Question: This is probably too late for tomorrow so perhaps next week (if I'm chosen). I know a lot of people are mad at De La Hoya for apparently blocking this Boots vs. Ortiz fight (biggest match at 154), but I contend that as a promoter he's doing the proper thing. For those two to fight now would be a mistake from a business standpoint! Ortiz should take a "stay busy" match to remain sharp then look to challenge Xander Zayas, assuming he beats Abass Baraou. That's an extremely lucrative Mexican vs. Puerto Rican bout. After that, Ortiz can fight Boots in hopefully a unification because the latter should have his own title by then. Boxing is too dangerous of a sport for Ortiz, especially after what he's done at 154, to fight Boots before vying for a title. De La Hoya has an unofficial fiduciary responsibility to secure the best opportunities for Ortiz – especially after De La Hoya allowed Ryan Garcia to fight Tank and that failed. He ain't doing that again. Would love your thoughts on all this Bread! Simba Sana.
Bread’s response: We will disagree strongly on this one. The only thing we will agree on is Ortiz’s side is holding up the fight at this point. I don’t have an issue with Team Ortiz not wanting to fight Boots next. The issue that I have is they tried to smear Ennis’s name and brand him a chicken. That tells me something. I will compare their initial offer to something most young men used to do in their dating stages in their early twenties. The young man calls a girl they’re somewhat but not fully interested in at times of the day that they know she won’t be available just to say they called her to keep her on the string.
Team Ortiz knew that Jaron Ennis wanted to unify at 147lbs. They offered him a non-title fight at 154, while Ennis was actively seeking a unification in the weight class he was already champion. I never understood the backlash that Ennis got for not taking that fight especially when he kept his word and fought in a unification in his very next fight.
Now Ennis moves up to 154lbs and he goes to Ortiz’s hometown to call him out after Ortiz’s last fight. Ortiz calls Ennis in the ring and they both say they want to fight. Now the world is waiting for a big fight between two violent KO artists in their primes and you’re telling me you’re ok with them NOT fighting next. No one who loves boxing is ok with that exact scenario. All they had to do was be humble and leave Boots Ennis alone. But Vergil Ortiz CALLED him in the ring. What was the point? The fans assumed the point was to set the stage for a huge fight.
Since this fight was first talked about, I’ve said Ennis beats Ortiz. I believe he stops him late in a violent shootout while getting the better of most of the action. I believe the fights look similar to Tito vs Vargas. I’ve been getting push back from several different people and I don’t mind that. But there’s one way to find out. They have to fight. Those same people sent me hate mail for a year about Crawford vs Canelo and I never wavered. But this won’t be Crawford outclassing Canelo with sublime precision. This will be much more violent because of their styles and ages.
It feels like Ennis called Ortiz’s bluff. It’s now January and there is no traction for a superfight in the spring. The feeling I’m getting is that Team Ortiz wants Vergil to be paid life-changing money because this fight could change the direction of his career and he would most likely be the underdog. I actually agree and understand that line of thinking but they should’ve made sure the money was there before they called Boots into the ring.
No one will say that Zayas, Fundora or Bakhram the other champions at 154lbs are ducking Boots because they didn’t bother him and call him out publicly. But Ortiz and his team kept trying to humiliate Ennis by bringing up the past negotiations. They kept trying to embarrass Ennis when he didn’t move up right away and fight them at 154 and now that he took their last challenge, they don’t seem as eager to fight him. There is a difference in being the hunter and being the hunted.
Team Ortiz is smart. They are very experienced. They painted a public picture like a politician and the public bought it. Now you guys are writing in saying they’re smart for putting the fight OFF. Wait, it can’t be both ways.
When they initially offered Boots the fight, Ortiz was not a champion. So it was ok for Ortiz to fight a dangerous fighter like Boots before he won a belt last year but it’s not ok now. Ortiz still isn’t a world champion. Nothing has changed except him and Boots are in the same weight class now and the fight is makeable. If the fight needs more time to build now and we are in 2026, didn’t it need more time to build in 2024 and 2025 when they claimed Boots was ducking Ortiz?
