The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen "Breadman" Edwards tackling topics such as Saul 'Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant, Bernard Hopkins breaking down Pacquiao vs. Spence, thoughts on Conor Benn, Canelo vs. Terence Crawford, thoughts on Amir Khan, and more.

Bread,

I just randomly came across a video of Bernard Hopkins breaking down Spence vs Pacquiao and he said Spence is going to be extremely difficult to beat from now on since he faced death and beat it with his car accident. Hopkins said mentally it's going to be impossible to break him and he's not going to ever think he can't win. Now that I think about it, he signed the Danny Garcia fight before ANY sparring sessions. If he took on a journeyman or a soft punching WW, I don't think anyone would have blamed him. But is that in a way supreme confidence or a bit foolish to take on someone like Danny before a sparring session to know exactly where you are, physically and mentally? Just curious, if Spence was your fighter and you managed him, would you have let him go on with that fight without testing himself in the gym first?

With the Olympics going on, it seems like this will be another year where the team will not field a gold medalist unless it is Keyshawn Davis. The last gold medal from the US came back in 2004 in Andre Ward. What is your theory behind why these guys are so much better in the pros than the amateurs? Even pure boxers don't medal from the states yet do well in the pros. Is it due to them being trained a certain way that is a bit different than those from other countries? Mexico and US are the two most dominant countries in terms of pro boxing, yet they just don't ever get the gold. Why?

Take care.

Bread’s Response: Bernard definitely understands the mindset. I think he’s correct. Spence almost died and there is nothing more final than death. 

For a fight about 7 years ago I had a fighter who worried about everything he could find to worry about. A side. B side. Judges. It was an 8 round fight. After the weigh in he finally said EFF IT! “It’s Gonna Be, what it’s Gonna Be.” He went out and dominated. He had just lost a close family member...

Death is final. Great people often talk about death. The death of a close person to you, often inspires you. I know this for a fact. Almost dying or being involved in close to death situations puts everything in perspective. Some people become meek when they go through certain things. Some people become bigger people when they go through them. Errol felt like he should go big or go home with fighting Danny Garcia. I don’t blame him. He’s 31, there is no need for too many tune ups. He may not WANT to go through camp for a tune up. He wanted to go through camp for a fighter he was UP for. Yes I would have let him go in and fight Danny Garcia first. If he didn’t look right in sparring, I would cancel the fight. Go BIG or GO HOME!

Amateur boxing is about judging and resources. 

Hi Bread,

What do you think of Conor Benn? I originally thought he wasn’t world champion material but I’ve been impressed by his progresses. Especially his last two fights. One of the most improved fighters I’ve seen, as far as becoming way better and more technical in just a few fights. What do you make of it? Can Gassiev become a top Heavyweight in a few year? Dude has solid boxing skills, great poised and is super young especially for a HW. One loss against Usyk but got some work done to the body. Loss of momentum but seems to be back. Would you advise every boxer wanting to better their inside fighting craft to practice wrestling? J-Rock was impressive vs Hurd. I noticed his back work, head positioning and overall strength was better. He would make quick shifts and switches inside, a bit ala Tyson, fight for head position control with forearms, shoulders and head. Impressive. Kuddos to Hurd for fighting like a dog against such a prepared man.

I’m a Teo guy but I do believe Loma’s shoulder blocked him. When in offense mode, he’ll get the kill. Too overwhelming. I think he stops Teo at 135 and will manage to put hands on him earlier. Still think he has a few years. The older fighter usually loses but not here. Haney is superb but his chin is his ceiling. The other 3 punchers clip him eventually. Wilder has a chance. The man is possessed. I don’t see Joshua stopping Usyk. Porter Crawford, if done, how doesn’t it go if we get peak Porter? (The Spence version). Tough tough fight. One can say Porter never fought quite that level of specialness, but he fought guys of this league in Thurman (could have been a draw), Garcia, and Spence (I had it even, maybe minus the KD) plus a few other solid ones in Ugas, Broner, Granados... Crawford is a killer but he’ll be in his toughest fight ever. Porter is a bull. He might get clipped by a vicious attack while leading with his head and crawling. Charlo stops Castaño in the rematch.

Benn vs Ortiz, Benn vs Ennis, Castaño vs Ennis, Barrios vs Prograis?

