By Stephen 'Breadman' Edwards

The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen 'Breadman' Edwards discussing several topics, including Gennady Golovkin vs. Andre Ward, the top trainers in the sport, predictions on some of the upcoming fights recently announced by Showtime, reviewing the careers of Vanes, Shawn Porter and more.

Bread’s Response: That’s a tough question because there are so many trainers who have not had a break as far working with elite talent but they can coach their butt’s off. I just matched wits with one in the gym last week named Dwight out of the Newark area. So let’s just say who is the best out of the known trainers in boxing..

I don’t have an order but I do have a few trainers in mind that I admire their work. Anatolyi Lomachenko has to be mentioned. His son Vasyl is almost the perfect blend of speed, precision and technical ability. I know Vasyl is very god gifted but you can see the taught technical ability in everything he does.

Virgil Hunter is another great boxing mind. You don’t take a kid like Andre Ward from 9 years old and not lose for over 20 years and not be a great coach. Ward rarely wins fights by knockouts so Hunter’s adjustments throughout fights are important because Ward rarely loses rounds. He sweeps entire 12 round fights for years at a time. Think about that. Ward doesn’t just win fights on athletic ability, he’s winning them on technical ability and gameplan. Ward also wins fights in different manners which tells me how well coached he is.

Shane McGuigan is doing a heck of a job with Carl Frampton. Frampton has been money in his 2 super fights vs Scott Quigg and Leo Santa Cruz. Frampton is short but McGuigan has him counter punching taller, longer fighters and getting away with it. Great job.

Eddy and Chepo Reynoso. I think this team is severely underrated. Canleo Alvarez is the best combination puncher in boxing. His punch sequence is absolutely unreal. He’s no more than 5’7 and he’s the top junior middleweight in the world right now and lineal middleweight champion. 5’7 is short for 154 and 160. Canelo is also a master counter puncher and he has overcome a variety of styles. His coaches should get more credit.

Abel Sanchez seems to be building a fight factory up at Summit. Golovkin is his prized pupil but he has some young gunners up there who can really fight. GGG used to be a 1-2 prober early in his career. Now he’s one of the best fighters I have ever seen at cutting down the ring and he’s deadly when he has you on the ropes. He’s also unbelievably strong and supremely conditioned. You have to give Sanchez credit for that. Sanchez was also part of another great run when Terry Norris rebounded from a brutal ko vs Julian Jackson. Got himself together and absolutely terrorized the junior middleweight division for almost a decade. Norris and Golovkin are polar opposites so that shows Sanchez adjusted to the style of the fighter.

Brian McCintyre and Red Spikes. Terrance Crawford’s team. Crawford wins fights left handed, right handed, boxing and moving and stalking. Those are all the signs of great coaching. Variations in the wins….

Naazim Richardson. Richardson has been quiet lately but he’s had Olympians, Pan Am game winners and he has won some of the biggest fights of the last 10 to 15 years. Richardson is the ultimate motivator and game planner.

Freddie Roach is the most decorated coach in the game. No one has won more Trainer of the Year or had the Fighter of the Year as much as Roach. Pacquiao is obviously his prized accomplishment. But don’t forget the job he did getting James Toney from a decade long slump. Toney won the fighter of the year in 2003 after being in slump after his 1st loss to Roy Jones in 1994. Roach has done well with a variety of styles which always tells me something. The critics say he doesn’t bring fighters from scratch but the hardest thing in boxing to do is to correct the flaws of an already successful fighter who is set in their ways. Roach has done this, as well as anyone ever has. Remember how good Chavez Jr looked vs Andy Lee and what Miguel Cotto did to Sergio Martinez. Great work.

Nacho Beristain. Whenever you look at footage of the Marquez Brothers or Ricardo Lopez you can see Nacho all over them. High guard, a probing rhythm, and master counter punchers. Vicious punch variations always with uppercuts mixed in. His fighters also have impeccable balance. He’s probably the best technical offensive coach I have ever seen.

The best trainer ever is also a tough call. I don’t know every trainer who is responsible for the great fighter’s achievements and some trainers get forgotten. For example Harry Wiley never gets talked about. Ray Robinson is universally ranked as the best fighter ever but no one talks about his coach Mr. Wiley….To start a man out who was undefeated as an amateur or 85-2 depending on which account you have. Then go 131-1 in your first 11 years as a pro. You have to be a special coach. I personally don’t know enough about Mr. Wiley to put him as the best ever but he deserves a mention.

