The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen "Breadman" Edwards tackling topics such as Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Fury vs. Usyk, the career of James Toney, and much more.
Hey Bread,
Canelo learned from the master, his game improved dramatically after the Mayweather fight. Canelo's incorporated many of Money's moves into his fight style since. A seasoned fighter will want to be impressive in all areas of the ring since vantage point of judges is limited to the side of the ring they're posted at. So, if a fighter fights with his back to a particular judge constantly, he could lose a round that he's actually winning because that judge cannot see his activity. That is many times the case where scores don't reflect accurately the action in the ring. Tank boxed conservatively because of his bad hand. He knew going into that fight his hand was damaged and fought accordingly. To me he was out of sorts during the fights build up culminating in a push during weigh-in. Right then I knew something was wrong. Seeing the after-fight pictures of his hand which was swollen twice its size told the story. They're saying his fist isn't broken, but it probably is. Tank won't fight again until late summer unless he's a fast healer. Tank could've jabbed more and hooked off the jab, but he's so left hand dominant. Floyd does inject himself into boxing commentary a little too much for me, we all know what he's done, but it's his right to say what he wants he's earned it, but I can see Tank perturbed by Floyd's interruptions especially during interviews where Floyd sometimes cuts him off mid-sentence. Ryan Garcia and Teofimo worry me in the mental health area, Tank, Stevenson, Haney and Lomachenko seem to be solid. Hopefully these guys can get it on soon. What's your feeling about Bud Crawford going forwards without Top Rank?
Bread’s Response: You know lots of people attribute Canelo’s improved game to the Mayweather fight. And I think he did use of some of Floyd’s game. But lot’s of fighters have fought and lost to Mayweather and didn’t improve like Canelo did. In fact 48 of them have. I think we have to give Canelo and his trainer credit for rounding out his game. His ability to box while going forward as he moved up in weight is his biggest improvement. If you remember they tried to keep Canelo as low as possible in weight because the more you move up the taller the opponents get. And for a while Canelo sort of wanted you to come to him. But then starting with the GGG rematch, he started going forward more. He didn’t lose his defense. And he started trapping opponents more. That to me is his biggest improvement. He’s fighting fighters on the avg of 6ft tall and he’s only 5’8. So it’s hard to be an out fighter giving up that much reach and height especially if you don’t have the faster feet like Pep and Whitaker had, who were probably the best short out fighters we have ever seen.
So Canelo now, is a boxer puncher pressure technician. He also has increased his power. Which is something old school trainers said couldn’t be done, but I have never believed it. You can increase power. Canelo’s base is stronger. He hits the water bag. He hits the circle shield. And he really cranks it up. He practices punching hard. I have that shield and trust me it’s hard. If you can punch through that for daily gym sessions, hitting a human being is easy. Canelo is literally punching through his opponents. So everything is connected in boxing. His stamina looks better because he’s weakening his opponents early so they don’t have the gas late. All Time Great Fighter.
I think Tank looked good. I agree his hand was troubling him. But I also think Cruz’s stature bothered him. Cruz is short and compact. The only thing to really hit is the top of his head and elbows. Any fighter will tell you they’re the hardest body parts they encounter. Cruz did a good job of staying in his STANCE. But overall I thought Tank was sharp. Tank has elite athleticism. He can really box. He has good feet. Fast feet. Good IQ. He can also adjust. I think may be a top 15 P4P fighter in the world in terms of ability. I think the road back for Lopez and Garcia will be interesting. Something seems off with both. Whenever I hear of young fighters who have made good money, going through financial issues that tells me something about the structure of their life. Things seem chaotic with both. Canelo actually constructively called Ryan Garcia out. That’s also telling.
It’s one thing to have ability but it’s something else to apply it. Let’s see how things go. I’m curious to see if Loma will be able to pick who he wants to fight or will he be made to fight. I think he has a shot at winning the title again if he gets the benefit of the right matchmaking. Most fighters can’t out fight matchmaking. I believe Bud Crawford can. Any fighter can lose but the ONLY style disadvantage I see vs him at this current moment is Boots Ennis.
When an A side fighter has to take a fight that is a tough style against his, he deserves extra credit. I will give examples. Canelo facing Erislandy Lara. Roy Jones facing Antonio Tarver. Nonito Donaire facing Rigo. Leonard facing Hearns. Ali facing Norton.So again any fighter can lose but Boots is the only fighter I think that is a stylistic nightmare for Crawford and that’s because of his ability to score from the outside without having to over engage Crawford and run into one of Crawford’s deadly counters. Crawford usually forces his opponents into mistakes. But Boots is the one fighter I think that can bank enough rounds vs Crawford that he might make Crawford over press. Crawford has unique awareness and he’s not going to allow himself to lose too many rounds without going into kill mode. Boots may be the best fighter I’ve seen in the gym at winning rounds and sparring sessions. This would be a KILLER fight.
I’m not saying who wins. I have no idea. But I strongly feel, that Crawford would have to be Ray Leonard to Boots being Tommy Hearns in order to get the win. That’s how good Boots is at winning rounds. He may have only lost 3 rounds in his entire pro career of 28 fights!
