Comments Thread For: Daily Bread Mailbag: Canelo-Jacobs, Mayweather-Crawford, More

[Drew Bundini Br]

age isn't always the best indicator of a fighters prime. A lot of it has to do with the amount of punishment someone has taken in the ring. Floyd to his credit was able to maintain his peak longer than most. I don't think he beat the absolute best versions of mosley, Oscar and Cotto but they were all still solid wins. I also think he faced better versions of those 3 guys than the versions pac faced. Oscar was weight drained and older when he faced pac, mosley was also on a serious nose dive when Pac fought him, and with Cotto, although pac fought him first, cotto was forced to fight at a 145 catch weight vs pac, he was only 2 fights removed from being hit with plaster wraps, and lastly, he basically trained himself for that fight. The version of Cotto that Floyd fought would've given pac hell. Especially with random drug testing in place.

My thoughts exactly!

[Bronx2245]

These mythical match-ups are good stuff! I still get mad that we didn't get Pacquiao vs. Crawford instead of Pacquiao vs. Horn! I remember a time when Crawford (BoMac) saying Pacquiao had to come to 140lbs. I think that will haunt Bud! No matter the reason it didn't happen, Crawford hasn't found that type of opponent yet! Now he has to hope for a miracle! Now all we can do is make "mythical" match-ups for Crawford, and that's sad! I don't have a lot of sympathy (although I love Crawford) b/c if TR had all the WW Champs, Errol would be in the same boat!

I don't know why Arum is so stuck on Errol? Why not see what it would take to get Thurman? It's obvious Thurman don't wan't that work with Errol! Crawford vs. Thurman would still be a big PPV too! Maybe Thurman would take the bait! He may see Crawford as smaller and unproven! I think it's worth a try!

[Bronx2245]

age isn't always the best indicator of a fighters prime. A lot of it has to do with the amount of punishment someone has taken in the ring. Floyd to his credit was able to maintain his peak longer than most. I don't think he beat the absolute best versions of mosley, Oscar and Cotto but they were all still solid wins. I also think he faced better versions of those 3 guys than the versions pac faced. Oscar was weight drained and older when he faced pac, mosley was also on a serious nose dive when Pac fought him, and with Cotto, although pac fought him first, cotto was forced to fight at a 145 catch weight vs pac, he was only 2 fights removed from being hit with plaster wraps, and lastly, he basically trained himself for that fight. The version of Cotto that Floyd fought would've given pac hell. Especially with random drug testing in place.

Great post! Floyd just had the better reflexes and better ring IQ than his counterparts! The haters talk about "when" he fought them, but they don't bring that up "when" Pacquiao fought them, and they conveniently forget that Floyd was older than Pacquiao! Beating Oscar and Cotto @ 154 and beating Zab Judah was probably his best 3! Beating Castillo twice is probably a tie with beating Zab Judah!

[Rip Chudd]

This mailbag was crazy. I really enjoyed his talk on trainers. Great stuff as always

[Sledgeweather17]

One of the things I hate that fans, trainers and the media do when saying Oscar, Mosley, Cotto, and Pac were past there primes is. They never say Oscar was the lineal SWW Champion, who got all the advantages in the negotiations, and Floyd was fighting for the first time at SWW. His win against Oscar was a solid career defining win, and a change of the guard torch passing fight! Mosley, Cotto, and Pac I agree we’re past their primes slightly, but all were coming off big wins! And the most telling fact that no one likes to mention when this comes up is...FLOYD WAS PAST HIS PRIME IN ALL THREE OF THOSE FIGHTS TOO! Floyd tried to make fights with all three much earlier and Oscar, than when those fights were made. But because Floyd was also past his prime in those three fights people have to stop talking like a prime Mayweather went and beat pass prime greats, it’s just not true! And Pac is actually two years younger! Floyd was just simply the better fighter than all three!

Cotto was 31 and Floyd was 35, lol, but they always complain about Cotto being past prime doe.

[Sledgeweather17]

These mythical match-ups are good stuff! I still get mad that we didn't get Pacquiao vs. Crawford instead of Pacquiao vs. Horn! I remember a time when Crawford (BoMac) saying Pacquiao had to come to 140lbs. I think that will haunt Bud! No matter the reason it didn't happen, Crawford hasn't found that type of opponent yet! Now he has to hope for a miracle! Now all we can do is make "mythical" match-ups for Crawford, and that's sad! I don't have a lot of sympathy (although I love Crawford) b/c if TR had all the WW Champs, Errol would be in the same boat!

I don't know why Arum is so stuck on Errol? Why not see what it would take to get Thurman? It's obvious Thurman don't wan't that work with Errol! Crawford vs. Thurman would still be a big PPV too! Maybe Thurman would take the bait! He may see Crawford as smaller and unproven! I think it's worth a try!

Thurman don't want that smoke bruh.

Thurman won't even acknowledge Crawford as a top fighter.