Also, let me correct you. A promoter does NOT have a fiduciary duty towards his fighter. A manager DOES. If the promoter decides to assume that role, then that’s on him. A promoter’s job is to fulfill the contract the fighter signed with him. In terms of number of fights, minimum pay for those fights, etc. The manager’s job is to make sure it’s the best fight for their fighter in relation to how the fighter is compensated and the likelihood he wins or loses. Often the promoter and manager are on opposite sides of the negotiation table because only one has the fiduciary duty: the manager! By the looks of things Ortiz’s manager and promoter are NOT on the same page.
The tables have turned now. The world is waiting for an answer from Team Ortiz. Hopefully DAZN or Turki steps in and we get the fight. But I won’t hold my breath because in this era of boxing the business decision usually trumps the legacy decision.
You brought up Oscar De La Hoya. Let me tell you something. By the time Oscar was Ortiz’s age he was a four-division champion and had already fought the likes of Genaro Hernandez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley. Ortiz has been in three different divisions and has yet to fight for a title and that’s your excuse for him NOT to fight Ennis. Why were there no objections for a title to be on the line when Bohachuk, Madrimov or Lubin were Ortiz’s opponents?
I don’t understand what’s going on with this whole thing. It’s really confusing and it’s why I don’t get heavily invested in negotiations. Ortiz and Ennis BOTH need this fight. Ennis needs a big credible name so the world can see if his talent translates to the elite level. As for Ortiz, he is an elite fighter, but Ennis would be his best opponent by far. Madrimov is excellent, but he was coming off of a loss. Bohachuk is solid, but he’s not an A fighter. And Lubin is talented, but he’s seen better days. Both Ennis and Ortiz need this fight, not just Ennis. The winner is a P4P superstar.
Ennis needs to secure another opponent, then look to fight a champion as soon as possible. Waiting on the Ortiz fight will stagnate his career again and time waits for no one in boxing. Ennis vs Ortiz may NEVER happen. The only way this fight happens next is if Vergil Ortiz himself instructs his team to make the fight at all costs. Other than that, this may be Lewis vs Bowe or Lopez vs Gamboa. One more thing: ideally, Ennis vs Ortiz is for a world title, but neither have championships at the moment and all the champions are tied up with fights scheduled. Without being able to predict 100% the winner of the championship fights, neither can afford to wait on a champion to be available to fight to only have the champion tell them they want to go in another direction….
Question: Hi Breadman. I pray God is blessing and continues to bless you, your family and the fans of your mailbag and their families. I owe you an apology, Breadman. Wasn’t interested in seeing Moses Itauma (you were) vs Usyk but after hearing Usyk is considering Wilder, why not Itauma? He really hasn’t earned the shot, but Wilder hasn’t either the way he has performed lately. Who do you think won the Roach vs Pit Bull fight and the Roach vs Davis fight? I think Pit Bull’s body work should have got him the nod over Roach and Roach should have got the nod over Tank. That was a legit knockdown. I thought Davis vs Pit Bull was a draw. I thought once again Pit Bull’s body work was overlooked. I wish Ike Ibeabuchi had stayed retired. He is one of my all-time favorite fighters and the ultimate “what could have been” if he wasn’t so foolish. What a shame and what a waste of talent. It is tragic. God bless and take care. Peter Allen.
Bread’s response: Thank you but I never let anyone change my mind about what I see in a fighter. Only time and results can change my mind. I don’t care about Itauma’s age or resume. Besides Agit Kabayel he’s the best and toughest challenge for Usyk. As a whole, the public doesn’t realize fighters hit their physical peak at a much younger age than acknowledged. I’m not saying Itauma would win. I’m not saying he can’t get better. I’m just saying that his talent right now will allow him to be very competitive with Usyk. Right now!
What they don’t realize is the reaction time of a 21-year-old fighter and a 38-year-old fighter are different. Usyk has taken thousands more punches than Itauma. Usyk was 17 when Itauma was born. I’m in the gym every day with fighters. A sharp 20-year-old fighter is hell on a great 30-year-old fighter. If you guys think this fight is a cakewalk for Usyk you’re sadly mistaken. But again, I don’t expect it to happen. This is just not the era for these types of fights. It’s a different sport that I grew up on and I’ve had to learn to accept that.
Question: I thought Inoue could have stepped on the gas pedal and knocked Picasso down. Picasso clearly lacks power, and Inoue was just sleepwalking during the fight. I think Inoue got bored and forgot he should have knocked Picasso down. Because every thrashing punch Inoue landed had Picasso backing up and covering. This was basically a sparring session for Inoue, and he won't have any problem with Junto Nakatani.