I think the best ever comes down to Eddie Futch or Emanuel Steward. Both of these guys have legendary wins with a variety of styles against all time great competition. Futch is responsible for most of Muhammad Ali’s hardships. He noticed a technical flaw in Ali’s jab and helped Norton give him fits every time. He also orchestrated Frazier’s epic first victory over Ali. Futch has worked with Frazier, Norton, Bowe, and Arguello among others. But I think his most underrated training job was Montell Griffin. Although Griffin won by a controversial DQ, look at the work Futch was doing with him vs the unbeatable at the time Roy Jones. Griffin was holding Jones just about even in his prime when no one could. Futch was NOT in the corner for the rematch when Griffin was kod in 1!

I got the pleasure of meeting Manny Steward 2012. He’s as fine a coach as there ever was. He made no bones about it, he liked violent killers. He’s the best pad man ever and he does not do fancy patty cake routines. His pad routines are all fight reality. He’s brought up great fighters through the amateurs like The McCrory Brothers, Tommy Hearns, Hilmer Kinty and Jimmy Paul. He’s been a hired gun for guys like Chavez Sr, Evander Holyfield, Jeff Fenech and Oliver McCall. Then he took on guys like Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko after brutal ko losses and took them on their best career runs. He has excelled in every facet of coaching. His legacy is still lasting with Adonis Stevenson. He told me that Stevenson was the best super middleweight and lightheavyweight in the world in April of 2012. When Stevenson got his tilte shot in 2013 vs Chad Dawson at lightheavyweight I bet on him by 1st round ko. He went out and kod Dawson in the first round!

You seem high on GGG but you do admit he avoided Andre Ward. You said in your last mailbag he should fight Erislandy Lara. If he doesn’t do you consider that a duck also. Also why do you think he avoided Ward. Ward fights on the inside and has been down before. Doesn’t that play into Golovkin’s hands?

Bread’s Response: I am high on GGG. I recognize his ability. But no man is invincible. He makes mistakes like every other fighter does. It will just take a special day on him to beat him. Andre Ward is special.

I think Team Golovkin thought twice about fighting Ward because they know boxing. Golovkin would be giving up natural size, speed, technical ability and most likely physical strength. His only visible advantage over Ward is punching power. Which is the least important factor. I think Ward would have beaten him.

I don’t think GGG is ducking Lara because Lara is not a middleweight. I try to be fair and it’s not fair to say a fighter is ducking another fighter if they are not in the same division. But I will say I think GGG should call Lara’s bluff. Find out if he really wants the fight. Lara keeps calling him out. He’s only one division away. He’s established and he has a name among hardcore fans. GGG always seems to be looking for opponents. I think the fight makes sense. I would favor GGG to win but fights aren’t won on paper.

Vanes Martirosyan and Shawn Porter seemed to be one round away from being undefeated fighters. Vanes has three losses but all have been close and controversial. Shawn has two losses under the same boat. They both seem to be snake bitten. Now Vanes is saying Al Haymon is holding him back. What do you think of the claims and who are realistic fights for Vanes? Porter doesn’t complain openly but he seems to be in the same boat.

Bread’s Response: Shawn Porter is a couple of swing rounds away from being an undefeated fighter. I agree. But honestly I thought he lost to Keith Thurman and Kell Brook. I wouldn’t call that snake bitten. I thought both fights were hotly contested but Shawn got hit a little bit too clean throughout the fights and it cost him on the scorecards. I can’t speak on if Shawn is being held back or not. I really don’t know his personal dealings and like you said he hasn’t complained openly. Looking at his record Shawn has got some pretty big opportunities. He’s fought Keith Thurman, Kell Brook, Devon Alexander and Paulie Malignaggi….

Martirosyan had two close losses in my opinion. In his fight vs Jermell Charlo he may have started a little late. But he could have easily got a draw and Charlo seems fortunate the fight was not a 12 rounder. I was live at his fight vs Erislandy Lara and like most I assumed Lara was outboxing him. But I watched the fight again without the confusion of the crowd and people walking around and I have to say it was closer than I initially thought. But he wasn’t robbed in either fight. I wouldn’t call him snake bitten either. In his fight vs Andrade I think he lost fair and square. That was not a split decision.

