Stephen "Breadman" Edwards takes a look at this week's big news, including looking at the future of Boots Ennis, Canelo's next steps, a look at the best fighters today and the topic of PEDs.
Hey Bread, hope you’re well.
- Imagine a world where, somehow, Ennis gets a shot in 12 weeks to fight Adames at 160 for the title. Would you favor him? No more than this amount of time to prep his body: 12 weeks. Middleweight title on the line. Same question for Zhanibek.
- Morrell vs Munguia in September. Who you got? I say David by stoppage.
- Can you recall a bigger, longer, clearer and more obvious duck than Canelo is doing with Benavidez? He had a pass his entire life - choosing names on the decline or smaller men. Now he has the opportunity to have potentially the only non asterisk win of his career. Why not going? I admire his skills and respect him taking on Lara and maybe Trout in 2013/14. Sure. But when will he challenge himself in a fair fight? He says he is the best and a prideful Mexican. Beterbiev and Bivol are the guys at 175. Benavidez and Morrell are the guys at 168. Yet he doesn’t insist on a Bivol rematch and avoids the other. Every member of the media should at least mention it and put him in a position to clearly say: I don’t want to face/fight the best guys available. I don’t wanna go through a tough fight. Or I don’t want to fight a guy I’m not heavily favored to beat. I, and most people, would accept that.
He deserves to chill, if he chooses so. We just can’t cope with the incongruencies, the lies, and his unified status - his responsibility is to face these guys. I know casuals won’t ever know and on paper he achieved so much. But l wonder how one goes to sleep knowing. Him, his team, boxing people, specialists, other boxers… Canelo made a career because he was proud and stubborn. So the dude must know. He must know for all the close calls. He must know for ageing GGG, with the first two fights being arguably losses, plus the PED episode. He must know what he is doing. As you know with your guys, Bread. Do you think Canelo and Chepo and Eddy have these conversations? Do you think Morales, Chavez, the Mexican analysts discuss it? How can one base his life on being the best, a ‘macho’, yet every boxing person knows at least 4 to 5 guys better in and around your weight class? How does a top fighter brainwash himself or even his entourage? Would love to get your answer. Cheers, Diego
Bread’s Response: Good question. I would favor Boots to not only beat Adames with 12 weeks to prepare, but I would favor him to win by stoppage. The general public does not understand the physicality that Boots has. There are some fighters who can move UP and be very successful. And he’s one of them. When I saw Roy Jones at 160, I knew he could be the man at 168 and 175. When I see Boots, I know he can be the man at 154 and 160. I don’t know enough about Janibek to pick Boots by stoppage. But I would pick him to beat Janibek but I will reserve a more detailed answer until I can see more of Janibek. From what I’ve seen, Janibek is very good but not quite the talent that GGG and Loma are. He’s a notch below them in my opinion.
I would pick David Morrell to beat Jamie Munguia. But I have to say I was very impressed by Munguia vs Canelo. And I need to see more of Morrell also. Time reveals ALL with fighters and Morrell hasn’t faced Munguia’s level of fighter. I’m basing my prediction on the eyeball test and Morrell’s amateur pedigree.
I think Canelo is just at a point where he’s going to do what he wants. I think his resume is excellent but like any other resume you can poke holes in it. It’s obvious that Benavidez is a threat to him. I think he may fight him but it will be his last fight. Canelo has lots of wear and tear on him. He has 64 fights. That’s 64 training camps!!! He knows Benavidez is a killer. He doesn’t have to say it. His actions show it. I still think there is a chance they are going to fight. But he’s going to do it on his own time.
I don’t think Canelo and his team have the conversations that you’re talking about. I think that there are many things that happen in boxing behind the scenes. So much on the business side that unless you’re involved you wouldn’t know about, that they may just be happy that they MADE it. You have to realize that the Reynoso’s had other fighters. They had Canelo’s older brothers. To just make it to a point where you have a fighter who has made 8 figures in one night, is a huge accomplishment. Canelo has made 8 figures about twenty times! And he’s going to the Hall of Fame. We don’t know everything that they had to overcome. So they just may be content with what they have done. They also don’t strike me as the kind of people who will let other people SHAME them into doing anything.
Mr. Edwards, Always looking forward to your bag. I’ve been lucky enough to land there a time or two. Love that you are a wealth of knowledge without bias! That speaks volumes! On to it! Loma vs Tank, if it happens now, is it too late? Loma looked good vs Kambosos, but you can tell his footwork is slowing. Can he evade or take Tank’s power for 12? Also, if you could pit Shakur vs Isaac Cruz, if he comes through this weekend, what would you see happening in that fight? Do you see Shakur outgrowing 35 soon? He seems to be getting much bigger and he is a very young man. You are always appreciated, sir!
Jon aka NC Uppercut
Bread's Response: I think Loma is still great but not quite at his peak. I think Tank is at his peak. In a fight that would be close with both at their best. I feel like Loma not being at his absolute best gives Tank an advantage. I don’t think it’s too late but the timing of the fight is better for Tank than Loma. 55/45 in Tank’s favor.