Bread’s response: Inoue is at a stage where most KO artists who move up in weight are usually at. Remember Roberto Duran had a very high KO percentage at lightweight. In over 60 fights he had over 50 KOs. By the time his career was over he had over 100 wins but just over 60 KOs. High energy KO artists who are great start to go the distance more as they age. It’s just an evolution of their style. The fighter that Inoue is most compared to is Manny Pacquiao. The same exact thing happened with him also. Inoue shut Picasso out. He did what he did. But expect Inoue to start going the distance more. Also don’t expect an easy fight with Junto. Inoue has a gap in his defense and I would not be surprised if he’s knocked down by Nakatani although I expect him to win.
Question: Hey Breadman. I’ll keep it as short as I can. What do you think of the new Naz movie “Giant”, if you’ve seen it, and Naz as a fighter? When I was in high school he was around his peak and I did my whole arts and media course work based around him so I was a big fan. There was a website about potential fights and dream fights for him mentioned were: Barrera, Morales, Marquez, Mayweather and Pac-Man in and around the weight. How do these fights go? Let’s say Barrera in a rematch, as we know how that went. And what do you think went wrong in their fight? All the best! Damien.
Bread’s response: I didn’t see the Naz movie but I loved him as a fighter. He was very talented. He’s one of the best featherweights I’ve ever seen. And he’s even higher on my list of punchers. His single shot power with both hands was special. He only fought Barrera out of the guys you named. And he lost. We can speculate what went wrong but maybe Barrera was just better. It happens. I know Hamed couldn’t have beaten Mayweather. Mayweather was just too long and defensively responsible. He had a chance to clip Pacman, Marquez or Morales but I wouldn’t have picked him to beat Pac man. I don’t know about Morales and Marquez; those are even fights in my opinion.
Question: Hey Bread. I hope you’re well. Over the past ten years, we’ve exchanged a lot about Canelo. I’ve always been a fan, though I clearly thought he lost the first two GGG fights (8–4, then 7–5, despite being more impressed by his forward, slower pressure in the second). Like many do, I see him as one of the greats. Still, it’s hard not to notice that few fighters have benefited from better matchmaking. In that sense, Jake Paul oddly followed a similar path (obviously at a very different level). Canelo is the real deal, but for the most part he fought opponents he was expected to beat. Lara was a bold choice, I’ll grant that. GGG was already declining. Bivol was a clear miscalculation. As for the Crawford fight. Most of his career choices were carefully controlled. It’s interesting, and complex. That brings me to my question: what do you think of this article by Eric Raskin? https://www.boxingscene.com/articles/what-the-heck-is-canelo-alvarezs-greatest-win And I’d add: what is Canelo’s greatest non-controversial win? (So GGG II doesn’t count—but Lara can.)
Now, shifting gears to Benn. You were never high on him. Nepo baby, caught cheating—fair points. That said, I’ve rarely seen a fighter fight so hard to clean up his reputation. He went above and beyond: spent millions, accepted losses that came with admitting fault, stayed relentlessly in the gym, kept taking exciting fights, and kept improving. Like Eubank, he’s articulate and has more charisma than most boxers. Although Eubank was shot/or drained in the second fight, he showed drastic improvements and the ability to follow a game plan while stakes were high. He also fights mean and intense, more than most. Beyond the unfairness of his birth circumstances, what’s not to like? He showed all-time guts and heart in the Eubank fight (guts—not skills, obviously). How do you see him against this relatively weak welterweight crop: Garcia, Barrios, Haney, Norman Jr., Lewis Crocker, Romero? My sense is that he wins more fights than he loses. He’s clearly a tier—or two—below Boots or Crawford, but I think he could still win one or two belts. What’s his ceiling? Can he still win you over? Take care. Diego.
Bread’s response: Canelo is an ATG fighter. His career-best win is GGG II. You can call that fight controversial but it wasn’t a robbery. If you face great fighters close to their primes there will be some controversy. 99.9% of fighters have close, controversial wins if they face multiple great fighters. After the GGG II win, let’s pick between Lara, Callum Smith or Caleb Plant for his best win.