Finally do you have actual exercises for strong neck, traps and jaw, to take better punches? Not the S&C bs.

Thanks!

Take care. Best, Diego

Bread’s Response: The most important thing in boxing is matchmaking. Conor Benn is being “allowed” to get better. Not many fighters have that luxury. Benn has the genetics, resources and determination to be a player. I think he’s solid but improving. Let’s see how he progresses. We have to see Benn improve vs better competition. I think he will, but we have to see it. Sometimes matchmaking can create illusions, sometimes the fighter creates the reality. We have to see which one is which.

Gassiev can be a player but he needs momentum. He’s been inactive since the World Series vs Usyk. He needs to get in his groove.

Crawford vs Porter. I’m interested. Let’s see it.

You think Charlo stops Castano in rematch. I don’t think we will see an immediate rematch. I think they will fight interim fights.

Barrios vs Prograis….depends on the weight. I think Barrios needs to move up to 147lbs. 

Yes, get a long towel. Tie a kettle bell to it. Bite the towel with your teeth and do your neck exercises with towel in your mouth. Increases neck strength, bite grip and back stability.

I won’t pick anyone to beat Ennis from 147-160 until further notice.

A couple weeks ago, I asked you who the boxing equivalent of basketball players were… and now I’m curious if you would be so kind as to do the same, but inverted. Who do you think are the basketball equivalents of these boxers? Henry Armstrong? Willie Pep? Sonny Liston? Roy Jones? Sugar Ray Leonard?

Also… I know I just said basketball equivalent of boxers… but I just thought up a basketball player who I’m curious about… who do you think is the boxing equivalent of Kevin Garnett?

Bread’s Response: Ok I will do the guys I can think of….Isiah Thomas would be Henry Armstrong. Karl Malone would be Sonny Liston. Lebron James would be Roy Jones. Magic Johnson would be Sugar Ray Leonard.

There are lots of things boxing fans love to debate… one such topic being “Is power born or is it made?” What side do you take? If you believe power can be made… who are some guys you think are examples of “manufactured power”? And what are some exercises that help build power?

P.S.: Haven’t run some MMs by you in a while…Felix Trinidad vs Juan Manuel Marquez @147Erik Morales vs Orlando Salido @126Marco Antonio Barrera vs Wilfredo Gomez @122Floyd Mayweather vs Julio Cesar Chavez @135Sam Langford vs Roy Jones @168

Greg K.

Bread’s Response: Yes I have answered this many times. Power is something that some are born with. But it is also something that can be increased. Fighters will tell you they punch harder after a few weeks in camp. If power couldn’t be increased how do power lifters increase their weight they lift? If power was something that couldn’t be increased how can an athlete increase their vertical jump? If power was something that couldn’t be increased, how can a sprinter increase his times? These are all power based activities. There are few formulas that are related to force or power. Force X Velocity. Mass x Velocity……Never will you see it can’t be increased. Ask any scientist. 

Old School trainers actually did exercises that increased power in medicine ball throws and wood chopping. But they contradicted themselves by saying power has to be BORN and not MADE. If you really think about it, you realize they were VERY WRONG. I really get tired of debating this because it’s not an opinion. It’s a real hardcore fact that power can be developed. Another example is a pitcher, pitching faster. That’s power. Are you telling me that a pitcher who used to pitch at 95 mph, and increased his best speed to 98 mph, didn’t increase his power? I can’t believe how many people repeat that power can’t be increased. Wood chopping, medicine ball throws, all out sprints, fast twitch resistance all increase power. 

Tito would be the first to stop Marquez. Marquez is a dog but he’s not going 12 with Tito at 147.

Morales UD over Salido. Easy fight to pick.

Many would pick Gomez over Barrera. I’m not as sure. Barrera pre Jones was just as good. But today I won’t argue. Let’s say Gomez by decision in a great fight.

Mayweather vs Chavez is the fight. The best Chavez I’ve seen was vs Rosario at 135 in 1987. Mayweather is every bit as good but he had a very hard time with Jose Luis Castillo twice at 135 in his prime and Chavez was better than Castillo. They would have to fight more than once for sure. Chavez is starting to get underrated historically but the Rosario performance may be the best I’ve EVER seen on video from any fighter. He was PERFECT that night. Judges would be a big factor in this fight because it would most likely go the distance. Both would believe they won.

