about Wilder's big right hand neglecting the 20% KO rate with the left hook.
Wilder by KO!
Bread’s Response: Rob you sent me this email 30 minutes before the fight. I thought Wilder would win too. Wilder is crafty. He’s crafty at landing his money shot. But Fury has his attack rhythm down. Wilder’s left hook isn’t bad but he can only throw it as a clean up after he knocks you into it after the right hand. His hook is no where near his right hand in terms of effectiveness and when you face the MIND of a guy like Fury then….
But Wilder has ascended over the years. He started boxing at 19. And in less than 10 years he was a world champion. He’s going to take a lot of HEAT. Only Wilder and his team know what went wrong. Hopefully he stays off of social media and gets over this. People are cruel and the TROLLS are not human.
One more thing. Wilder and his team actually overachieved. He got to 42-0. He had 10 title defenses. He won the Bronze Medal. Wilder is a limited boxer, he’s light in weight for today’s standards. He doesn’t have great defense, footwork or boxing ability. Somebody did something right. Before we break Wilder’s team up let’s all understand that this was all done with a one trick pony. That’s impressive.
Hey Bread,
I love your work, your insights and knowledge is awesome! I am really bothered by how Mark Breland is being “scapegoated.” Fury, to me, was well prepared and executed the game plan to perfection. Wilder was getting beat up and taking lots of punishment, at least it appeared that way. I have several questions, should a trainer allow his fighter to take prolonged punishment and so called “go out on his shield” rather than throw in the towel because of some prearranged decision? Secondly, should Deas have thrown Breland under the bus as he did publicly? I know as a trainer you have a certain code of ethics that may not allow you to fully expand on this, but if possible could you please elaborate on this delicate subject. Thank you
Greg
Bread’s Response: This is very delicate but I will be very detailed with my response. I don’t want to clump everything into one category. I don’t know the RANKINGS of Wilder’s Team. I don’t know who the Chief Second is. Before we get into who threw the towel in we have to ascertain who is the Chief Second. The commission actually ask that before fights because that is the person they will refer to if they want the fight stopped.
If you remember Angelo Dundee told Bundini Brown in Ali vs Holmes, “I am the Chief Second. I’m stopping the fight.” Obviously Brown thought different.
In this case it seems as though Breland told Deas he was thinking about stopping the fight and Deas told him no. If Breland is the Chief Second then he’s well within his rights. If Deas is the Chief Second then Breland may be correct morally but in terms of the rules it’s Deas’s call. I honestly don’t who Wilder’s Chief Second is. Everyone seems to be running with an opinion but they don’t know all of the facts.
Wilder said something interesting in my opinion. He said Anthony Dirrell who is trained by Fury’s trainer kept telling his corner to stop the fight. He said everyone in his corner heard it and told him about it after the fight. Wilder thinks Breland heard it and was influenced. That’s a serious claim. I don’t know what is true and what isn’t. But they need to communicate as a team and figure out what happened. They may also want to stay private as of now so the opinions of others does not affect their opinions.
I don’t like that Deas came out so early and publicly challenged Breland but if Deas is the Chief Second then ……… It’s really subjective.
Now, fighters claim they are willing to die all the time. They claim don’t stop their fights. But after the fight the first thing they do is run to their woman and children because they really want to go home to their families. All fighters want to win but very few are willing to die in the ring. It sounds good but only a select few are willing to go there. Every case has to be treated differently. I fighter who comes back from losing and has a big punch will be given more of a chance than a feather fisted chinny fighter. I don’t have a problem with Breland stopping it. It seems to be the right call. I would have probably stopped it too. For the record I lean more towards Breland than Deas. But I understand if Deas wanted to give Wilder more time. It’s not fair to demonize Deas as someone who doesn’t care about Wilder. If any fighter in boxing has earned more time, it’s Wilder with his impressive comeback record and one punch power.
What’s good Bread! Man Man Man, please forgive me but I must rant for just a sec about the hypocrisy in this world and boxing. First congratulations to Fury. My prediction before the fight with my guys who said Fury didn’t have a chance was that Fury would hurt Wilder early and possibly drop him but by round 6 Wilder would knock him out. I was wrong but a couple of things in this world and boxing I don’t like. It baffles me how there has been zero mention of all the behind the head shots that Fury delivered. I think had it been the other way around they would have tarnish Wilder’s victory by showing it over and over is slow motion. The first knockdown was to the back of the head and the second was caused by a their feet being tangled but the media who is all to happy to jump on the great white hype train (not say Fury is hype but…) made it like they were just devastating blows.