I simply don’t think Loma can keep Tank from getting to his body. But I’ve underestimated Loma before. I thought Devin would be beat him clearly and it didn’t happen like I thought it would. So they still have to fight.
Pitbull Cruz has a tough style for Shakur. Volume punching, animals that don’t care what they hit are trouble for pure boxers. Look at the trouble Marcos Maidana gave Floyd Mayweather. Maidana gave Floyd more trouble than Canelo did and we know Canelo is a better fighter than Maidana. Cruz looked excellent at 140lbs vs Rolly Romero. I know Shakur is the much more skilled fighter but I think this is a tough fight for him. I think it’s a coin flip. Depending on the judges, where the fight takes place, etc. Shakur most likely will not be able to score a KO and with that being said, the officials of the fight will matter. The winner of that matchup may come down to their teams. That’s how close I view it at this point.
Good morning, I met you many years ago and interviewed you for a website I used to run. You are very knowledgeable. I am glad to see your progress as a trainer since then. That being said, I see many people writing in to you about judging controversies and what can be done about it. I attended the WBO convention many years ago and attended the judging seminar. I believe part of the problem is the pool of judges they use is small. Also to move up the ranks, a lot of politics is involved. However, judges do get scrutinized when they make mistakes and they do receive training. Judges are humans that make mistakes and the job requires a level of concentration that the normal watcher at home doesn't understand. Most are watching without a careful eye, and are socializing. A lot can be missed by the casual viewer. The biggest issue in my view is why there is so much confusion and controversy if all three judges watch the fight from a different side of the ring. This is by design. So while the home viewer is watching on TV from a completely different view from a judge, sometimes we need to hold our tongue. A judge never sees a fight from the vantage point of someone watching on TV. I’d love to have you on my podcast by the way. Take care. Thoughts? Kevin
Bread's Response: Thank you. I remember you. Let’s set something up for the podcast.
I agree the angle in which you see a fight does matter. But the judges are also closer to the action so they can see facial expressions and borderline shots better. When I see a scorecard I don’t agree with, I take that into consideration. Sometimes I think the scorecards come from a subjective preference. Sometimes I think they come from corruption. And sometimes I think they come from incompetence. I try to assess each on an individual basis.
Some scorecards are NOT justifiable like the one my fighter Kyrone Davis just got vs Elijah Garcia. John McKaie scored the fight for Garcia 98-92. The other judges had it 97-93 for Kyrone. McKaie was sitting closest to our corner so he had the angle that best represents what we saw. There is NO logical way he could have scored that fight for Garcia if he was being OBJECTIVE.
I also believe that the pool of judges should be more exclusive. We have incompetent people, ruining fighter’s careers. Last but not least I feel like the commentators and CompuBox figures influence the general public. It’s not always in a bad way but it’s definitely an influence. It’s hard for a person to hear what someone is telling them that’s happening. And they see a statistic that’s basically telling them what’s happening and not believe it. Their eyes and ears have been influenced. So when a decision goes against what the commentators and CompuBox said happened, the public will think they saw a robbery. Sometimes it’s the case. And sometimes it’s not…
I’ve always believed there should be 5 judges not 3. A judge on each side of the ring so at least someone saw it from every view point. And one judge who watches it on a monitor, ALONE with no interaction with anyone except the person who is collecting his scorecard after each round. Nothing is foolproof but I think this would limit some of the bad decisions and excuses of the VIEWPOINT. Boxing would have all of the viewpoints covered. I also believe the judges should change seats after each round, so they get to see the fight from every viewpoint.
What’s up Bread?! First time, long time here. I woke up this morning and sat down to read your mailbag as is my Saturday tradition going back years and was struck by a question one of your readers had about a perceived rapid decline of SoCal fighters. I’m not sure I agree with his take that SoCal fighters decline faster than others. He did however bring up some compelling examples, and as a recent transplant to Southern California and denizen of boxing gyms I have noticed something unique here in the gym culture that may account for his hypothesis at least in part, and I’m interested in your thoughts. Fighters out here spar in 14oz gloves as opposed to the standard (at least everywhere else I’ve been) 16oz. I realized this after some hard sparring sessions in which for a while I had been wearing gloves 2oz heavier than my partners’. I know Philly is known for its gym wars and I wondered if y’all are wearing 16s like most places, and if 14s are totally unique to SoCal culture, if you think that cumulative effect of years of sparring with smaller gloves maybe taking it’s toll on fighters here and leading toward a more rapid decline. Would definitely love to hear your thoughts on this. Also I agree with you that Bam has become one of my favorite fighters to watch, his technical mastery is really something to behold, and that the fantasy matchups between him and Inoue are way too premature. Junto Nakatani is another p4p talent at the weight class in between. I’ve had the good fortune to see him work in the gym before and he’s brilliant. I think he would be a stylistic nightmare for both Inoue (if Junto were to move up) or for Bam (if Bam would move up), interested in how you might see those fights playing out if they happened. Thank you for any thoughts you might have on either of these questions, and definitely thank you for consistently dropping jewels in your mailbag. Cheers, Adam D.