Roy Jones vs Sam Langford, flip a coin. I saw video of Langford, my god he was powerful.

Hey Breadman,

Big fan of the Mailbag, it's part of my weekend ritual at work with a nice cup of tea here in Liverpool, England. Love the detail in which you break down the fights.

Something in last week's Mailbag caught my eye and I was wondering if you could elaborate a little more on it for me. You mentioned that you would pick Crawford over Canelo if both are the same size in a dream match up. Both are around 5ft8 but with different body types. Just wondered what would make you lean towards TC? This then leads me to another set of questions regarding TC. Pacquaio 09 vs TC, Mayweather 07 vs TC.

Also wondering if you could give me an insight into running schedules and paces for top level fighters? As a decentish (ish) Half Marathon and Marathon runner, I have always been curious as to how top fighters run. What sort of minutes per mile are they running at peak? Do they stick to shorter distances only or sometimes go long? Also do they go all out or replicate rounds? 3 mins fast 1 min slow for recovery?

Thanks, Marty

Bread’s Response: Both Canelo and Crawford are 5’8” but their muscle mass and bone density are different. Canelo is a bigger man and I don’t think Crawford could beat him in a real fight at 168lbs. But if Crawford were naturally his size I believe Crawford would win a very tough decision. Canelo is a great fighter. An ATG fighter. But Canelo lost 8 or 9 rounds to Floyd Mayweather in 2013. People dismiss that and say he got better since then. He did, I agree. But Floyd is also 5’8 with a 72 inch reach and very similar to Crawford. I know Canelo was 23 but Floyd was 36. I would rather be 23 than 36. 

The very next year Canelo took a great challenge in Erislandy Lara. I respect him for fighting that style. He didn’t have to take that fight. He was a G for that. But again he struggled with an elite boxer who can hit him at distance. Lara is about 5’8 or 5’9. He’s not tall but he’s long like Floyd and Crawford. Both have excellent jabs and were able to hit Canelo at long range. If you look close Crawford has some Floyd and Lara in his game and he’s built like both. 

Although Canelo has improved since 2014, he hasn’t fought any fighters that resemble Floyd or Lara. Not one. I’m not talking about black fighters. I’m talking about fighters with that level of boxing ability. Just so happens that Floyd, Lara and Crawford are black. The speed, improvising ability, boxing ability, reflexes and pedigree. 

GGG is formidable but he’s slower. Much slower. Jacobs is not as slick, fast and he doesn’t have that level of boxing ability. Kirkland is Kirkland. Khan is fast but lacks IQ and chin. Cotto gave him a tussle but he’s short with short arms. Saunders fast but not that level of boxer. Kovalev great but old. Smith solid but not special level boxing. Fielding was a water testing fight. Chavez is just a name. That’s Canelo’s resume since the Lara fight. This not me nitpicking Canelo’s resume. He’s special. He deserves to be the face of boxing and a top P4P fighter. His resume is better than Crawford’s for the record. But if you’re asking me who wins head to head my eyes tell me Crawford. That offends people but I don’t know why. Canelo is great but he’s not invincible. He’s had many close fights and tough nights. He’s lost. He’s had controversy. A fighter with a great jab, that doesn’t get trapped on the ropes, with a good set of legs can trouble him. It’s happened before it can happen again. 

Crawford is an IMPROVISER. He would find something and he would make Canelo figure it out. I can also see Canelo clipping Crawford. Crawford can be hit. But Canelo doesn’t usually ko his better opponents. They usually go the distance like Cotto, GGG, Trout, Lara, Mayweather, Smith, Jacobs and Mosley did.I think fighters below heavyweight should be able to run 6 minute miles. Heavyweights 7 to 8 minutes. Interval runs and sprints should be incorporated. A fighter should never do one specific run. It gets the heart too comfortable. The runs should change because the pace and necessity of the fight changes.

Dear Bread,

Hoping all is well with you and yours my friend. As always, the Daily Bread Bag is eagerly anticipated every Saturday, and you never disappoint! I particularly enjoyed the question you answered about fighters leaving trainers and hiring new trainers following a loss. You listed some great examples. I'll add an example that came to mind when reading it: As great a trainer as Virgil Hunter is, I think Amir Khan's best run was with Freddie Roach, and Andre Berto was at his peak with his original trainer Tony Morgan. Both I think sort've panicked following a loss and the trainer was blamed.

