By Stephen "Breadman" Edwards

The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen "Breadman" Edwards discussing a variety of topics, including numerous questions regarding the Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev rematch, the performance of referee Tony Weeks in that fight and the overall outcome, Canelo's decision to reject the WBC title in the upcoming fight with Gennady Golovkin and more.

King,

Good morning,

I need to get your opinion on last nights co-main and main event. I'm a huge fan of Guillermo Rigondeaux and Andre Ward's boxing styles. Do you think that either or both should have had a point(s) taken away, DQed or did the referee/commission make the overall correct desicion?

C/Hawk

Bread’s Response: I think it was too early in the Rigo fight to take a point away. Rigo and Flores were both firing as the bell sounded and slightly after. A punch connected……I usually don’t do this but I’m tired of the integrity of bouts being compromised with fighters acting. In my opinion Flores was hit with a clean shot slightly after the bell. If he doesn’t act like he’s shot, Rigo gets a stern warning and he continues to fight. Accidental fouls are part of boxing.

Instead Flores looks at the ref, then he collapse and adds sauce to the situation. He stays knocked out until he thought the fight was over. Then he miraculously woke up. I hate seeing that stuff. Roy Jones of the HBO broadcasting team saw exactly what he was doing and he called him on it.

In cases like this I think discretion has to be used. Common sense has to be used. Why DQ a fighter for his first accidental foul? What happened to giving the hit fighter time to recover and continuing the bout? What happened to if they decide not to continue after the 5 minutes then that fighter loses? In boxing I feel they need to discourage fighters who try to “act” and win on technicalities.

I think the referee should have given Flores 5 minutes to get himself together. I think he should have told Flores if he doesn’t continue then he loses by KO. I think Flores’s purpose for the acting was to get Rigondeaux DQ. If he knew that wasn’t going to be the case then I believed the onus on fighting would have been on him. A No Contest was a reasonable ruling.

In Ward’s case the referee couldn’t see the blows that were low. Kovalev was slouched over near the ropes and I had to look at several camera angles to see where the blows landed. From what I saw the blows were borderline and the last one was low but Kovalev’s trunks were high…. Kovalev can’t decide to be the referee and the fighter. He can’t make rulings. He can’t assume that what he says is happening is what the referee agrees upon. His body language was very poor. He looked like he was capitulating. In another big Vegas fight between Amir Khan and Zab Judah. I saw Khan land some borderline body shots. Judah went down and complained they were low. The only problem was the referee was counting while he was complaining and he was counted out. I think the referee should have warned Ward but nothing more.

These two cases show an important lesson to fighters. If someone accidentally fouls you just continue to try to win the fight if it’s possible. Most fighters don’t know every line of the rule book or more importantly what the ref is going to rule. You’re playing a guessing game and often you’re reputation takes a hit. Secondly don’t try to be an official when things aren’t going your way. Kovalev was actually calling low blows and turning his back before the stoppage. You can’t stop protecting yourself after being visibly hurt. The one rule everyone should know is protect yourself at all times.

There are some rules I would like to speak on also. Can anyone give me an explanation on why there is no Instant Replay in boxing? Especially when we have 60 seconds in between rounds. It really makes me wonder does anyone want to do the “right” thing. So many controversies can be easy fixes right after they happened. Instead of the controversy continuing to brew.

I also don’t like the fact that we have to interpret where a fighter’s belly button is. Everyone has a different anatomy.  In general everyone’s torso is not the same exact proportion. Therefore it makes no sense to guess where a belly button is. Kovalev’s trunks were high over his belly button. Now here we are guessing where we think his belly button is. It would be so easy to simply tell every fighter that the belly button has to be seen. Therefore we know where the line is and that’s that. 

Bro I saw your twitter page. After 3 rounds you said Ward is using his right hand more and it could be a sign of things to come. I saw in the comments section of another mailbag fanboys were giving you sh*t because you said Ward could stop Kovalev late if Ward got off to a better start. What the f*** bro! Best fight caller I’ve seen, ever. There was a guy in Vegas who was great at just predicting winners but predicting how it’s going to go is nuts. I bet Ward and a tko! Thanks Happy Father’s Day.