Snake bitten to me is the case of Mauricio Herrera. He could’ve been the Fighter of the Year in 2014 but instead he caught two losses and now he’s on the downside. The Danny Garcia fight was close and could’ve gone either way but no way he lost to Jose Benavides. His whole career trajectory changed. Also look at the decision that Erislandy Lara caught vs Paul Williams. I love Paul Williams but that was a bad decision. Or how about Librado Andrade in his 1st fight vs Lucian Bute. I still have not seen a worse call than that. Look at the 12th round of that fight. Andre Direll got smoked vs Carl Froch. Watch that fight closely. Froch couldn’t touch him. Then he gets hit while down vs Arthur Abraham and has to leave the Super 6 tournament. Direll is in his 12th year as a pro and still has not won a world title. That’s snake bitten in my opinion.

I don’t know much about Vanes’s claims of being held back. I haven’t heard or read anything about them. I will just take a look at his record and see if he’s gotten some good fights and opportunities. Looking at his record he’s had some good fights recently vs Willie Nelson, Jermell Charlo, Ishe Smith and Erislandy Lara rematch. But maybe there are some behind the scenes issues going on. Every fighter has a unique experience and it’s not fair to speculate without knowing facts….,As for who Vanes could fight next. There are lots of good fights for him. He could fight young guns in Terrell Gausha, Erickson Lubin, Jared Hurd and Tony Harrison. Or he could fight an older vet like Austin Trout. He’s been at 154 for a while and he’s tall so I assume 160 would be good for him. He’s from California and GGG sells great in Cali. He could challenge GGG or Canelo Alvarez I suppose…If their teams liked him as an opponent. Let’s see how things play out, 2016 has been a slow year for everybody. 

Most key observers feel Andre Ward has slipped from the fighter he was during his Super 6 days. Freddie Roach and Abel Sanchez among them. What do your eyes tell you?

Bread’s Response: I haven’t seen enough evidence to suggest Ward has slipped. Ward is a fighter I have studied a great deal. I will take you through the phases of what I have observed.

When I watched his Olympic performances I saw a fast, point scoring mover. Ward showed tremendous athletic ability. He would move from side to side, stop on a dime, throw a quick 2 or 3 punch combo then slide out to safe area. He did this over and over again vs bigger opponents.

As a young pro with single digit fights he looked a lot like Roy Jones. He would leap in and out with a left hook and he actually did a great job emulating Jones.

At some point before the Super 6 he settled down and started working off of a jab and inside game. He was still a very active fighter, posturing with his hands and being proactive with his attack but this was a style of his own. There was less RJ in his game.

Now in his last phase which I have observed from Edwin Rodriguez until now. Ward is much more efficient in his energy usage. He doesn’t posture with his hands as much as he used to. His body is not as active as it was when lets say he held Allan Green up against the ropes and simply went off, in a good way. But that doesn’t mean he lost his ability. He’s only 32yrs old and he only has 30 career fights. He doesn’t take punishment. With modern recovery accessible I would assume he’s still close enough to his physical prime.

What I think has happened is he’s evolved. He’s more of a technical counter puncher these days who will lead or pull you in, depending on the opponent. I think Alexander Brand and Paul Smith are just not good enough to make Ward go in his bag of tricks. On top of that Brand was a runner. Ward is not a Mike Tyson or Gerald McClellan type of offensive fighter. So it’s difficult for him to look good against the Brand type. I thought Ward was Ward against Sullivan Barrera. 

My eyes tell me Ward is like the Michael Jordan of the late 90s not the mid 80s. In the mid 80s Jordan dominated everyone on athletic ability. In the late 90s he changed his game to a mid range jump shooter and was still just as dominant. I think that’s what we are seeing in his game. Equal effectiveness, he’s just going about it slightly different.

Who are your picks in the big fights that were just announced?  Cuellar vs Mares, Charlo vs Williams, Frampton vs Santa Cruz, Garcia vs Zlatician, Jack vs Degale, Broner vs Granados and Garcia vs Thurman?

Bread’s Response: I haven’t made picks on all of the fights because some of them will take some analyzing. But I will say I think some big upsets will happen.

Cuellar can be outboxed and Mares has underrated boxing ability. The variable in this fight is how much does Mares have left. I really don’t know but I wouldn’t be surprised if he outboxed Cuellar. I will pick Mares by upset on a hunch.

