In this week's bustling mailbag, Stephen 'Breadman' Edwards takes your questions on Fabio Wardley, James Toney, Josh Kelly's chances against Murtazaliev, fixed fights, future stars, and stamina issues.
Bread, I don’t agree with Boots Ennis being in the top 10 pound-for-pound list but I respect your opinion. I respect it because I really believe that you believe Boots is the goods. I respect it because, with the way these fans attack you, I know you wouldn’t say it if you didn’t believe it. Some of these trolls read your mailbag every week just to criticize everything you say. I always think to myself, why do they bother to read someone they don’t like? I have a different type of question. I think I know why you have Boots on your list, but I want to know who you think will be the top 10 pound for pound in five years?
Bread’s response: I don’t read anything that has a remote chance of being negative, so I rarely see insulting comments. But I’m used to being attacked. I always felt that the better you are at anything, the more people will look for things to criticize. One of my mom’s brothers, who I grew up around, was the ultimate hater. He used to predict Roy Jones and Michael Jordan would falter every fight and every game. Jordan and Jones both eventually got old. And he rejoiced with “I told you so”. But this took many, many years for him to finally have his day of I told you so…By the time it happened I was in my late 20s, so I had some wisdom working for me. I knew him personally, so I knew he was a loser in real life. A what-if person. A professional victim. Basically, he was a frontrunner in life. I say this to say: this is how I look at people who always find a reason to insult when they criticize.
As for the people who read my mailbag just to criticize. They don’t hate me. They hate their miserable lives, so they use my mailbag to project and vent. It’s ok they don’t stop a damn thing. They actually increase the algorithms and help me get paid. So, keep on hating, whoever you are.
Top 10 P4P in 5 years. Ok, I won’t do an order because that’s too hard to determine so I will just name the fighters who I believe have a chance to be there. Shakur Stevenson, Bam Rodriguez, Boots Ennis, David Benavidez, Gary Antuanne Russell, Moses Itauma, Jai Opetaia, Monster Inoue, Abdullah Mason and Yoenli Hernandez.
Hi Bread in last week’s mailbag I read your response to my recommending Matthew Saad Muhammad as a boxer who should be on the all-time recuperative powers list. Your response was all class; you truly are a stand-up honest man. The answer was as perfect as could be. Thank you again for all you do, it is greatly appreciated.
Bread’s response: There’s nothing wrong with admitting you’re wrong. I should have put Saad on that list. I just simply forgot. It happens. Saad is a legend in Philly. He’s not our best fighter. But he’s our most beloved fighter. He came back from the brink of defeat so many times, people thought he wasn’t human. He was human, he just wasn’t like the rest of us. I will talk about him anytime I’m asked because he deserves his flowers from now until eternity. Thanks again for reminding me about the legend, SAAD.
Bread, Who is the all-time best fighter from each these 10 states? New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Nevada. Thanks, Jeremy.
Bread’s response: Do you mean born in the state or fought out of the state? There is a slight difference. I’m going to assume you mean fought out of the state…
New York: Sugar Ray Robinson
Michigan: Joe Louis
Pennsylvania: Joe Frazier/Bernard Hopkins
Ohio: Ezzard Charles
New Jersey: Mickey Walker
New Mexico: Johnny Tapia
Arizona: Michael Carbajal
Colorado: Jack Dempsey
Texas: Jack Johnson
Nevada: Floyd Mayweather
Joseph Parker’s decision to fight Fabio Wardley was the wrong decision. Parker’s promoter, David Higgins, should know better. Once you become a mandatory contender for an undisputed heavyweight championship, you wait for your shot. That’s the right business decision. David Higgins and Joseph Parker cost themselves millions of dollars and robbed their country of the biggest boxing event in its history. Do you agree with my position or do you believe Parker should be applauded for taking risks with so much on the line?
Bread’s response: It’s not really about agreeing or disagreeing. But if you would have sent me this email before the fight, I would give your opinion more credence. It’s easy to send it after you know the result. But before the fight, everyone I saw make a pick, picked Parker. On top of that, I don’t want to criticize a fighter for staying active. Parker earns a living as a fighter. I would have to know his other options and how much he was paid for Wardley before I say if it was a bad decision. I can’t say that right now, without knowing the details just because he lost the fight.
What do you think of Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly? The fight was just announced and it looks like it’s in the UK. Why does the champion Murtazaliev have to fight on his opponent’s promoter card? Shouldn’t he be the A-side in these situations? He scored a KO against Tim Tszyu but who knows how that fight would have went if he didn’t get the KO. Did you notice how the referee let Tszyu almost get killed trying to give him every chance to comeback? That was a 1970’s stoppage.