Canelo did benefit from some matchmaking favors but I think you’re overblowing it. Fighting Matthew Hatton, who was a welterweight, at a catchweight for his first world title at junior middleweight was a big matchmaking favor. I didn’t like that one. But Canelo fought some tough champions and solid contenders. Besides ducking Benavidez I don’t have much to say about Canelo. He was a bad dude and his peak from 2015-21 was ELITE. Let the guy be. He had a great career.
I was never really high or low or Conor Benn. He’s a solid contender, with a big name who tested positive for PEDS. I didn’t test him. I didn’t determine the results. All I’ve said is it’s hard to quantify what a fighter is when they test positive for PEDS. You seem to be trying to put words in my mouth. Other than that, I don’t get asked much about Benn.
I would favor Benn to beat all of the welterweight champions except Devin Haney, but I don’t expect him to go after Haney. Haney boxes too well and he looked good against Norman. You may take this is not liking Benn but I this is just my perspective of wanting to see good, big fights.
Benn is with Matchroom. Jaron Ennis is with Matchroom. Both are violent fighters. One is from the UK. The other the USA; Philadelphia to be exact. The UK and the USA had a war. It was called the Revolutionary War and in Philadelphia the Declaration of Independence was signed relevant to THAT war. There is an organic aspect to the promotion if they fight. Benn seems to be looking for opponents and Ennis never seems to be able to get big names. Benn just fought twice at middleweight. I can’t for the life of me understand why Ennis vs Benn has not been explored. It’s a huge fight and no one can use the Tom and Jerry excuse that other boxers get tagged with. Ennis boxes but he’s violent with it. He’s not a neutralizer, he’s a pulverizer. It’s much easier for Benn to make 154 from 160 than it is to go all the way back to 147. I think Ennis vs Benn would be fire!!
Question: Hello Breadman. Hope you and the family are well! Last week’s post about All-Time Greats got me thinking of my own list, subjective as they often are. Here it is, plus my top 10 HWs of all time, in no particular order. Your thoughts on my lists? ATGs: Ali, Ray Robinson, Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Julio Cesar Chavez, Willie Pep, Rocky Marciano, Floyd Mayweather, Roberto Duran, Joe Louis. Heavyweights: ALI, HOLYFIELD, LOUIS, MARCIANO, LEWIS, TYSON, FOREMAN, BOWE, USYK, HOLMES. I wanted Frazier in there too but couldn’t decide between him and Larry Holmes so went with Holmes for his longevity. I think Chavez and Tyson were the most fearsome fighters of all, especially at their peaks. You risked death or severe injury facing them. I almost included Prince Naseem Hamed in my ATG list. Where among the pantheon of greats do you place him at his peak? Last question: Where to from here for Canelo? Does he retire? Can he recover psychologically from the loss to Crawford or is he so far past his peak that he can only beat mid-level opponents now? What is your general view of boxers in his position? Rock and a hard place? I mean as a HOF and Mexican ATG having lost only to three unbeaten fighters (at the time), themselves HOF and arguably ATGs in their weight divisions, does he risk damaging his record and perception as a HOF by continuing to fight? Keep rocking! Llewellin RG Jegels PhD Candidate.
Bread’s response: Lists are subjective, so your list can’t be wrong. Your ATG list is solid. But I don’t think Chavez, Hagler and Marciano have cases for top ten ever. Chavez can’t be top ten ever if Pernell Whitaker is not. They’re from the same era and Whitaker proved to be slightly better. Hagler is a top middleweight ever. He’s a top southpaw ever. He’s a top fighter of the 1980s. But I think top ten ever is a slight stretch for Hagler in my opinion. Believe it or not I’m a big Rocky Marciano fan. But top ten ever, I can’t imagine. He would have needed to fight more elite fighters in their primes or stuck around to turn back Floyd Patterson or Sonny Liston for that. Great career and great record but again top ten is a stretch for me for Marciano.
Your top ten heavyweight list is better. I don’t really have a strong argument against any of your picks. But I personally like to rate fighters on their eras then contextualize how they match up in other eras. I believe Jack Johnson and Joe Frazier have stronger cases for the top ten than Riddick Bowe. I love Bowe and he may have beaten both head-to-head but I don’t view his achievements or career as better than Johnson or Frazier.