Santa Cruz vs Frampton is interesting. Most are picking Frampton because he’s more versatile. But if Santa Cruz can start just a little earlier it’s a tight fight. I think Frampton is a little more gifted and he doesn’t get hit as clean so he has an edge but not a big one. Frampton again in a thriller.

Mikey Garcia has a serious fight on his hands. Much more serious than some people realize. I’m picking him to win but boy he’s going to have to earn it.

I predict Jack vs Degale will be a drawish type of fight. Degale is supremely talented but he’s not dominant. He doesn’t just go on 8 or 9 round runs in fights. He wins a couple of rounds then he gives them back. In all of his tougher fights he follows this pattern. Look at his fights vs Groves, Bute, Medina and Dirrell. I thought he actually lost the Medina fight. Badou Jack is as steady as they come. He’s not as gifted but he doesn’t have to be. Too close to call.

Broner has his hands full vs Granados. Granados has been matched insanely tough. He’s a pressure technician with an insane workrate. He reminds me of a really good Mexican fighter of the 90s. Alejandro “Cobrita” Gonzales who beat Kevin Kelley. Granados has some tough losses but they were all close and controversial. Broner will be a heavy favorite but he could lose this fight. I don’t have a pick yet but this is no showcase fight despite the records.

I have no idea who will win Garcia vs Thurman. I know everyone is taking Thurman but Danny has unreal timing.  Thurman can be timed. Thurman jumps in and out with wide punches…. The safe pick is Thurman outboxing Danny. But I have to see how the camps go before I make a pick. Danny is not over his head and we have seen him win as an underdog.

If the boxing world stopped today what active fighters would go in the Hall of Fame?

Bread’s Response: Manny Pacquiao, Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez, Wladimir Klitschko and Miguel Cotto are all technically active. They all go in easy.

Roman Gonzales, Andre Ward, Canelo Alvarez, Nonito Donaire, Tim Bradley and Genady Golovkin are all closer to their primes but I think they get in.

Krusher Kovalev and Guillermo Rigondeaux are both a significant victory away.

Hey Bread - I was telling my friend who boxed for a few years about your family stories involving boxing. I thought it was hysterical and was impressed at the same time when you wrote that yourself and an uncle (I'm paraphrasing) ended up not speaking over something boxing related. I do know that the names Leonard and Holyfield are not to be disrespected in the Stephens household. Love to hear more about that!

To my point - I didn't grow up in a boxing family, I grew up with hippie parents and discovered boxing through said friend's magazine collection in 1992 (in Arizona of all places) , and when I watched James "Lights Out" Toney box on TV for the first time, vs Iran "The Blade" Barkley I haven't stopped reading and attending boxing. Barkley was favored because Toney's only "noteworthy" win was the "lucky" hail-mary shot vs Michael Nunn. I picked Toney to win by KO and I was right, friend was wrong and Toney went on to become the baddest fighter of my time (he and Holy)..In my opinion at least.

thanks for writing and listening.

Gabe/P-dale

Bread’s Response: Leonard, Holyfield, Ali and Robinson were my household’s Mt. Rushmore. Then after that, everyone had their personal favorites. 

Yes man my uncle was a sick F$#@. I had a cousin like 2 years older than me, who was a tough kid. Obviously we were competitive and we used to fight. My uncle loved to stir the pot, he was about 10 years older than me….  he used to instigate fights with my cousin and I. So no one would break up the fights, he would put us in a dog house so no one could see or hear it. Well it was the middle of the summer!

The dog house was about 5ft tall and no more than 6x6 in sq ft. It was literally like hell in there, no ventilation. And it was dark no light. Loser was the one who left out first. He would assign us a famous fighter. I was usually Ray Leonard. Man I took some beatings in that doghouse. I gave some too but the losses hurt worst. When an adult would come out my sociopath Don King acting Uncle would act like we were playing hide and seek and dared us to tell.

Every great fighter has that one peak performance that his loyal fans feel that on that particular night no one could beat them. Toney’s night was against Iran Barkley. Toney beat Barkley to a bloody pulp. The size difference was noticeable but it didn’t matter. Toney was on another level and on that night he’s as good as get. That was truly a masterful counter punching and infighting performance. Toney was nasty on the inside and he never clinched! Think about this. Toney looked so good vs Barkley he opened as a clear favorite vs Roy Jones in 1994. Think about that.

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