So that being said, the system of boxing can’t really force Bud to fight anyone who’s style is off for him except one person. I think he will do fine without Top Rank. Bob Arum has repeatedly said, that he lost money on Bud. If he wanted to keep him, he surely wouldn’t say that. Arum is 90 and he’s living on house money. He doesn’t care who he offends at this point. I think Bud may work with Top Rank again. I just don’t think it will be long term. I think everything from here on out with him will be what can you do for me type of deals. Like Mikey Garcia and Canelo enjoy. He’s earned it.
Hey Bread,
Quick one here (from my end at least) I just read your mailbag and when you said Spence, Crawford, Ennis, Ugas and Ortiz (that's a direct copy and paste) were the top 5 at Welterweight, I just wondered how you thought Josh Taylor would get on against each those 5?
Best Regards
Jimmy Coats
Bread’s Response: As you know I have been super high on Josh Taylor for a very long time. But I don’t know how he will do at 147lbs. Josh has a huge physicality advantage over 140lbers. He’s strong, tall and skillful. But things would even out a little bit at 147lbs for him. Josh is a tremendous fighter but he’s not super dominant in his big fights. Prograis and Ramirez fights were razor close. Now don’t get me wrong, Taylor deserves credit for winning by and inch. It all counts. Carlos Monzon and Eusabio Pedraza were the kings of winning by and inch. But I do wonder if Taylor would win those same types of fights at 147lbs. I think the world of Taylor but I wouldn’t favor him over Spence, Ennis or Crawford. I would favor him over Ugas and Ortiz. But my gut feeling is all 5 fights would be tough on Josh and he would have to turn in monumental efforts to win. Probably be better than he ever was before and that’s a lot to ask a fighter.
What’s good Breadman? I have started watching some Michael Spinks fights and I am pleasantly surprised. I had no idea how great and dominant he was at light heavyweight. He had an awkwardness to his movement but his punch execution in terms follow through was nasty. He was creative offensively throwing everything from left uppercuts to right hooks and everything else. He literally threw combinations with power. He had fast hands and a brilliant sense of distance and timing. Another thing that makes his accomplishments insane is that he was weighing only 170 or so at times. If he were fighting today with advances in sports science and nutrition, he may have been fighting at 168 or even 160. He was a bad man. I think he gets overshadowed by his lost to Tyson.
How good was he and how would he have fared against the likes of Ward, Canelo, Ezzard Charles, Roy, and Bob Foster?
Bread’s Response: Michael Spinks wasn’t good. He was an ATG. The 1980s in my opinion is the 2nd best decade ever as far as producing great prime fighters. Ring Magazine voted Spinks #4 for the decade. Only Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Salvador Sanchez finished over Spinks. The decade included Julio Cesar Chavez, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Wilfred Benitez, Larry Holmes, Tommy Hearns, Aaron Pryor, Azumah Nelson, Mike McCallum, Eusabio Pedraza, Wilfredo Gomez, Evander Holyfield, Jeff Fenech and Jeff Chandler. And Michael Spinks finished 4th!
Spinks is one of those guys who’s movements looked quirky. But you have to know what you’re looking at to appreciate him. His punch delivery was brutal. It was fast, snappy and hard. He had an elite jab. He had elite hand speed. He had elite punch variety. He had elite conditioning. He had elite pedigree, Gold Medal. He had elite IQ. Spinks turned out to be the best light heavyweight of the best era of light heavyweights. The late 70s and early 80s. Spinks had 10 title defenses and he would have had more if his knee wasn’t injured. He fought for the title later than his 1976 Olympic teammates. Ray Leonard and his brother Leon fought for the title in 1978 and 79. Spinks didn’t get his title shot until 1981 and he fought an excellent champion in Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.
Since Spinks left 175 in 1985, I honestly would not favor 1 light heavyweight to beat him. If you go in order of who the best or better light heavyweights were since he left the division. Virgil Hill, Michael Moorer, Prince Charles Williams, Henry Maske, Darius Michalchewski, Roy Jones, Antonio Tarver, Chad Dawson, Bernard Hopkins, Sergey Kovalev, Andre Ward and Artur Beterbiev. That’s 36 years of light heavyweights, I would not favor 1 to beat a prime Michael Spinks. Spinks had a dominant reign. He kod 8 of 10 opponents in title defenses. He won a unification in a clear decision vs a great fighter in Dwight Qawi. And he only had one controversial victory at the weight vs one of the Davis brothers. Spinks has arguably the best win of the 80s. He moved up to face an 48-0 Larry Holmes who had 20 title defenses. No tune ups. No catchweight. Just a fight. The rematch was controversial but Spinks won the first fight clean. He deserved it.