But, to my question... There's been some scuttle, but about a video leaked of Spence getting "touched up" by small, fast, southpaw sparring partners. Despite the obvious  ethical issue of such a tape being leaked, as a trainer, how would that impact your preparation for a fight and how significant do you think something like that is? Also, we found out something interesting last week. Shelly Finkel said Team Wilder was shocked that Fury didn't offer any step-aside money. I think most of us thought that it was offered and Wilder refused it. But according to Finkel, who would know, it didn't happen. To me, that's meaningful because it speaks to Fury's confidence going into the third fight. What does that say to you and does it impact your thoughts about the third fight? Lastly, why in the world can't Keith Thurman get a fight? The guy has lost only one fight and he's being written off by too many I think unfairly. Why do you think the guy is having such trouble landing a big fight?

Thanks Bread, and keep punching!

Sean in Atlantic City   

Bread’s Response: Thank you. I think Hunter and Roach both had Khan performing at a high level but I get your point. Remember Khan fought two great fights under Hunter vs Alexander and Collazo. He was lights out vs both. Hunter, Roach, Futch or Steward couldn’t have helped him vs Canelo. Vs Crawford he was remnants. 

I agree about Berto. But Hunter got him as an older fighter. Berto has had a strange career. I don’t know what to make of it. Tony Morgan had Berto looking good, but Berto had that explosive tight style that never ages well, Morgan had Berto in his early 20s….Good pick up.

I haven’t seen the Errol Spence video. I can’t really say what I would do..But here is the thing. In the gym every fighter has off days. No fighter is undefeated in sparring. I’m not sure it’s such a big deal. Maybe Errol’s team leaked it. Who really knows? Skullduggery!

It would only impact my preparation if my guy wasn’t looking right in the gameplan we wanted. But we don’t know in what part of camp it happened. What Errol did that day? Was it the first or second sparring partner? So many things to consider.

I have a feeling Wilder will be very formidable in this 3rd fight. I’m talking his spirit. I don’t believe his spirit is broken.

Keith Thurman can get a fight. He took off two years after a loss. He’s been inactive even before that. He fought once a year even after his best wins. Who said Thurman can’t get a fight? Vergil Ortiz would fight him. Boots Ennis would fight him. Yordenis Ugas would fight him. Terence Crawford would fight him.

Boots Ennis is dying for a big fight. He would fight Thurman tomorrow. One of the veteran champions or ex champions would love to fight Thurman at 154. Do you really believe that no one will fight Keith Thurman? Thurman can fight. He’s excellent and he has a good resume. But he can get fights. He wants Errol Spence and Spence doesn’t seem interested. But it’s not a duck. Errol is fighting Pacman who beat Thurman. Spence is returning the treatment Thurman gave to him. There is an old saying, what’s good for the gander is good for the goose. But there are plenty of other fights. I think Thurman is a guy that welterweights actually want to fight. He has a big name. Just one loss. He’s been inactive. And while he’s very good, he’s vulnerable. That’s exactly who managers, matchmakers and fighters themselves want. 

Liston was just breaking into 10-round fights when Marciano retired in 1956.  He was 32 and tired of the long months of training.

More important, he was fed up with his manager,. Al Weill, who treated Rocky like a dog and ruled over him with an iron fist. Weill had a contract with Marciano which allowed him a cut of everything Marciano got money for--inside or outside the ring. Marciano also found out that Weill got money under the table from the San Francisco promoter for his title defense against Don Cockell, in addition to taking a cut from Rocky.  I know that goes with a lot of con-artist managers today, but back then it was a big deal.

When Marciano later made public appearances and speaking engagements, he insisted on being paid in cash so he wouldn't have to cut Weill in.

Bread’s Response: I don’t disagree with that. If I implied that Marciano ducked Liston that wasn’t my intent. I was just stating what some said. Whenever a fighter retires unscathed whoever is the best fighter in their division, the myth is they ducked that fighter. They say Calzaghe ducked Froch. Or Mayweather ducked many people in his retirements. So I get the Marciano thing. In boxing “they” want you to take a loss. And if you don’t, you ducked someone. What’s weird is that technically unless every fighter retired on the same day and no one else fought in their weight division, someone can always say a fighter who left on top, ducked someone. But boxing is not ran by genius opinion so….I also think Marciano was burned out from training. His style required brutal camps and I don’t think he had it in him to keep going through that. The will to train is more important than the will to fight. For an undefeated fighter like Marciano I feel like once he lost that, he knew it was TIME.