I didn’t like Jay Deas Wilders “Trainer” throwing Breland under the bus. First that was a great stoppage by Breland. Wilder was out on his feet from round 3. He was not throwing the right hand which means him knocking Fury out was slim, since we all know that is the money shot. Deas as far as I know has never taken a punch in his life, so to say he should have allowed Wilder to go out like he wanted is not in the best interest of the fighter which is why you’re in the corner. I hope Wilder appreciates that from Breland.
I have never seen a race of people with so much self-hate. As a heavyweight champion Wilder has been outspoken about racial injustices even when it was probably not in his best interest, but he still has other world champion black boxers that hate him so. Yea, I saw the get-well messages Floyd sent but that’s BS. It’s almost like asking someone you just helped beat-up, are you okay. Why hadn’t he reached out before then? Then Tyson dancing and sh-t was ridiculous to me. It really took something out of me. The last is how my own people have the meme ready to go when our Champion has just hit a stumbling block. It is really sickening to me. I pray Wilder returns to form because he didn’t look like his self. I think I want him back as Champion more so to shut people up but hey it’s wishful thinking at this point.
I try not to adhere the conspiracy theories but a guy sitting at my table before the fight started said, I wouldn’t be shocked it Wilder lost because it would make the rematch bigger. Things that make you wonder. Looking back on it had Wilder gone it and knocked him out the 3rd fight, that is already signed for, would not have sold but now there is more intrigue.
Lastly, I never want to say to much about JRock because I know that’s a touchy subject for you but from what I can tell last fight he didn’t seem to be as zoned in as he needed to be. Some fighters need that edge or that chip on their shoulder to perform at their optimal level and I didn’t see it. I’m not saying Julz just washes him, but I felt he should have won cleanly had he been focused. Hopefully, he brings it in the next fight and regains his title. I’m a big fan and am rooting for him.
Bread’s Response: Fury definitely fought dirty. But let me tell you something I like dirty fighters. I believe if a fighter fights you dirty, fight him back dirty. Roberto Duran gets credit for one of the greatest wins in history vs Ray Leonard. He hit him low. He rubbed his hair in his eyes. He elbowed him. He squeezed him. He beat his hips. He dirty boxed the heck out of my favorite fighter. It’s a fight.
Fury not only hit Wilder with shots on the side and back of the head. But in heavyweight boxing you see that because their arms are longer and they loop their right hands. I’ve seen Wilder land a couple of those side/back shots also. Wilder’s team has to inform the referee and if the referee doesn’t do anything then Wilder has to get EVEN.
What I thought was a bigger factor was Fury in the clinches. He was literally CHOKING Wilder. Now when a person is choked, oxygen is being CUT OFF to the brain. That’s the similar to what happens when you get KOD. So Fury was choking him, then after they were broken up he would go back to punching him in the head. I will rarely criticize a corner. It’s the hardest and most thankless job in all of sports coaching. But if Wilder’s corner didn’t say anything to the ref, they should have. Being choked out is serious. But honestly man I don’t like to make excuses. If I’m Fury I keep doing what I’m doing until the ref stops me.
Everyone is attacking Deas’s credibility. But for as long as I’ve seen Wilder as a pro I saw Deas in his corner. He has to know something about boxing. I don’t know his background. But as a community we have to stop doing that. Deas was trusted with being a high ranking member of the heavyweight champion of the world. That’s an elite status.
That being said I don’t like what’s happening to Mark Breland either. It seems as though he’s going to lose his job because he stopped the fight. I think Breland made a good call. But the one thing about saying something is you get to prove it in the long run. Maybe Wilder will take another bad beating and Deas will not stop the fight. Maybe Wilder really wants to die in the ring and Deas will let him. This is a sadistic animalistic sport. I have had fighters tell me that also. I won’t listen to them but that’s just me. If Deontay truly wants to go out a certain way, that is his right. Some fighters are wired like that. People always draw lines of right or wrong. This is a matter of respect and perspective. Some trainers will say ok if you really feel like that then I will let the referee count to 10. Some trainers will ignore the fighter’s request and do what they see fit. I am of the latter. But I’m not going to criticize a different perspective. The bad trainer is the one who stops a fight the first sign his fighter is buzzed. Or this is the big one. He forces a fighter to fight PAST his limit.