If you look at the great wins of the decade, it has to be top 10. In terms of significance it’s top 5. So Spinks has a top 10 title reign of the decade. Top 10 win. And top 10 performance over Qawi in the unification. The only really bad thing you can say about Spinks is he lost badly to Mike Tyson. And it’s true. That loss hurts him a little bit historically. But let me tell you something about that loss. The critics over do it, and here is why. They give Spinks hell for losing to Tyson. They say he was scared etc etc. But then at the same time they discredit Tyson’s best win. They say Spinks was nothing but a blown up lightweight heavyweight. If Spinks was such a blown up light heavyweight, why are people so hard on him for losing to a killer in his prime like Tyson? Here is the truth. Michael Spinks was a big light heavyweight. I know he came in light for some fights but he could have never made 160lbs. He’s 6’2” with a long reach and very big legs. He was a powerful hitter. Spinks was the lineal heavyweight champion of the world. He beat Holmes twice and he kod Stefan Tangsted and Gerry Cooney brutally. Spinks’s promoter Butch Lewis did a great job with him. Once he moved up they promoted him racially and they waited the Tyson fight out. But Spinks was a competent heavyweight. He was a great fighter, fighting at a higher weight. It doesn’t make the win invalid. That was his weight at the time. Tyson was a monster in 1988 and Michael Spinks faced the monster. Very few men in history could have beaten Tyson that night. So Spinks couldn’t. I think those who only remember Spinks because of that are misguided. And those who discredit Tyson are also misguided. Tyson earned a great win from a great fighter who was reigning lineal champion. It counts! That’s the man who was in front of him.
Spinks’s career is much bigger than that one night. I have already answered, I don’t think any light heavyweight who came after him could have beaten him. Or at least I wouldn’t have favored them over him. So I think he beats Jones, Ward and Canelo. All tough fights but Spinks is a tough guy. This may be blasphemy, but I think Spinks was a better fighter than Bob Foster. I think Foster was an offensive dynamo. He had a jab and power that equaled Spinks’s. But I don’t believe he had Spinks’s IQ, determination or mind quickness. I have studied both of them and I think Spinks grades higher. Foster was somewhat of a bully but he had defensive issues. Spinks has a slight advantage in a great chess match. I would favor Ezzard Charles to beat Spinks but they may have to fight 3x to figure it out. That’s how good/great Michael Spinks is. He may be the most underrated fighter in boxing history.
So what’s your opinion about all the sh!t Floyd is talking about Canelo? We all know Floyd is Floyd and he is doing his best capture the attention during his promotion for the tank fight, well 2 of the topics I do not agree he said Canelo used steroids as far as I’m concerned clenbuterol is not a steroid and Canelo has been clean under Vada since. The other thing he said he is not giving the fans they want and he is ducking Benavidez, well coming from a guy that retired from boxing when Cotto, Margarito and Williams were in their prime and he also then ducked Thurman when Thurman was his mandatory that’d be the equivalent of Benavides to Canelo. Also another subject not letting Tank use the Canelo gloves but that came to bite him in the ass, that could very well be the reason why Tank hurt his hand for wearing some un brand sh!tty gloves just to make the diva Mayweather happy. Last but not least please respond this, who win prime Canelo vs prime Trinidad? Thanks
Bread’s Response: I really don’t have a strong opinion on what Floyd says about Canelo. But critically thinking I feel like Fighters take jabs at fighters they beat sometimes. Floyd is taking a jab at Canelo and letting the fans know he’s the only man to beat him. Floyd’s victory over Canelo is ageing well despite what critics say about Canelo being too young.
Clenbuterol not being a steroid in your opinion is pure insanity. Are you suggesting it doesn’t help an athlete to cut weight, retain lean muscle and keep energy? A drug test is not opined. It’s a fact. It’s a rule. You guys have to get help! Now that the new rules are in place, the levels of clenbuterol determines the violation but it’s still a banned substance depending on the amounts. But laws and rules are not retroactive. They are determined by what was in place at the time. The rule was changed AFTER Canelo tested positive.
I think Tank’s gloves are WINNING or some type of off brand of WINNING. I am curious as to how they feel. I haven’t seen an elite fighter wear gloves without a brand symbol on them in many years. Tank used those gloves vs Leo Santa Cruz if you remember. He scored a brutal ko. I can’t say which gloves are better because I haven’t had a chance to try them on. I will say that not all gloves are the same and finding your correct fit and model is not easy.
Hello Stephen. As a kid, I stayed up late watching Muhammad Ali fights. I remember Kenny Norton beating Ali in the first fight and breaking Ali's jaw. The second and third fights were very close. After each of the last two fights, I remember my father and other adult men who saw those two fights saying that they felt Ali lost all three fights with Norton. I've watched all of them myself live and on film. I felt that Ali barely won the second fight but it could have gone either way. I felt Ali lost the third fight. Ali had an interview with Mark Cronin the month after the third fight. In that interview Ali Stated " Kenny’s style is too difficult for me. I can’t beat him, and I sure don’t want to fight him again. I honestly thought he beat me in Yankee Stadium, but the judges gave it to me, and I’m grateful to them." My question to you is how would you have trained the great Muhammad Ali to fight Kenny Norton after the first loss? How would you have prepared the Greatest to fight the only fighter who actually had his number? Kelvin Parris
Bread’s Response: Tough Question. Norton gave Ali major trouble for 3 reasons. One is Norton could jab with Ali. Norton jabbed from an up angle and he stepped into it and it knocked Ali off rhythm. Two is Norton was a boxer but he liked going forward. Ali couldn’t really push him back. Three is Ali threw a loopy right uppercut and Norton threw a nice hook and Ali couldn’t escape it. Four is Norton used a cross arm defense and his weakness was being hit to the body and backed up. Again Ali did neither. So stylistically Norton was a terrible match up for the 70s version of Ali. How would I train Ali? I would train him to hurt Norton. Not just box him. I would pick up his punch out put. I would keep his right hand, which is his parry hand in place to protect against Norton’s up jab. And I would work on his hook more. Norton leaned hard to his right. And I would attack in a 2 part cadence. 2-4 punch combos. A small gap in punches then again. Sort of like how he opened up on Cleveland Williams. By the way, Ali won that 2nd fight clean.