Bread’s response: I will admit, I think Josh Kelly has taken a long time to develop. He was stopped by David Avanesyan and Avanesyan is a guy that Bud Crawford and Jaron Ennis used as tune-ups. All respect to Avanesyan, but I’m just trying to illustrate the performance level of Kelly. Kelly also got a gift draw against Ray Robinson…
Saying that, I think Kelly has talent. I think he has ability. He just hasn’t looked good in any of his step-up fights. That could be for various reasons. He may have struggled to make 147lbs. He may be one of those guys who has to go through the fire a few times before he understands how to behave. Whatever the case, maybe he’s now 31 and he still hasn’t turned the corner. Despite all of this, I think Kelly has a shot. I think Kelly knows this is his last shot at the big time. I believe Kelly knows he’s been slowly progressing and this may be his last shot. So, I expect him to put everything in camp.
I believe Bakhram is a good puncher and a solid fighter. But I have only seen him light the world on fire one time and that was against Tim Tszyu. In his other fights, he looked solid but not spectacular. I believe Bakhram will be the favorite but I think Kelly has a shot to win this. Only in this era can a fighter win one fight in dramatic form and not find anyone to defend his belt against. I’ve never seen anything like this current era of boxing. In the Winky Wright, Fernando Vargas era, Bakhram would’ve got all the smoke he wanted. In the last era of the 2010s we would’ve known what Bakhram was with fighters like Lara, Hurd, Williams, Charlo and Harrison. But now?
With the hometown crowd, and good pressure of knowing everything is being lined up for him to win, I feel there is a possibility of an upset. I believe Josh Kelly will fight a good fight. I’m not picking him to win just yet, but I want to put it out there that I don’t believe Kelly is in over his head vs. Bakhram. I will need to know who the officials are etc before I pick Kelly. But this is a better fight than it appears to be.
Fabio Wardley just beat Joseph Parker. What a performance! Is the FOY in 2025. Where does Wardley go from here?
Bread’s response: Tremendous fight between Wardley and Parker. Tremendous win for Wardley. You know something, I never really studied Wardley before. But I watched him closely in this fight. Wardley can fight. He’s vulnerable but he’s very capable. I feel he’s better than, say, a prime Dillian Whyte or Derek Chisora. Wardley is a better athlete than both. Wardley has agility, he has IQ, and he fights with a sense of purpose. I’m impressed.
I don’t know where he goes from here. He could fight Agit Kabayel. Or he could fight Olesandr Usyk. I know he has the same trainer as Moses Itauma but that’s also an awesome fight. Wardley has plenty of options. I just hope he makes the right decision. Recently we have seen several contenders get hot and score some big wins but they never got a shot at the world title. It just happened to Joseph Parker, but it also happened to Big Bang Zhang, Frank Sanchez, Martin Bakole, and Joe Joyce. I’m curious to see how Wardley will be moved with the recent history of top heavyweight contenders being knocked off before they got the BIG shot.
Sup Breadman, appreciate the work you put into the Mailbag — your breakdowns always hit on things most people overlook. I’ve got a question about stamina. Some fighters seem to sustain a high pace effortlessly, while others gas even when they’re clearly well-conditioned. From a trainer’s point of view, how much of elite stamina comes from physical conditioning versus pacing, efficiency, and ring IQ? In other words, is stamina more about lungs or decision making? If Canelo Alvarez decides to retire soon, who do you think steps up as the new face of boxing? Is it someone already established like Crawford, Inoue, or Gervonta Davis, or do you see a younger fighter taking the spot? Hope you and yours are doing well.
Bread’s response: Great question. A body has different energy systems. People don’t realize the energy you use to do an all-out sprint is different than the energy you use to run a 5-minute mile. A fighter’s central nervous system also gets stimulated during combat. So, the fighters who can compartmentalize the event the best, and the fighter who activates the correct energy system the best, usually have the best stamina. Most times when a fighter does something that is scientifically applauded it’s usually just an instinctive thing. I don’t believe a fighter thinks in terms of what energy system he’s using during a fight. But in camp a fighter needs to activate all his energy systems.
He needs fast, hard pad and bag work. He also needs smooth shadowboxing and skip rope. He needs miles to be ran. Then he needs sprints to be sprinted. All of the energy systems need to be stimulated. Then on top of that he has to be confident and relaxed. Fighters who train hard and get in good shape but still run out of gas, most times can’t relax in combat, and it keeps them from reaching their full potential. So, to answer you. I think stamina comes from the lungs and the mind.
I don’t know who the face of boxing will be when Canelo retires. But I don’t concern myself with that either. I feel like the face of boxing always reveals himself when the time is right. When we try to look for it, we force it on one who may or may not deserve it. Let’s just wait and see. We won’t have to look for him, he’s going to show us who he is.
The credibility of all of sports is going to be affected by this NBA gambling scandal. I can’t tell you how many people think the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight was fixed and we all know the Lakers vs Kings playoff series was not on the up and up. I actually am one of the few people who don’t think Tyson-Paul was fixed. Mike is a senior citizen but how he fools people is how great he looks hitting the bag and pads. I still look great hitting the heavy bag but in a real fight my legs are completely gone. Looking good in training is one thing but transferring it to an actual fight is another thing. Look how great Ben Simmons looked in those shooting videos but we saw what happened when the real game starts. Brick City. LOL!