Bread,

First and foremost thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us all. It is a true unbiased blessing that I look forward to every week! I hope you and your people are all doing well in health and happiness!

My question is in regards to old vs new. 12 vs 15 rounds. With that also comes same day weigh ins. Do you think that a newer generation fighter that trains for 15, even though he is expecting 12, will have a stamina lead, or the opposite? Also when we had same day weigh ins, in your knowledgeable opinion, do you think it kept the fighter at an advantage or disadvantage due to CTE not being able to rehydrate over a 18-24 hr period after the weigh in? Do you think the IBF is keeping it safer by doing 2nd day weigh ins?

One last thing, what can be done to rid our sport of the outrageous PED era we are in? Is there a way to lower the cost of testing?

Regards,

Jon L. aka”NC Uppercut”

Bread’s Response: We aren’t going to get rid of PEDS until a fighter gets killed on a highly promoted card in the main event. The powers that be know about PEDS but a top fighter has not been seriously injured yet with a fighter who test positive. Once that happens there will be FAKE outrage and the sport will be cleaned up. Until then nothing significant will happen. 

Fighters back in the day got brain damage also. I know plenty of them. They sparred too much, took too much punishment and didn’t know nutrition. 

Here is the thing about conditioning, what’s good for fighter A, may not be good for fighter B. A fighter’s team has to literally do a trial and error experiment to see what works although there are general rules. I’ve seen guys run 8 miles a day and get in great shape. I’ve seen other guys do it and burn out. There are general rules that apply but in any sport there are enough special athletes to break the rules. 

I feel like if you’re fighting a 12 round fight, you should train for a 12 round fight. If you train for a 15 round fight, your pace will slow down slightly. Just like if you run a 100m race, you don’t train for a 400m race because it will slow you down. 

I think fighters simply cut too much weight and they are going to keep doing it. Most people would rather be the bigger person in a fight. Fighters are going to keep pushing the envelope. Then they lose and move up and blame it on the weight. That’s just the cycle we have to accept. 

I like that the IBF enforces their mandatories and they don’t have regular or too many interim titles. That’s a positive thing in boxing. As far as the 10lb weight gain after the weigh in. It’s not that big of a deal because that weigh in is in the morning. After that a fighter has another 12 hours to drinks and eat. It’s just a small factor.

I know when most people ask for mythical matchups, they give you a long list and you give your thoughts quickly and precisely. But I have one matchup I can’t shake that I was hoping you could give a more in-depth analysis on: A super-featherweight showdown between Arturo Gatti and Orlando Salido. I go back and forth on winners, but I just imagine an exciting multiple knockdown WAR. Like a smaller version of Foreman vs Lyle. What do you think? How do you see Gatti vs Salido going down?

Greg K.

Bread’s Response: Gatti would beat Salido at 130lbs. Gatti was a top 10, P4P guy at 130, he made the rankings. His run of Patterson, Rodriguez, Patterson and Ruelas was quality and a lot better than anyone gives him credit for. Gatti had a nice set of feet and he would go to Salido’s body something that pressure fighters don’t like. I like Gatti in a great fight.

Hello Bread,

I understand the speed bag and the mitts but what exactly does a fighter get out of the heavy bag beyond working on technique? Do you consider this an essential component of training? Also, skipping rope used to be a part of every boxer’s training -is that still the case or has it been modernized in another form.

From your perspective in camp what do you see to know your fighter is ready and has peaked ?Finally, does every cornerman have backup gloves, shoes & mouthpiece at every fight ?Are there still fighters you want to meet or have you bumped into everyone from just being involved in the sport? I In your opinion who are the 3 best fighters from 1980-2010. It’s  tough and you are leaving out HOF fighters but I say 1) Ray Leonard 2) Roy Jones Jr 3) Floyd Mayweather.

I would be interested in hearing your top picks.