Hello Bread,
I wanted your thoughts on how good James Toney could have been, if he was disciplined when he wasn’t training? He was always battling the weight during training camps. I know his weight gain was ridiculous between fights. He had the composure, character and one of the best in ring iq there ever was and he was a killer. He also fought anyone, anywhere.
Thanks
Larry from Tampa
Bread’s Response: I think James Toney was what he was. A great fighter who had weight issues. A HOF fighter. An ATG. A bad ass. Here is the thing. If my Aunt had a penis, she would be my Uncle. James Toney had weight issues and that’s what made him James Toney. His carefree gun attitude allowed him to fight anyone no matter the size or weight. If he was more disciplined we may not have seen him move from middleweight to heavyweight. He may not have had that carefree attitude. The one thing I learned about fighters is often times their gifts are simultaneously their curses. Obviously we want our great fighters to be 100% disciplined and live Spartan lifestyles like Bernard Hopkins. No excessive weight gains. No drinking. No smoking. Perfect nutrition. But Hopkins didn’t have the gifts Toney had. So Hopkins was built with a different set of tools. You see where I’m going. Fighters can be cultivated and molded. But their inner core and gifts are what’s set in them. I don’t believe James Toney fights Michael Nunn on the road then comes right back and fights Reggie Johnson 6 weeks later if his mindset is not what it was. Everything is interconnected in boxing. And the ring is a TRUTH MACHINE.
Greetings brother,
Needless to say, we tune in because we love your boxing analysis and insights, so thank you. My question is about a boxer’s conditioning. You’ve talked about this a lot (including mental fatigue) and your mantra has been that you believe in activity against solid opposition which is one of the many reasons you pick Canelo over his contemporaries. As a fan, I know this. How can it be possible that a highly paid professional boxer with a team of trainers including strength & conditioning experts get winded so easily? Your last mailbag you’d stated that only two other fighters in history have won titles at 154 and 175. Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard. I think you missed Roy Jones on that list, no? Lastly, what else can be said about Nonito Donaire that hasn’t been said! A joy to watch and a gift that keeps on giving. Many times you’ve talked about Donaire beating his opponent to the punch when they both throw at the same time. It happened in every round against Gaballo. If the Rigondeux rematch happens (rumors abound) and Nonito gets beat again, where does that place Rigondeux historically?
Best,
Khalid Low
Bread’s Response: You’re welcome. Yes Canelo has hit his stride. And the main reason he’s outperforming his contemporaries is because of his activity and mind. The reason why fighters get winded who would seem to be in condition is for one primary reason in my opinion. The fighters don’t handle adversity and resistance well. I have seen fighters who can hit the pads and bags for 25 rounds. They can beat up sparring partners who are inferior all day. But if they have to fight a person who is resisting them and making them think and adjust it burns them out. The better or greater fighters who do this at the top level are quietly called FRONT RUNNERS, but the fact is most do it at some point. The special fighters get energized when the going gets tough. They go harder. They summon energy from places most don’t. Or you have fighters like Salvador Sanchez and Terence Crawford who barely breath during fights. And they concentrate longer than mostly everyone else who has ever stepped in a boxing ring. They are other reasons but I think this is the main one.
Canelo is very strong mentally. He gets fatigued but he handles it like a G. He’s always calm and under control no matter how good or bad the fight is going. He may not have the best stamina but he has the best composure.
Roy Jones won titles at 160, 168, 175 and heavyweight. He never won a title at 154. He also skipped Cruiserweight. The 3 fighters in history who won titles from 154-175 is Canelo, Leonard and Hearns.
Nonito Doanire is a GEM. He has 6 losses but he is GREATER than each fighter who has beat him including Rigondeaux. In fact even if Rigo beat him again, Nonito would be greater than him. Rigo could never reach the status of Nonito at this point. It’s too late. Nonito is just wonderful talent who comes along once a decade. He’s clean. He doesn’t care who he fights. He doesn’t act tough. He is tough. He’s a gentlemen outside of the ring. In the ring, he’s stone cold killer. He’s super talented and a he’s big puncher who isn’t afraid of contact so most of his fights are exciting. His best quality is a loss doesn’t mean anything to him. He had a dry spot after Rigo beat him. He lost to Rigo, Walters, Magdaleno, Walters and Inoue over those 6 years. It didn’t bother him one bit. He remained a fighter. He still went after big challenges. Whatever he lost physically he makes up for it mentally. He’s operating at a master’s level at this moment.