Question: Dear Bread. It seems to me that boxers don't get enough credit for moving up in weight. Lomachenko would only have that one loss if he had just stayed at his weight; Canelo wouldn't have lost to Bivol, etc. But when a fighter loses to a heavier opponent, people devalue their legacy. I understand that they chose to step in the ring, but would welcome your thoughts on how we should view these fights and how you would advise a fighter thinking about moving up. Rob.
Bread’s response: When Loma moved up to face Jorge Linares, I said to myself and out loud that he changed the trajectory of his career. If you really look at him after that fight, he was never the same. Not only did he hurt his shoulder, he gave so much of himself, the KOs came less and struggles surfaced more and more. I believe Loma’s anatomic makeup is not for moving up. Loma has a long torso, with short arms and he’s a high-volume pressure technician who's short in stature. He’s not a big single shot puncher although he can punch. And he’s not a long pure boxer, so he has to expend a great deal of energy vs taller fighters. For example, let’s imagine Joe Calzaghe fighting young in their prime world-class light-heavyweights for the last seven years of his career. I would bet my mortgage Calzaghe wouldn’t have retired undefeated.
Certain body types age well and some not so much, especially if they move up. I believe Loma is undervalued historically. I think he’s just as good a fighter at 126-130 as Marquez, Barrera, Morales, Nelson and Hamed. All of those guys are easy HOFs. All of them would have most likely lost to Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney at 135lbs, especially in an era where the weigh in is the day before the fight. But no one remembers context. They remember results. Oh well, it’s life.
Question: Aye bread. My name is Chauncey. I was training boxing for more than two years and quit for personal things, but I’m currently getting back into it and I need new gloves. Just wondering as a counterpuncher should I get pillow gloves or puncher’s gloves? Thank you.
Bread’s response: I haven’t caught the pads with you or seen you deliver a punch so it’s impossible for me to tell you which gloves would be the best for you. But what I can tell you is the fighters that I have trained have all liked different gloves. Hand size, hand shape, body style, fight style and punching style are all things to consider. And the only way to find out is if you invest in different types of gloves and test them out. Invest in yourself and get each of the major brands of gloves and see which works the best for you.
Question: I just looked at the boxing schedule on boxingscene.com. It runs through April. There’s one card I’m looking forward to, which is Shakur Stevenson against Teofimo Lopez. Since Canelo Alvarez is having surgery, Anthony Joshua just had that terrible accident, Gervonta Davis is having legal issues and Terence Crawford is now retired, I don’t expect 2026 to get much better. In fact, I am predicting that 2026 will be the most boring and uneventful year of boxing ever. I don’t see any big events, I don’t see many available superstars and I don’t see that changing. Do you have high hopes for boxing in 2026 or do you foresee a boring future schedule as well?
Bread’s response: I was just thinking about this and that’s why Ennis vs Ortiz or Ortiz vs Ennis, whichever way you want to bill it, is important for boxing. There aren’t many big fights upcoming and they have a chance to have the world looking at them. I don’t think 2026 will be boring because spots get filled. Promoters will notice openings and big fights will be made.
Benavidez will fight Ramirez in the spring. Inoue vs Nakatani will happen. And boxing will move forward as it always does. But as a whole the networks need to start pressuring the promoters and fighters to simply fight. One huge year of superfights can send boxing in a new direction. In 2001 there were three huge fights that set off a positive spin that defined legacies. In January of 2001 Floyd Mayweather fought Diego Corrales. That was one of the biggest fights in the history of the 130lb division. It was Mayweather’s biggest fight to date. And it was a matchup of two pound-for-pound fighters in their primes. Next, we saw Marco Antonio Barrera vs Naseem Hamed. Hamed was the undefeated KO artist from the UK. Barrera was the elite Mexican champion. This was a huge PPV fight for featherweights and it helped define the era. Then we saw Bernard Hopkins take on an undefeated Felix Trinidad in Madison Square Garden in September of 2001. No one could predict the 911 attacks. But this fight was for legacy and it was huge. Tito was attempting to be on that special tier of ATG. And Hopkins wanted to forge himself as the middleweight great on the level of Marvin Hagler and Carlos Monzon. We needed it and we got it.
There are several matchups that can be made in boxing that would put the game in a better place. The fighters and managers just have to be willing to make them.
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