Take Care,

Aaron from Cleveland 

Bread’s Response: Every station in a gym is important. A heavy bag builds endurance, strength and punching power. A double end bag works on punch release and reflexes. A speed bag builds the hand speed, rhythm and shoulder strength because it forces a fighter to keep his hands up. The jump rope builds leg endurance, rhythm, foot speed and endurance. Every single thing has it’s purpose. Fighters should use them all. 

You know when a fighter has peaked because you don’t have to ask for shots in sparring. His reaction time and execution is so on point you want him in the ring and ready to fight asap. He usually has lights out sparring and workout sessions. You can feel it in the workouts. He has a glow. Some fighters actually peak twice. When you know a guy well enough you can bring a certain TYPE of sparring partners in to peak him. 

Bring him a difficult sharp guy, then bring him someone he can really feast on. The difficult sharp guy, allows him to get sharp then he can really put it on the “other” guy. You want your guy to peak in the last week of sparring. That way he doesn’t have to hold it too long. I had a guy who used to peak twice. But he was super sharp so it was hard to tell. I would have him do wind sprints for a couple of weeks and he would peak about 3 weeks into camp. Then he would peak again about 10 days before the fight. I had him down pact. But the peak becomes harder when a fighter’s weight is unpredictable. 

Cornermen specifically the cutman keeps the mouthpiece. But it’s the fighter’s job to bring them. Mouthpieces are personal and custom. The trainers bring tape and gauze. The cutman brings his swabs, grease and cut stopping solutions. The promoter supplies the gloves. The commissions hold the gloves so they don’t get tampered with. The fighter has his own mouthpiece, trunks, robes and shoes. Fighters aren’t babies they are responsible for their own equipment.

I have bumped into everyone I wanted to in boxing. There is an old saying, never meet your idle, or you will get disappointed. I idolized many fighters as a young kid, but as I got older and realized all people are flawed I stopped wanting to meet my idols. I respect them from afar. I’ve met them but I’ve never tried to be their best friends. 

However, I would like to talk boxing with Roy Jones though. He seems to be the sharpest living legend as far as talking boxing. I love his insight. I’ve met him in passing but we have never talked. Other than that I let all of my friendships in boxing just be organic. 

Best 3 from 1980-2010. I would say 1)Ray Leonard 2) Roy Jones 3) Pernell Whitaker. But Floyd is a great choice. It’s really hard to do out do Floyd because of his business acumen outside of the ring. He outsmarted the system of boxing. So anyone who rates him over Whitaker I wouldn’t argue. They’re very close as far as fighters and Floyd was a bigger star and made more money. But Whitaker’s run from Haugen in 1989 to Vasquez at 154 in 1995 was so dominant I don’t think Floyd had a 6 year stretch where he was THAT untouchable. Whitaker fought like 5 perfect fights during that time so he gets the edge for me. People talk about his lightweight reign but he moved through 140 with ease, beat a HOF in Buddy McGirt twice at 147. Would have had the best WIN of the 90s over Chavez in 1993 if the scoring was fair and he beat Julio Cesar Vasquez at 154 for a title who was 53-1 at the time had a real win over an undefeated Winky Wright. Whitaker was the 1st fighter in history to win titles at 135, 140, 147 and 154. 

Just a clarifier on your response regarding Sonny Liston. While I can see that he and Foreman could have had longer, more dominant reigns had it not been for Ali, I do want to circle back to your supplementary comment about alleged reasons to Rocky Marciano's retirement.1956, he was 32 (Liston's title shot was 6 years later? 1962 iirc). Marciano began to resent the demands placed on him by his training toward the end of his career.

Name a high output pressure fighter who is still at their absolute best using that style into their mid 30's. He was at his peak, or maybe getting just past it, and wasn't getting any better, and he was losing his desire to compete and defend at such a level. You lose your desire, you lose your input into your training. Maybe no one sees that slight corner you cut, but you know it deep down. He was mentally done. I've read some revisionist stuff trying to make Marciano afraid because of other contenders on the rise, like Patterson, and he was a fighter on the radar before Liston ever was. Neither of these things mattered. Marciano was done because of internal stuff, not external stuff.