I will tell you a story. My grandfather was a worldly man. He was the type of guy who said, if that is what you want I’m going to give it to you. My cousins and I did some things I can’t mention on here. And sometimes he let us have what we wanted. The repercussions were rough at times. Diego Corrales was a fighter who truly meant that. He went off on his step father for stopping his fight vs Floyd. He begged the referee to let him fight with a split lip vs Joel Casamayor. Then he proved why he deserved a chance to go out on his shield vs Jose Luis Castillo. Wilder may be a guy like Corrales. Why is everyone outraged at his perspective?
Wilder did look “off”. But if you’re suggesting he “threw” the fight for a rematch I don’t believe that. He lost to a better fighter that night.
Sup Bread,
Didn't realize how long it's been since I've wrote in! Man time really flies. How are you brother? I wanted to ask you a few questions.
1. I've heard alot of media personalities say that Wilder "can't box" and even Teddy Atlas say that he can't "fight" after his loss to Fury. What are the most glaring holes in his game in your opinion?
2. With Wilder stating that he is exercising his rematch clause, what adjustments do you think that he will be able to make to make part III more competitive?
3. Do you like the new broadcasting of boxing better or the old way(HBO, etc)? Me personally I miss the 24/7 shows and the overall feel of HBO for the biggest fights.
Keep up the great work!
Mike B
Jacksonville FL
Bread’s Response: 1. In boxing we have egos. Most of the people who are tearing Wilder down are mad because they PICKED him and were wrong. They want to be right so bad they are lashing out at Deontay. I’s a shame.
Wilder has many flaws but he can fight. You don’t get to his status and not be able to fight. How did Wilder stop Luis Ortiz twice and drop Fury twice if he couldn’t fight. He just limited in areas are very noticeable.
I think his biggest flaws are his stiff legs and hand positioning. Wilder’s legs are so stiff when he’s attacked he becomes more vulnerable than most. His elbows are OUT in his stance. The elbows should be in. For as fast Wilder is raising of the elbows tip off the attack. Also defensivey raised elbows allows too many holes. You can easily go between the guard to the head and underneath to the body.
2. As bad as Wilder was dominated the adjustments are not insurmountable. I already got into some of flaws. Those are adjustments….. I’m not going to say too much because the game is to be sold not told. But just like everyone thought Joshua would lose to Ruiz again and Joshua shut them up. Wilder is not over his head.
The thing about an adjustment is a fighter has to be locked in. When your mind is processing quickly everything comes together better. A more focused Wilder will be more competitive.
3. I loved 24/7. I loved HBO’s team of Lampley, Merchant, Kellerman, Emanuel Steward and Roy Jones. I just loved hearing the interaction. I thought they were the best teams ever. But I don’t want to knock what we have now. As time goes, things change. Showtime has a good team they just don’t have the number of fights anymore. But I like listening the Paulie, Mauro, Bernstein, Tomkins and Farhood. Fox is solid also. Lewis and Goosen are working well together. And on ESPN Andre Ward is becoming maybe the best in the game. He’s getting better each broadcast. He’s just as good as Roy and Paulie.
What’s good, Bread?! I hope all is well!
I’m sure you’re email is flooded with Tyson vs Wilder emails and I didn’t want to go down that route, but I’ve been seeing some videos about Tyson’s gloves and I don’t know what to think. So, I’m sure you’re aware by now, there’s video footage floating around from their first fight and now the second fight of Tyson’s gloves flopping around as he’s swinging and making contact with Wilder. For as long as I’ve watched and participated in the sport, I’ve never witnessed anything so bizarre. Some online say that Tyson might of had bags of some sort in his gloves. What are your thoughts on this and is there anything that can explain this odd slap-like movement?
By the way, initially I thought there’s no way he would get away with putting something in his gloves because the commission would catch it. But then, I reminded myself of Cotto vs Margarito, and also Billy Collins. Also, I went back and watched some Tyson highlights, and in the fights that I watched, he definitely didn’t have that same loose wrist movement.
Let me know.
J from Jersey.
Bread’s Response: I just saw the gloves video. A fighter in the gym was showing me a video of Fury’s gloves sort of flopping. It looked like they weren’t pulled down tight on his fist from the video. But this is the internet. People can do tricks and make all sorts of things look a certain way. I just don’t know what to think but I’m not going to discredit his victory and mention him with Margarito. That’s not fair. It may be nothing. Fury is a guy who doesn’t lock his wrist on every punch. He sort of flings his shots sometimes. At times there can be a simple explanation at times but people love the sexy story. Let someone very smart do research and an investigation before we go crazy about this.
What's going on Bread Man? I hope you enjoy the fights Saturday.