Nonito Donaire is one of the top 10-15 fighters EVER who campaigned from 122 and below. Off the top of my head he may be higher in the top 10. I can’t think of 10 fighters who have better legacies from 105-122. He’s so special if there was a category for enshrining fighters in the HOF before they retired, he would get in. I LOVE NONITO DONAIRE. He’s everything you want in a fighter. He’s a real fighter. And to top it all off. He’s going AFTER the MONSTER again. Don’t be surprised if he kos the MONSTER. I think equally as high of the Monster. But Nonito is one of those gifted generational punchers who compute a fighter’s rhythm and movement. Nonito, Robinson, Crawford, Moore, Jackson, Marquez, Pacquiao. Where if you fight them too often. If they SEE your movements enough times. They will eventually hit that sweet spot. The Monster has to be careful fighting Nito. Nonito’s ability to lock in and concentrate on the sweet spot is the best of this generation. He damaged Inoue in their fight and he wants him again for a reason. If Nonito kos him, he’s the greatest fighter ever from 122 and below and he’s top 50 EVER!
Hi Bread,
Soro Madrimov? Can you give us a breakdown? Can Hurd bounce back? So what did you think of Benn’s progress? Give him Broner for US recognition / Brook for a UK money fight. Avenasyan to test him. Dude is a dog and a spoiler. And then Ramos or Kava. By this time I think he’ll be live, if he continues to develop and improve, against a « weaker » champion, whoever it could be. Benn vs Thurman could be good as well. I feel you’re now low on Teo. You always praised him but now say he’s in trouble. Do you think he has the team and emotional resources to bounce back? At one point he seemed like the one running the LW and now he’s being almost counted out. Also, I still believe Loma should be favored against all of them. I love Kambosos but Loma would put on a show.
Cheers,
Diego
Bread’s Response: Soro is an elite counter puncher. He waits and then runs you into his money shot. Madrimov is talented but he makes more mistakes than people realize. I like him but I don’t think he’s the 2nd coming in the division like he was earlier advertised. I haven’t seen Soro in a while I suspect he’s aged. I wouldn’t be surprised if he drops Madrimov but I can’t pick Soro. Even in Soro’s prime he took too long to warm up and let too many rounds go. I pick Madrimov.
Jarrett Hurd is one of the nicest guys in boxing. Although I competed against him I really like him as a fighter and person. I really don’t know if he can come back. It would be up to him. But here is what I know. Fighters who struggle to make weight, lose their will to make it after they lose. Making 154lbs would be ridiculously hard at this point in Hurd’s career. It would probably depress him. I’m not saying it’s impossible but it would be difficult. In my opinion Hurd may have to comeback at 168lbs. That’s how big he is. Nevertheless I wish him the best no matter what he does.
I think Conor Benn has progressed but he seems fixated on Adrien Broner. Broner is inactive. He hasn’t performed well in years, I don’t get why Benn wants Broner so bad. There are plenty of other welterweights he can fight. He’s almost bullying Adrien. That’s not a fair fight at this point.
I was on high on Teofimo Lopez and I'm still high on his talent. But boxing is fluid. He stayed out a year after his best performance. He turned his back on Top Rank who got him to that point. He went to Triller. He had bad things to say about them. He went to DAZN and Eddie Hearn and now he’s had bad things to say about them. Now he has to go back to Top Rank. What you guys don’t get is this is a business. Top Rank won’t forget those nasty things he had to say. I’m a fan of Lopez. I really am but he’s going to have to be a GREAT FIGHTER in order to outperform how he will be treated.
You guys don’t see some of the little things that happen when PEOPLE don’t care if you win anymore. Lopez will now be faced with a different set of challenges. Lopez Sr. rubbed his son’s wins in everyone’s faces. Now everyone will rub his loss in theirs. I also read Lopez claim, he only had 20k left in his savings account. The kid has made over 3m+ in his young career. When you say something like that publicly it says a lot. He just had his career high payday in very last fight. To be down to 20k if that is true is not good. There have also been reports of relationship issues. When a fighter loses, we see what happens in the ring. But often times it starts way before he gets in the ring. The boxing ring is a truth machine. Everything comes out in it. Everything! I just wish him the best but I can’t help what I see.