As to who would have won, I just can't say. Patterson was physically brittle, but electric and gifted. Liston was big and powerful, with long arms, but as time would prove, a bit of a bully who likes it when he gets his way. Marciano could stay locked in the whole fight and had a KO punch at any point in the fight, not just early. Marciano could get punched apart at range by Liston. I think Liston's jab and uppercut are his best weapons in this fight. Maybe not. Maybe he gets around that jab, inside those big arms, and hammers away.

Liston doesn't inside fight much or as well. Marciano mentally outlasts everyone, and was never stopped. That Suzie Q hurt everybody, too. Also, Marciano was better at moving forward than Liston was at moving away. At the same time we have basically a CW fighting a HW. I just don't know.

I won't say one would for sure win over the other if we take both at their best. I think it's a close one.

Thanks for your time.

Jay

Bread’s Response: I think Rocky Marciano is severely underrated. He was a GUN. He had iron will, an iron chin and an iron punch in the 6oz horse hair era. I won’t pretend to know the energy in 1956 surrounding his retirement. Sometimes you have to live through certain things. I do know Archie Moore was begging for a fight. He called Marciano out relentlessly. Moore was the reigning light heavyweight champion. It was a huge fight. Marciano stopped him and then revisionist call Moore despite him returning to light heavyweight and reigning for 5 more years. They call Ezzard Charles and Joe Walcott old also. But Walcott was on his best career run and reigning champion. Charles was older but capable. In fact Joe Louis was the ONLY one of the HOF greats who was shot. As for Liston….Liston was ducked and denied a shot for many years. I don’t believe Liston was ducked by Marciano though. He was coming but not quite there yet. Maybe Marciano saw him coming, maybe he didn’t. But it’s not like he was the consensus top guy in 1955-56. It’s like someone saying Floyd Mayweather ducked Errol Spence in 2015. That wouldn’t be accurate. Although everyone could see Spence was coming.

I don’t know who would’ve won between Liston and Marciano. Stylistically Marciano to Liston is Frazier to Foreman. But that doesn’t mean every fight works out like that. On paper, Liston’s size and jab would be too much. No one ever really beat Liston by forcing him back and beating him. You sort of had to outslick him and Ali was the only fighter to beat him near prime form. So the rap on Liston was he was a front runner and a bully. But I think he was a killer who was spooked by Ali. Marciano is different from Ali. He doesn’t out slick fighters, he bludgeoned them. Liston may have manhandled him. Marciano may have outworked him. It’s so hard to tell. I will say that I believe Liston would have gotten a title shot much earlier than he did if Marciano were champion. Liston’s title shot was way overdue by the time he got it.

After reading several articles, no one is disputing Caleb Plant’s version of why the Alvarez was not made. Alvarez wanted 40 million if Plant fell out to injury or covid with the replacement opponent. That’s impossible because Benavidez and Charlo would not fight him on short notice and that would mean a PBC no hoper, would take the fight and the PBC would lose their wallets. That’s unreasonable. What do you think people are still taking Alvarez’s side despite what seems to be the real reason? Also who do you think the replacement opponent will be?

Bread’s Response: Boxing fans are like cults. The lock on to their favorite fighter and no matter what is said or done and no matter how much proof is shown, they take their man’s side. I don’t even care to talk about this anymore. The fight was almost made but it wasn’t. No matter what I say Plant’s fans will blame Canelo, and Canelo’s fans will blame Plant. It’s just how it is. They aren’t fighting. That’s that. But remember me telling you that Plant is all wrong for Canelo. Screenshot this. Copy and paste it. Plant may lose one day and Canelo’s fans will try to give Canelo credit for the win, even if Canelo doesn’t beat him. But boxing doesn’t work like that. If Canelo fights him in this form, this fight can be a version of Algieri vs Provodnikov. I know Canelo is much better than Provodnikov. But that’s my comparison and I’m sticking with it. I can’t help what I see.

I think Canelo will pick Bivol. For some reason I think Bivol has funny punch resistance. It’s not fair to call a fighter who hasn’t been kod chinny but something tells me he doesn’t take the best shot. He fights in a tepid way and if he can’t score an early ko, he cruises to decisions. Canelo has a real team by him. They may see what I see. But Bivol has legs. He has reflexes. He has a real jab and a real rhythm. This is another tough fight for Canelo and I will give him credit for it if he wins. But if they fight I’m picking Canelo by ko.

Send Questions to dabreadman25@hotmail.com