I wasn't really shocked that Fury stopped Wilder. What was shocking was how little resistance Deontay offered. I was sitting there thinking "What does Breland work on with him in the gym?" I say "Breland" because we all know that Jay Deas is not a real trainer. I expected Wilder to at least be able to nullify some of Fury's double feints and avoid being forced back to the ropes.
The two ways to neutralize (somewhat) power like Wilder's is to either stay in his chest and turn it into a grappling match or stay on the outside and use double and triple feints on the way in like Tyson did. I was also disturbed by how Breland was attacked in the press by Wilder and Deas for doing the compassionate thing and throwing in the towel. Deontay had no starch left, was getting worked over pretty bad and had the look of a guy looking to be put out of his misery. Why subject him to another five rounds of that?
Someone recently opined that Felix Trinidad would have been a tough fight for Tommy Hearns. I had to do a double take because from my recollection of the Hit Man, he feasted on lanky power punchers like Trinidad who waded straight in. Pablo Baez, while nowhere near as talented as Trinidad, had a similar style. The only tall fighter I recall Tommy ever struggling with was Iran Barkley, but Iran had a granite chin. Tito's chin was suspect, as evidenced by his trips to the canvas early vs. the likes of Yuri Campos, Anthony Stephens and Oba Carr. Tito was dropped so many times early in fights, I lost count. Hearns would have been a very bad style for him to solve.
Emerging Mexican fighters like Emanuel Navarrete and Miguel Berchelt hardly receive any press because Canelo seems to dominate all of it. It's a shame because these two fighters could very well be on the verge of greatness, but are dwarfed by the immense shadow of their countryman Canelo. Not to take anything away from Alvarez, but he fights twice a year, turns the selection process of his next fight into a soap opera and behaves like an A side diva. Navarrete is a throwback who seems to enjoy fighting, respects the fans, respects his opponents and fights frequently. Help me make sense about why fans love Canelo so much, but hardly pay attention to someone like Navarrete -- he's a very skilled and entertaining fighter.
Carl Hewitt - New York
Bread’s Response: Here is the thing. I see Deas and Breland both taking criticism from different places. Here is what I will say. They overachieved with Deontay Wilder. He’s a skinny kid who doesn’t do much great except punch. He started boxing late and he got the most out of his talent. Wilder doesn’t have a great jab, footwork or defense. But he’s showed a solid chin. Good athleticism and a monster money shot right hand. They got him to 42-0, 10 title defenses and he’s made millions. I have several fighters better than Wilder with so called better trainers not make it as far.
Now you see how I did that. I looked at the glass as half full and not half empty.
Specifically I don’t know what Jay Deas knows about boxing. I’m not being confrontational but I’m curious as to how would you know? In this sport everyone talks about who can train and who can’t. Who has credentials and who doesn’t. Let me tell you a secret. Lot’s of trainers we think are Gods are average. I’ve been in the gym and faced them. Lot’s of trainers we don’t know and aren’t fortunate enough to get breaks are very good. There is a trainer named Dwight Fleming from Paterson, NJ. I’ve went against him in the gym several times. He’s very good. He trains Vito Melinicki Jr. Now if Melinicki loses and/or has a bad night people will say he needs a new trainer. And I would ask them how would you know? Just like I’m asking you how would you know what Deas knows.
Now onto Breland, Breland has the so called credentials. He was a great amateur. He’s built like Wilder in P4P terms. He was solid pro and a world champion. But yet he’s being questioned.
And for the record I don’t know if Breland is a great coach or if Deas is. I’ve never been in the gym with them. I do think Wilder has improved. But he’s still very flawed. I don’t know who gets the credit for his improvement and blame for his flaws. This is a tricky situation. It’s why I keep my mouth shut about trainers because I know certain fighters are special. Certain fighters you can tell something once and they get it. Some fighters you have to tell him something 100 times and he finally gets it. Some fighters make adjustments through drills they work on. Some fighters can take any instruction and make it work. Every fighters is not the same mentally and physically. Some are more calm. Some have more confidence. Some cook better under pressure.
I can really go on and on about this. There is no exact science to being a great trainer. Lot’s of it is about intuition and instincts. It’s also about the horse you have in the race. For the record the trainers in boxing that stand out to me are Virgil Hunter, Freddie Roach, Javon “Sugar Hill” Steward, Ben Davison, Eddy Reynoso, Shane McGuigan, Nacho Beristain, Papa Lomachenko, Teddy Atlas, Abel Sanchez, Pedro Diaz and I’m sorry I forget his name but there is an Asian coach who trained Edwin Valero who I thought was excellent. Those are the coaches who stand out to me visually. I have either spent time with them in the gym or saw something with my own eyes that they have done that stood out to me. It doesn’t mean they are the best. It means they are the ones I can speak on that are the best.