Dear Bread,
Man, we've had some incredible boxing these past few months! Thank you for mercifully not posting my Crawford-Porter prediction! lol. Crawford proved he's as good as guys like yourself and Teddy Atlas have said. It's official: Crawford is different- on another level. Hat's off! That being said: what do your eyeballs tell you a fight between Spence and Crawford looks like should it be next for both? A couple of years ago I didn't think anyone at 147 could handle the Spence who broke Brook's eye socket and went right through an otherwise always formidable Lamont Peterson. Then after he thoroughly out-boxed Mikey I was further impressed and convinced of his superiority. I chalked the closeness of the Porter fight up to "styles makes fights" and Porter being a tough night out for just about any style. But after the accident, detached retina, maybe most significantly, the inactivity that's accompanied them, I'm leaning towards Crawford, maybe even by late stoppage. The worst part of the whole thing is that Crawford is going to hear that he fought a compromised Spence and not get his proper credit if he does in fact do that. I don't think that's fair though, because Spence didn't look compromised to me in the Garcia fight and I don't think Danny (another guy who is a tough night for anybody) would say he thought he was fighting a compromised Spence. All the same, between Spence's issues and Crawford's continued dominance, I'm picking Crawford. How do you see it going?
Secondly, a couple weeks ago a guy wrote in and asked you about 1989 Tyson vs AJ, Wilder, and Fury. I loved your answer and couldn't agree more. Here's how I see it, tell me what you think. Tyson knocks out AJ within 3. AJ definitely struggles with anxiety and would be vulnerable to Tyson's intimidation and the mystique surrounding the 1989 version of Mike. Tyson catches him before he settles in and it's a short night, maybe the first round. Wilder on the other hand wouldn't be intimidated, but Tyson was far more skilled and would brutalize him on the inside and catch him on the button in the process and I think he does it within 3. Wilder's great equalizer would be to no avail because though Tyson has been stopped, it's always been after an accumulation of shots over a prolonged period where he was either physically or mentally exhausted or both. He's not going to sleep with one shot. Fury, I agree, is a pick 'em. He does not intimidate, he's incredibly talented and his will to win and overcome is greater than what we've seen in Mike, who, with the exception of his knockout of Botha, I have never seen come back from a fight he was losing. I love Tyson, but that's true. Not to mention Fury's size might just be too much, especially since one kink in Tyson's armor was his willingness to accept clinches, though that was more prevalent in his later years than in 1989. Still a pick'em! What do you think of my breakdown?
Keep punching Bread!
Sean (Atlantic City)
Bread’s Response: I know a lot of people who quietly picked Porter to win citing Crawford’s level of competition. I tell you guys experience is overrated unless the talent is equal and both fighters are at the same stage of their careers. Often times a fighter doesn’t have a great resume because he can’t get big fights. Not because he’s not the goods. Crawford is one of those fighters.
When Spence fought Aligieri and Peterson he looked frightening. He was a volume power puncher. With a top 5 jab and top 5 body punching attack in the game. Spence hasn’t lost but he hasn’t been as brutal for some reason. I can’t quite put my finger on it but he’s more of a boxer than an attacker these days. Even before the accident. It’s nothing wrong with being a boxer. I’m just curious as to why Spence is not as destructive as he used to be. Where as Crawford has become more and more destructive. It doesn’t mean Spence can’t win. It doesn’t mean Crawford will win. But I have noticed a shift in their energy.
When the fight was first brought up, it seemed like Spence was the puncher and stronger guy. Now it doesn’t seem like that in my opinion. Spence is boxing more and I’m not sure if he can outbox Crawford. But the thing is, it’s not impossible to outbox Crawford. I have seen great fighters who there is a 99.9% chance you can’t out box them. Tommy Hearns almost couldn’t be outboxed. Ray Leonard was almost like that for the exception of Hearns. Roy Jones is really hard to outbox. Tarver threw him off a little and so did Griffin but for the most part you couldn’t outbox Roy. Pernell Whitaker was only outboxed in long stretches by Hurtado. Maybe that was a style thing. Kostya Tszyu was never really outboxed. He was out fought in his 2 losses. Tszyu was an elite boxer. Andre Ward outboxed every opponent for the exception of Kovalev…..
I love Crawford. I’ve been on the Crawford train longer than anyone I know that’s not in his corner. But you can win rounds and box Crawford. He doesn’t win rounds at the rate the other guys I named. The thing is it’s hard to sustain it and it’s hard to Out FIGHT Crawford.
Maybe Spence can outbox him but that’s not the perception of the fight that I originally had. I don’t have a pick yet but that’s my impression of the fight right now. Will Spence be the destructive Spence or the boxer puncher? I sort of know what Crawford will be. He’s going to be whatever he has to be. That’s the beauty in Crawford. But I’m going to reserve my pick because I have too much respect for both fighters and their teams. Derrick James is a great trainer and he’s figured out a way to neutralize Spence’s opponents even with him going the distance more. Bo Mac, Red and the guys are equally as good and they are so hot with Crawford right now, Crawford would open as a slight favorite. I say -160.
I’m so curious about this fight I get goosebumps talking about it. I wonder if Crawford’s in fight switch from righty to lefty will work against the southpaw Spence who fights exclusive in the southpaw stance. I wonder how much Spence enjoys fighting these days. I get a sense he doesn’t love boxing as much as Crawford. I also wonder how hard it is for Spence to make weight. He used to fight at 152lbs in the amateurs. He has a big frame for 147. I wonder how hard he has to train to make the weight, then put it back on. I think Crawford makes weight easier. I wonder is Crawford can stand up to Spence’s straight left hand. It’s hard and fast and Hank Lundy hit Crawford with a few of them. Great legacy fight. Let’s hope it happens.