Crawford is a three division champ who is also, along with Usyk, one of only two undisputed champions in over a decade.

He is also a world champ at the same weight class as Thurman and is universally recognised as #1/#2 pvp in the world and yet Thurman acts like Crawford has to prove himself to face him.

What does that tell you? Obviously one of two things, that Thurman is blatanly ducking and scared of Crawford or that he actually believes this crap that he spewing, in which case he would be clinically insane. Either way, this makes negotiations for Crawford vs Thurman impossible.

At least Spence acknowledges Crawford as a top fighter and actually wants to fight him, he just doesn't believe it is possible until he unifies the division from his side (presumably so that he can become a big enough star that ESPN/Arum + Haymon/Showtime can find a compromise, in other words, for there to be enough money in the fight that both are willing to split the ppv).

Also you have to remember that PBC fighters generally don't fight for the WBO title. You'll be hard pressed to find any pbc fighter holding the wbo title. Something's up with PBC/Haymon and the wbo. Even Mayweather dropped it as soon as he won it from Pacquiao.

spence probably knows he won't be able to hold on to that title. Therefore, given that his goal has always been to be undisputed a welterweight before moving up, it would make sense for him to fight for it last, coz if he fights for it now he'll be forced to drop it and then won't be able to become undisputed when he beats Thurman and Porter, or he'll have to fight for it AGAIN!

Really from Spence's perspective he has to fast Crawford last. Although I think if Thurman still aint willing to fight after Spence beats Porter I think he'll cut his losses and fight Crawford anyway and then move up without ever fighting Thurman.

Thurman will have the "Spence moved up" excuse but we'll all know the truth.

[Roadblock]

Mosley Oscar were way past their primes more so than Floyd was on top of that they were both 4-5 yrs older battle beaten. 2015 Pac was not 2009 Pac Stop defending Floyd like he's Ray Robinson

He beat better fighters than Ray Robinson, and Robinson fought over a 100 bums.

Both Mosley and Oscar were much bigger than Floyd and in the same era, stop with this prime not prime BS as Floyd was prime 135 and good enough to beat the best up to 154.

Floyd was great and it amazes me how the newbie brigade will try and and tear down all he did and give free passes to to everyone else. The Pepsi generation know very little about boxing and lot about hype.

[john l]

Why not switch it around has Crawford beat anyone as good as Floyds opponents??If not which I think its pretty clear not then how can he compare to Floyd yet?Plus people say he beat an old Pac but forget to add Pac got beat by an old Floyd.And Crawford is bigger then Floyd that's undisputed and has he beat anyone yet that was 15-20pds heavier then him like most of Floyds opponents were for 2nd half of career at 47?I wish he had asked who he thought would win in a fight between them I think Crawfords less then super special defense would be difference.Watch Craw(who I really like)fight he turns southpaw for DEFENSE and switches back to righty when he has a opponent hurt because he is a better offensive fighter with more power out of right hand stance.I REALLY like Breadman and would have liked to hear WHO he thought was the BETTER fighter or who would win between them.I think Floyd beats the bigger Crawford in a tough semi close but CLEAR dec.

[john l]

He beat better fighters than Ray Robinson, and Robinson fought over a 100 bums.

Both Mosley and Oscar were much bigger than Floyd and in the same era, stop with this prime not prime BS as Floyd was prime 135 and good enough to beat the best up to 154.

Floyd was great and it amazes me how the newbie brigade will try and and tear down all he did and give free passes to to everyone else. The Pepsi generation know very little about boxing and lot about hype.

I agree with everything except the SRR part no one brings up how small Floyd was he was really a natural 130pder he fought Castilo in 1st fight at 35 at 138 and half that's a SMALL lightweight.He fought Corrales at 137 fight nite that's not even a big 30pder and remember he already had been fighting at 30 for 5-6yrs at that point.But to compare his opponents to SRR is a step TO FAR go back and research his opponents and what he accomplished its really is unprecedented and this is from someone who thinks Floyd and Sweet Pea are the 2 best fighters since class of 1980(Chavez,Nelson,Curry)and its not all that close imo.Also one last thing about his mailbag(which I love)is the BS story about Jeff F being shot after 1st fight with Nelson I just watched that again lately and after 1st 2 rds where Nelson hurt him he came back and looked like the Jeff of old in rds 3-6 he was all over Nelson the only difference is that Nelson was shooting back trying to catch him between punches and finally did at end of 6th I believe and finished him in 8th.Now after that he was SHOT but Nelson was a master at rematches and don't get credit he deserves.Nelson said he was still suffering from Malaria I say BS Jeff deserves the win and credit for 1st fight BUT so does Nelson in 2nd imo.

[Steven Mccowan]

I agree with most about Leonard Hagler facts. Except it's widely known that Hagler chose percentage over set in stone flat fee. That's how he got paid that much. Leonard won though...