As far as what Breland could or couldn’t have done. I hear you bro. I really do. I watch and think what could I have done or what would I do in that situation. But there is a winner and loser in every fight. The best trainers lose. Emanuel Steward is usually considered the top guy among trainers lost his two biggest fights by ko. Hearns vs Leonard and Hagler. What if everyone said why didn’t Hearns just box Leonard and not engage. Why didn’t he keep him at length, he was outboxing him? Or maybe why didn’t he just wait until Hagler ran out of steam because Hagler started so fast and hard? You see how this works man. I’m just giving you some insight. A Sunday Morning Trainer can’t be wrong. It’s impossible. He gets to judge the fight AFTER it happened.
Maybe Fury fought his ass off and that was his night. Maybe Wilder did the best he could on THAT night. Maybe Fury is just better. I don’t know. I wasn’t in either camp.
Looking at Tito and Hearns you see Hearns with a stylistic advantage. But Hearns threw a wide hook and he was constantly caught in exchanges with Leonard because of it. Tito’s hook was shorter and more compact. Tito also had almost perfect stamina. I favor Hearns to but Tito had some qualities to trouble him. Both were special. For the record I think Tito had a good chin. It was just cold. He got dropped early but he was only stopped once in the 12th round vs Hopkins. Tito was rarely hurt late in fights and he was very physically tough. He’s a natural welterweight and he went 12 rounds with Roy Jones at 170. Jones is a huge puncher for any natural welterweight to fight at 170lbs. Tito’s chin and Marquez’s chin are similar. You can drop them but it’s hard to stop them.
Navarrette and Berchelt are getting their due but Canelo is the boss right now. That’s just how it is.
Bread
Please ignore my earlier post. It wasn't very good. Here is a better one.
Deontay wants the rematch. I hear a lot of static about why it won't be good. Apart from DW deserving the rematch, because he gave TF his fight in the first place, I don't buy this idea that a fight has to have been close to warrant the rematch. We can all think of close fights that deserved a rematch: Leonard v Hagler, Duran v Buchanan, Calzaghe v Reid etc. Equally, we can think of examples that made us cover our eyes, Patterson v Liston 2 being an obvious example. Do you want Floyd to get killed?
I can think of at least 3 examples where I wanted a rematch although he first fight wasn't remotely close:
1 Barrera v Hamed. MAB won at least 10 of the 12 rounds & treated the Prince with disdain. I would have loved to know if he could duplicate that performance. Nas had so much speed & power that went unused because he boxed so appallingly. Could he have pressed 'reset & just boxed to his abilities in a rematch?
2 Honeyghan v Curry. Lloyd won 5 of the 6 rounds before Don quit. Both men probably are top 50 Welterweights, neither is a top 10 ATG. Curry now says he was ill-advised to step up in weight, he was a natural 147. Could he have beaten Honeyghan in a rematch? I doubt it. Lloyd always said he liked Curry's style because he moved in straight lines & was there to be hit, but most people would say Donald had better overall skills than Lloyd. Could Don have used angles? If he did, would that have been enough to offset Lloyd's wild, ragamuffin, attack?
3 Brook v Jennings. This ended with a cut after 6 rounds. Kell Brook won all 6 rounds so his promoters laughed at any suggestion of a rematch. Jennings was unusual among boxers because he was not from an urban background. He was very rural. His favourite sport, outside boxing, was fell running, which involves running up hills in the rain. (No, I don't know why any sane person would do that for fun either). Apart from a granite chin his biggest strength, of course, was stamina. Kell's people laughed & said he won the first 6 but everyone knew he was going to win the first 6 because his reflexes & skills were superior. The point was how Kell would cope in rounds 8-12 against a hard-charging opponent with limitless stamina & a granite chin. We never found out.
Bread,
Love you,
Any thoughts on my rematches, or on rematches you'd have liked to see?
Bread’s Response: I agree with you 100%. Deontay Wilder deserves a rematch. I mean it’s ridiculous to think he doesn’t. First off legally he does. Secondly he was the favorite in the first two fights. So obviously there was something about him that made people and the sports books favor him to win. He also scored two huge knockdowns vs Fury. He deserves a rematch and just because people say he will lose doesn’t mean he will.
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