Dear Breadman,
A certain other boxing commentator, whom I generally respect, is pumping for Nigel Benn for the Hall of Fame. He recently gave a link to Benn's fight against Iran Barkley, which Benn won in the first round but also got away with hitting Barkley when he was down. In Benn's famous win over Gerald McClellan, he permanently disabled McClellan with repeated rabbit punches, which the British referee ignored until McClellan collapsed. I also remember Ferdie Pacheco's ugly accusation that McClellan was copping out. I'm curious about your opinion. I think Benn belongs in the Hall of Shame. What do you think?
Best,
Leslie Gerber
Woodstock NY
Bread’s Response: It’s not Benn’s fault that the referee in the McClellan fight was corrupt. That was the worst job of refereeing I have ever seen. But Benn’s heart and determination were also on display. He came back from a brutal start and won in a tragic fight. It broke my heart, I was a McClellan fan. But Benn was a great fighter. I don’t think he’s an ATG but he’s certainly a great fighter. He fought a hard schedule. He peaked out in around 1992-95. He outboxed Chris Eubank his nemesis in a rematch at 168 in my opinion and had to settle for a draw. He had solid reigns at 160 and 168. He’s a HOF. I’ve always said he should be in. But unfortunately it took too long and now more people are on the ballot and recent bias will happen. He may never get in.
Wassup Bread,
Hope all is well with you and the fam. My question is about knockdown scoring. Are all knocked down scored equally? I seen Teo get knocked down in rd 1 but 2 judges scored 10-9 kambosas, and vice versa Teo scored a KD in rd 10 and that was scored 10-8. I didn’t see Teo dominate rd 1 to warrant that rd being scored as 10-9, I thought if the person who suffered the KD rallied to win the rd it would be 9-9? Am I correct, if not could you explain how KD’s are official scored, because the scoring in rd 1 almost robbed kambosas of the win and made it a SD instead of the correct UD.
O, from Philly
Bread’s Response: I didn’t know the 1st round of Kambosos vs Lopez was scored 9-9. If you are correct it should have been 10-8. If a fighter rallies back to win a round he was dropped in the score should be 9-8 not 9-9. The fighter who scored the knockdown should win the round 9-8 instead of 10-8 but he should still win the round.I have no idea what happened in the fight. I had no idea that this was an issue. I’m sure Lou Dibella of Team Kambosos will look into it. Lou is on top of stull like that.
Had you been the chief second for Richard Comney, would you have stopped the fight earlier having seen all the pinpoint punches that Loma was landing?
Bread’s Response: This is professional boxing. I believe a fighter should get every chance he’s earned to win. I thought Richard Commey was being outclassed and outpointed but I didn’t think he was helpless. His body language was of a fighter who was trying to win until the last bell. Commey has 27kos in 30 wins. I have seen several fights where a fighter is losing on points but still trying and he somehow wins. I have seen fights where a fighter gets cut. Where he breaks his hand. Where unseen things are occurring. Mike Weaver vs John Tate. Antonio Demarco vs Jorge Linares. Julio Cesar Chavez vs Meldrick Taylor.
I don’t have an issue with Andre Rozier giving his fighter a chance to finish on his feet. I don’t have an issue with Rozier not stopping the fight. In 11 years as a trainer, I have stopped one fight. The main reason I stopped it was because my fighter seemed fatigued because he took the fight on 17 day notice and he was fighting a weight class up. It was a tough decision. I believe in giving a fighter every chance. I’m a caring trainer but I’m not squeamish one. This is the hurt business and fights flow in different patterns. I don’t toil throughout the hardship of a camp to stop a fight because my fighter is losing. It takes more than that. Under those same exact circumstances I would have let Richard Commey continue to fight. I stand with Andre Rozier on his decision.
Hey Bread, how are you?
I write in for the Loma vs Commey fight. I thought that was a very good fight, even tough Loma was « supposed » to win that one, Commey made him earn it. Once again I think people underestimate Loma’s chin, toughness and physicality because of his footwork. Commey hit him clean couple of time and he didn’t blink ! Let’s not forget that even if Commey does not have Loma’s skills, he still hit like a mule. I’m curious to see how long Loma can fight at the intensity, because he is not getting any younger and his level of intensity is still the same. Now I did not like the way he talk to Commey’s corner to stop the fight. Some people say it was careness, I thought it was pretty arrogant and disrespectful to Andre Rozier. He should stay at his fighter’s place and not try to make Rozier’s work, he knows what he have to do. I really like Rozier and his approach, but I noticed something for the second time. When his fighter come back to his corner, he speak to him and give him instructions, but another guy (maybe the assistant coach) also speak to the fighter and sometimes interrupt him. I think that might cause a kind of stress for the fighter to try to have his attention focus on two different people that speak to him differently and might give him opposite advice. As you always say Little Things Matter! The first time I notice that with Rozier was in Derevyenchenko fight against Charlo. This Weekend we gonna see Beterbiev vs Browne, I think that’s a really good one. I would not be surprised if Browne can knock Beterbiev down. But if the Beterbiev that fought Gvozdyk shows up, it’s gonna be a really long night for Browne ! Thanks for your time, it’s always a real pleasure to read your mailbag.