Bread’s Response: Happy Father’s Day to you as well. Yes I remember some fans were actually mad at me and said some really nasty things to me because I thought Ward could stop him late. They said I was hedging my pick. But my pick was Ward from Day 1. I was just giving the two scenarios I envisioned.

Kovaelv is a tremendous fighter but if you can’t sense the uneasiness around him then you aren’t paying attention. He does not seem to trust anything except his own instincts. To have one man train you and another take you through the fight giving instructions is counterproductive. Kovalev and Ward are evenly matched. Those small things turn out to be big. Kovalev said before the fight that John David Jackson just hits the pads with him to keep him sharp and he does everything else himself….

Also historically the steady strong willed technician can overcome the high anxiety puncher. There was an underrated war in the 80s in which Simon Brown beat a huge puncher from Detroit named Tyrone Trice. Trice was a vicious puncher for 147lbs but Brown was steady. Brown enjoyed himself while fighting. Although he could punch as well he had a calm about himself. He was winning one round at a time.

Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson. Tyson was always in a hurry to get things over with. Holyfield was just winning one round at a time. Sound familiar. Fighters who fight agitated lose form late. They’re expecting and pursuing for things to be over while the steady guy is just being steady.

Marvin Hagler vs John Mugabi. Same theme. As good as Kovalev is he mentally fatigues under Ward’s steady on the point, make you work for everything you get ways. I thought Kovaelv was winning some rounds as far as points but I knew Ward was coming and I knew in 2nd half of the fight he would turn it on full blast. That’s exactly what he did.

As far as the right hand. In the beginning of 3 or 4 rounds, Ward came out and tried to sucker punch Kovalev with a 1-2. Kovalev barely saw the punch. That was a bad sign for Team Kovalev. The 1st line of defense in boxing is your eyes. Seeing and expecting a punch takes 10% off of the power even if it lands flush. As each round passed Kovalev’s senses were less and less reactive.

You have to pick fights with your brains never your desires. Glad to see you made some money.

So many people give Hunter sh*t because mediocre fighters like Andre Berto are not successful with him. I see critics in the media say he’s only had success with one fighter. Even Floyd Mayweather a brother chimed in and said Ward needs to fire Hunter. You have always said Hunter is a great coach. What’s up with his critics? Is Hunter the Coach of the Year?

Bread’s Response: Hunter is a great coach and I knew that after Ward dismantled Alan Green and kept the fight inside the whole fight. I watched Ward fight before and he was an outside jabber who postured and pot shotted a lot. I walked up to Hunter the next day after the Green fight and I told him what I thought of his coaching performance that night. Green needed room to get off and Ward just smothered everything and held Green on the ropes the entire night. It was sort of an impromptu strategy that worked like a charm.

I can’t get into why people criticize and why they think certain things. Everyone has their opinions. I just know what I see in the Hunter and Ward connection.

As far as Hunter only having great success with one guy here is the thing. When people drop stats on trainers they will say a trainer has worked with 40 world champions. Well that’s a broad statement. A better gauge is was the trainer in the corner on the night the fighter won the title. If you quantify that then those numbers will drop drastically. In this era we are not going to have one trainer take 10 or 15 guys from early in their careers or starting out to world titles. It’s just not set up that way. The job Hunter is doing with Ward is all time work.

Where do you rank Ward and Kovalev as far as great fighter levels and where do they go from here?

Bread’s Response: Ward goes to the Hall of Fame. He’s a legitimate great fighter and if he’s not an all time great, he’s on the cusp. An Adonis Stevenson victory or a victory over 1 more legitimate serious in their prime threat puts him over the top at all time great status.  I don’t know where Ward goes from here I wouldn’t be surprised if he retired.