Bread’s response: I thought the same thing when I heard about the NBA gambling scandal. I don’t want to comment too much out of respect for due process but this may change all of sports in general. I rooted for the Lakers and I didn’t like the feeling of the Lakers series vs the Kings or the Trailblazers in the early 2000s. So I get what you’re saying. Let’s see how this plays out. As far as boxing. I know in my heart I’ve seen three fixed fights. I suspect I’ve seen one more but that one is up in the air. I will never talk about them publicly for obvious reasons, but I know what I saw. But the devil is in the detail so let me give you some details.
In one fight, I saw a fighter simply get knocked out by a punch that didn’t land. Very simple.
In the second fight, I saw a fighter get legitimately hurt but act even more hurt so the fight could get stopped. This was more of a quit job...
In the third fight, I saw a fighter lift himself off the canvas to make the punches seem harder against a fighter who had moved up four divisions and was a volume puncher. Without actual proof, I am very sure these fights were fixed. What I’m not sure about it is the motive. I don’t know if someone paid the fighter who was knocked out. Or did those fighters just reach a point in their career, where they didn’t care about winning and they knew their B-side role? If it’s the latter, I don’t know what anyone can do about that. Fighters who lose their self-esteem to win is part of the attrition of the sport.
In the last fight that I’m not sure about, a very talented, hard hitting, fast fighter, was facing a non-punching, but good boxing fighter. Both were a little past their best. Fighter A got completely taken apart and he seemed ok with losing a decision. I’m telling you by no metric should Fighter A have lost that fight. I’ve never talked about it, because these things are so intimate unless you have concrete proof, it can come with a heavy cost. But I watched the fight, I watched the participants. I saw how things were moved around after the fights. I never liked the conclusion I came up with. I never liked my feelings involving that fight. I just quietly kept my thoughts to myself – but I know what I saw.
As far as Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, I do NOT believe that fight was fixed. I believe that Mike Tyson is very gifted with his fast twitch. So when he hits the pads etc, he can appear to be a monster. But at almost 60 years old, he’s way beyond his best. I believe that Jake Paul is a quality fighter for his level, but limited in certain ways. The reason why Tyson went the distance, in my opinion, is because he’s dangerous. And Paul, while a solid fighter, is not skilled or experienced enough to step to Tyson and ko him without putting himself in harm’s way. So that’s why I think we saw a distance fight. I also think Jake Paul is more of a boxer with a big right hand, than he is a search-and-destroy fighter. So Paul's style and lack of experience prevented him from getting the ko, not so much him fixing the fight...
I don’t believe Jake Paul decided to not hurt Tyson when Tyson was trying to hurt him. I saw some of those right hands Paul was throwing and they were very hard. They could’ve knocked Tyson out. But despite several stoppage losses, Tyson has a good chin. He just doesn’t take long beatings well. There is a difference between that and a fighter who can’t take a punch. And a fighter who doesn’t respond well to being beat on throughout a fight because of stamina and being mentally fatigued. Paul hit Tyson with some big shots, but he didn’t put a consistent beating on Tyson. But that’s just my perspective.
What's up Coach, can you comment on James Toney? I know that he is a hall of famer, however I don’t hear his name in the discussions of all-time greats. I know he seemed to not always be in shape, but he was a genuine ‘bad man’. I don’t hear people talk about his resume, but he fought a who’s who list of opponents from middleweight to heavyweight. James Toney could fight! Why isn’t he in the discussion of all-time greats?
Bread’s response: People ask me about Toney all the time. He’s not just a HOF, he’s an ATG. Toney is from the cloth of Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles and Jersey Walcott. Toney was an old school, anywhere, anytime fighter. He had one of the best mixes of offense and defense I have ever seen. He has one of the best chins I’ve ever seen. He has one of the best counter right hands I have ever seen. He’s as confident a fighter as I have ever seen. He’s one of the top 5 fighters of the 90s. He’s a top 5 super middleweight ever. He had the best run of quality opponents in the 90s from 1991-94. He’s one of the best late round fighters I’ve ever seen. And his performances in the Nunn, McCallum 1 and 2, and Jirov fights will stand the test of time. James Toney is one of them ones.
Breadman, what do you think of the Janibek vs Lara fight? I can see Janibek is around 1/5 on, which I'm struggling to understand, I like Lara big in this at 10/3 against. Another upcoming fight in which I think the odds are all wrong on is Matais vs Smith, which is around evens for each. I think Matais blows him away, Smith is way too flat footed for my liking to keep Matais away from him. Do you have any tips for upcoming fights you think the bookies have made an error on? Thanks.
Bread’s response: I think Lara is a live dog. Lara is very good with southpaws. And his style ages well. I feel like Janibek is very good. But he’s not the serial killer that people portray him as. He’s not GGG or Beterbiev. He’s more of a boxer with a good punch. I feel like the fight is 60/40 in Janibek’s favor because of the age. But again, Lara is in this fight. I haven’t seen too much of Smith so I can’t call that. I don’t know if the bookies made any mistakes. We don’t know that until the outcome. But I like Bam Rodriguez and David Benavidez in their upcoming fights.
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