Take care !
Bread’s Response: Marcus Browne is live in this fight. I can’t openly pick him because for some reason New York fighters lose their composure too often in big fights. But I love the odds +600. I also believe in Derrick James as a trainer. He’s the type of trainer who puts everything into a guy. And if his other guns don’t have fights lined up Marcus Browne will get all of James’s attention. That counts.
But Beterbiev is wrecking machine. He hits hard with short compact punches. His physical strength is enormous. He has pedigree. He has a 100% ko ration. But he’s a plodder. I don’t think he’s a great athlete. I think he’s a great fighter. Guys like Beterbiev fall off the cliff when they get old. Browne has a shot if he shows composure when Beterbiev starts to roll downhill. I’m looking forward to this fight.
I didn’t hear anyone else talk in Commey’s corner. But I do believe Andre Rozier is one of the best cornermen in the game. In fact as far as in fight instructions and composure I think he’s top 10. I haven’t seen him work in the gym so I don’t comment on things I don’t see. I personally think 1 person at a time should talk in the corner. I’m not saying no one else can talk but the head trainer but more than one person shouldn’t be talking at the same time. I also believe they have to be on the same note. You can’t give a fighter conflicting instructions but again I didn’t hear it. Loma knew Commey was dangerous. He could feel the energy on those shots. So he did something slick. He tried to get the corner to stop the fight instead of him risking himself and brutalizing Commey and forcing the referee to stop it. A referee stoppage and a corner stoppage is not the same. Andre Rozier wasn’t buying it. If Commey was so hurt, why didn't Loma just step on it and ko him? That's the real question!
Not sure if you saw Usyk playfully photo bomb Fury's photo op with Bob Arum, but when Fury turned and spoke with him, it looked like pure class from two fighters. I couldn't hear their words, but the body language seemed revealing as far as their composed, relaxed nature. I guess I have two comments/observations:1. Usyk did not look as small as I thought he would next to Fury. Now, if one or both were naturally shorter men, I would expect them to be wearing lifts or shoes with a very thick sole, but the height disparity didn't seem as glaring as I thought. I guess they'd both have to be barefoot at weigh in to get a real sense of the disparity. I think the way to beat Fury isn't through power, but by moving better than him. Wlad had clear advantages over Fury, but he couldn't get set to punch from the outside. Wilder couldn't either even though they are different. I think Usyk's fundamentals, overall speed, and the southpaw style make this more interesting than I thought it would be, if they do end up fighting. Maybe Fury crowds and leans on him. Wears him out. Interesting fight after Usyk performed so well against AJ. Fury won't be timid though, that's for sure.2. Seeing their brief interaction got me thinking: why can't two pros with true confidence do this more often? Why do so many fighters have to try sooooo hard to look strong. Quiet strength is usually real strength. All the bluster and posturing and finding effrontery in the prodding from another fighter reeks of some weakness in confidence. You think it'd be simple at the highest level, show up and be satisfied with who you are. But there are many skilled competitors in boxing who try to extrovert themselves to look strong, and they need to convince everyone so badly about it, that it just looks pathetic. Like middle-schoolers. Any insight into why some fighters are like this and some aren't?
Thanks for your time.
Jay
Bread’s Response: Usyk and Fury are fighters at heart. They don’t need to act tough because they know they are. They both approach fights in a productive manner. They have fun but both are calm. They both stay focused without being tight. Fury is more of a trash talker but he respects the game. Usyk is not scared of him one bit. Whoever wins, will win because he’s better. Not because the other had a mental breakdown. Tyson Fury is a unique case. His size doesn’t compromise his agility, coordination or stamina. But for 99.9% of human beings it does. Centers in basketball don’t have the footwork of guards. It think it’s because the brain is closer to the feet the shorter you are, so it gets signals faster. As far as stamina the more muscle and mass you have the more blood you need to flow through them. Therefore they suck up more oxygen.
I like a heavyweight between 6’2-6’4. And 215lb-225lbs. Obviously they are bigger in this era. But besides Fury, tell me one over 6’6 240lbs that has shown EXCEPTIONAL coordination, and stamina. Only Fury in my opinion has proven to be exceptional. Key word is exceptional. Wilder is the era’s best puncher and for most of his career he was sub 220. Usyk is the era’s best and most coordinated boxer and he’s an ex-cruiserweight. Being big is overrated unless you have special talent. Unfortunately for Usyk, Fury is exceptional but I don’t count Usyk out. I have to see them line up and see how Fury does with a fighter who has equal or better stamina. Who has equal or better coordination. Who has a similar refuse to lose mindset. Who has a clutch gene like his. Who has better pedigree. Who is as calm as he is under pressure. Who gets better as the fight goes on. Size matters but there is more to boxing than size. Usyk is in that fight!
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