Kovalev is a contemporary great in my opinion. Meaning he’s one of the best fighters of the last 5 to 10 years. He needs to do more though in order to be a great fighter or all time great. A Ward victory would have sealed it. I actually feel bad for Kovalev because he’s taken some murderously tough fights as the B side, everytime. He’s always taking money shorts or fighting on the road. For a time in his career he didn’t get paid at all. Now he makes it to the mountain top and he loses to his #1 rival. I know he’s said some mean things but the purist in me knows the man hasn’t had it easy.

Now after 2 losses in a row, Kovalev is no spring chicken, he’s 34. There are plenty of young guns out there at 175. They won’t be as scared of him because they saw what Ward did. Remember the era we are in. Top it off with this, Kovalev most likely won’t get confidence building comeback fights. I can see Kovalev firing his whole team and going to Montreal before the year is out vs Adonis Stevenson where he would be the underdog. What a twist of fate?

Do you think Kovalev has ticker issues or stamina issues or both? What about chin issues? Ward is not a big puncher? How did you have the fight scored before the ko? Was it a good stoppage?

Bread’s Response: Just because a fighter loses by ko doesn’t mean he has chin issues. Anyone can be stopped if hit right.

I think Kovalev has a decent chin. It’s good enough where it has never been an issue in his career up until this point and he has fought plenty of high level fights.

I think he does have slight stamina issues but nothing too major. I think his biggest problem is mental stamina.

Kovalev had minimum problems late in fights vs Hopkins and Pascal. The reason being is the action was one way mostly. Ward puts mental pressure on you because he’s forcing you to concentrate in order to win rounds. He never gives Kovalev rounds. Kovalev has to earn every second of every round vs Ward. Ward is used to scrapping like that. On top of that he’s enjoying himself. Kovalev seems stressed out by Ward’s indomitable presence.

Kovalev started losing form around the 4th round. He started flurrying to the body something he’s never done before. People overstate things….They said his punch count went down in the 2nd half of the 1st fight. It didn’t, it went up. What went down was his mental sharpness. Andre Ward shadowboxes for long periods of time sharply. Concentrating. Staying focused. Kovalev is fighting angry. Anger fatigues you over time.

Kovalev comes apart a little mentally over time. It’s no coincidence Ward keeps having success as the fight goes longer. I don’t know if it can be fixed because I don’t know if Kovalev is willing to fix it. He may be what he is at this point. His mental stamina is in question at this point.

I don’t score fights while watching at home. But naked eye says the fight was very close. Ward has a time outboxing Kovalev from the outside. For whatever reason Kovalev’s jab is troublesome to Ward. But the mood and climate of the fight was in Ward’s favor. Kovalev started posturing. He was looking towards the canvas. He was complaining about low blows. He was turning his back. He wasn’t doing well on the inside. He was breathing heavy and waiting on his 2nd wind. Kovalev would have had a rough 8,9,10,11 and 12.  36 minutes is an eternity to be in the ring with a fighter like Ward.

Here is the thing about the stoppage. I don’t want to take credit from Ward. I think his performance was masterful and he was denied a conclusive brutal ko that he was going to get. Kovalev started bending and stopped defending himself. But it wasn’t for more than 2 seconds. He didn’t sit on the ropes until Tony Weeks stepped in. So for all of the people claiming he should’ve been given a standing 8 count, there is no standing 8 count in pro boxing. If the ref gave a fighter a chance to recover everytime he was buzzed how would pro boxing look…Weeks couldn’t rule a knockdown because the ropes didn’t hold him up until it was over….I think Weeks should have let it go on slightly longer for Ward’s follow up volley. I know people say it’s better to be early than late. But this is a blood sport and Ward was out for blood. Kovalev claimed he was going to end Ward’s career. In a fight with that much bad blood I can’t understand why Kovalev didn’t go low back. It’s a fight at the end of the day.

The reason why I favor more conclusive endings is because of this. The critics will speculate on what would have happened. If Ward were allowed to finish him there would be no need for speculation. I think Weeks should have given Kovalev a little more time. He was never knocked down and he was only visibly hurt one time. It’s also not fair to Andre Ward that he will be asked why the fight was stopped early. He’s not the referee.

Why do I read and hear critics say that Ward’s style is so boring and unwatchable? I just don’t get that. He doesn’t fight like Arturo Gatti but “unwatchable” Is an extreme term. What do you think it is that has so many critics loathing Ward?

Bread’s Response: I think highly of Andre Ward. I think highly of him as a fighter and human being. But I’m an independent thinker.  The one thing I have observed about him is that a large majority of this era of urban fighters look up to Ward. They believe in Ward. The bet on Ward. They use Ward as an example. Ward is highly respected among his peers. I know this to be a fact not an opinion.

Ward is a well rounded technician. His goal is to win not always excite. His skill set is sublime not loud. Therefore against certain level competition he won’t wow you. That’s the reason why he wasn’t the favorite going into the Super 6 tournament. With fighters like Ward you really don’t know how good they are until they fight the elite. An offensive freak like Tommy Hearns or Mike Tyson you can see how good they are no matter the competition level. A trained eye knows the difference. Well rounded technicians who rely on other things just as much as their offense aren’t as appreciated until they fight the big important fights.

There is a reason why Felix Trinidad was the favorite vs Bernard Hopkins. There is a reason why Shane Mosley was the favorite against Vernon Forest. Offensive fighter vs well rounded technician.

So I just gave you the boxing explanation. Now you have the personal side of things. I think that there is a legion of critics who simply don’t like Ward and they can’t separate their personal feelings from their professional observations. It’s just hard to be objective when you wear your personal feelings on your sleeves. So when he wins they minimize it and if he has a tough or boring fight they maximize it.

Yo Bread I think Canelo is getting a pass for turning his back on the WBC. Now all of a sudden he doesn’t want to fight for the WBC title. He had no problem fighting for it when they were giving him belts at catchweights. No one is calling him on this but I will. I know the Clean Testing Program has major holes but it does put you in the VADA testing pool all year around. I have always suspected Canelo of being on something. He’s the most explosive Mexican fighter ever. Why else would he all of a sudden favor the IBF, WBA and WBO belts over the WBC when the WBC is the belt that has it’s deepest Mexican heritage and it’s the organization that has literally taken care of him. I’m calling bullsh*t.

Bread’s Response: I don’t want to speculate but you have an interesting point. Canelo did fight for the WBC title at super welterweight at a catchweight vs Matthew Hatton.  That’s not an opinion that’s a fact. He also was given lots of room to not have to defend against his mandatories at both 154 and 160. His grace periods were very long. In fact I can’t remember him making an actual mandatory defense of either belt. He is a tremendous fighter and he doesn’t need many favors but let’s just say the WBC was very good to him.

I really don’t know what is going on with him and the WBC. Maybe he’s upset that they stripped him. But Golovkin was his mandatory and if you don’t defend against your mandatory then you have to be stripped. I really don’t know how upset he can be at that because he’s fighting Golovkin after all. Who knows what’s going on?

I have heard you say in the past that Tony Weeks was a good referee. I agreed. Weeks was the referee in the Corrales vs Castillo fight. He gave Corrales the benefit of doubt even after he spit his mouthpiece out twice. That turned out to be the greatest fight ever. In the Ward vs Kovalev fight he stops it after Kovaelv is hurt one time and he receives some hard body blows legal and illegal. In fairness Bread and I know you are fair, would you say that Weeks was inconsistent in his actions considering what happened in Corrales vs Castillo?

Bread’s Response: I see you did some research. Yes you are correct, Tony Weeks was the referee in the Diego Corrales vs Jose Luis Castillo fight. And yes that fight turned out to be a classic. And if you go by that fight yes I would agree that Weeks was inconsistent.

I have to state I think this is really unfair to Andre Ward. Although Ward is the toast of the boxing world right now. There is still some controversy around his greatest achievement as a fighter. Ward was doing his job. He was slaying the dragon. Now he has to answer these questions because of something he had no control over. Quick stoppages often times benefit the fighter who was stopped because they have a built in excuse.

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