Bread's Response: The gym war thing in Philly gets overblown. We spar intense in Philly but in order to get ready for a 12-round fight at the elite level, you need intense sparring to duplicate the intensity of a fight. It’s just work from my point of view. But we spar in 16 oz gloves in Philly. I didn’t know in LA they spar in 14 oz gloves. That’s interesting. I wonder why…..Maybe someone can write in and tell me.
I haven’t seen enough of Junto to say if he’s a nightmare for Bam and Monster. But I have seen him. I like what I saw and I can tell he’s the truth. I also know Junto has a good trainer in Rudy Hernandez. I’m going to study Junto’s next few fights very closely and I will get back to you.
Hey Mr. Edwards… I want your opinion on 3 mythical matchups that actually could've happened in the '80s - Azumah Nelson versus Hector Camacho and Azumah Nelson versus Julio Cesar Chavez, and the most fascinating of the 3 mythical matchups to me - Evander Holyfield versus Michael Spinks. Do you think the outcome of the Holyfield-Spinks fight depends on it happening at c ruiserweight or heavyweight?John, Sacramento, California
Bread's Response: Camacho is a super talent and he gives off a great impression with the eyeball test. I think he’s one of the best talents of the 80s. But he gets slightly overrated. There are people who say he’s in the argument for the best fighter ever at 130lbs. But he only had one title defense at the weight and he moved up to 135lbs. He was brilliant but his body of work at 130 is slight. Once the competition level stepped up and Edwin Rosario hit him with some left hooks, he became very tepid.
Azumah Nelson is a GREAT fighter with HIGH character. He also could deal with speed. Stylistically it would be tough for Nelson because Camacho’s speed and agility. But Camacho submitted in certain fights. He was tough as far as not allowing himself to be stopped. But he submitted in certain fights and accepted the loss. Azumah never accepted a loss. I would take Azumah by close decision or late stoppage. He fought and beat better fighters than Camacho. And he competed harder on his nights where things didn’t go his way, which is important in close match ups. CHARACTER.
Chavez and Azumah would’ve been a war. I think there is a version of Azumah who could’ve beaten Chavez because I think Azumah peaked in around 84-87 whereas Chavez peaked around 87ish, but best day for best day, I give Chavez a slight edge. Chavez had some great nights at 130 but he also was held close several times to fighters Azumah was better than. Rocky Lockridge and Juan Laporte gave Chavez hell. They were killers but Azumah is a superior fighter to them. Chavez also had some beautiful performances at 130 vs Roger Mayweather and Ruben Castillo. So my guess is the best version of Chavez is considered a slightly better fighter than the best version of Azumah. But it’s very close because the Azumah that gave Wilfredo Gomez a beating in his hometown would be a nightmare for Chavez. Azumah also performed better than Chavez vs Pernell Whitaker and Azumah fought a better version of Whitaker. I’m going to go with Chavez because I think his defense is better but it’s closer than most think. Azumah was special and I think he would most likely beat Barrera, Morales and Marquez. That’s how good he was.
Spinks and Holyfield is a great match up. But the timing was off for them. Holyfield was ascending while Spinks was descending. Spinks could’ve been a great cruiserweight but he skipped the division. From what I saw in Spinks, lost his physicality at heavyweight. He was still formidable but he didn’t have the physicality that he had at light heavyweight. I would take Holyfield. I think he could match Spinks’ speed. He could take his big punches. And I believe he would rough him up. He would have to be careful because Spinks was a sneaky brutal puncher, but Holyfield was just a physical monster and fighters his size would have a tough time keeping him off of them.
Manny Pacquiao is reportedly in negotiations to fight Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship. If Pacquiao wins that fight, would he be considered among the very best active fighters alive, or would it just be a nice story and not much more?
Bread’s Response: If Manny comes out of retirement he would be the greatest active fighter alive. Manny has a case for being one of the top 10-20 fighters, ever. Beating Barrios would be a nice win but not a historic win because Barrios has been beaten by a fighter that Manny already beat in Keith Thurman. But it would be a nice win for a 45-year-old fighter who has been inactive. I never take wins at the top level for granted.
I love the reads, Bread, and most of all I enjoy the astute boxing knowledge that you possess. Keep up the good work and I will be sure to continue watching and reading. I’m a fan for sure. Furthermore I have a question for you, yes on paper this may seem like Bud’s toughest in ring fight to date but although I do disagree, if and when Bud does win this fight, where do you see him going from here especially if he can’t get the Canelo fight and if he does get the Canelo fight, what do you think of his chances to get a clear cut win?
Bread’s Response: I don’t know if Madrimov is Bud’s toughest fight. We have to see how they line up. I expect a very good fight. I think Madrimov will have his moments but Bud is operating on autopilot right now. He’s in the great fighter zone. I think he walks Madrimov down and stops him late in a thrilling fight. Watch out for the body work. I think Bud is going to go to Madrimov's body and separate himself down the stretch.
I don’t think Canelo will fight Bud. Because if he loses it will ruin his legacy. This would be the 2nd time that he lost to a much smaller fighter. I believe Bud Crawford outslicks Canelo and wins a decision. I know people think I’m crazy but Bud and Canelo are the same height. Bud is much more lengthy. Bud has great stamina and legs. I have seen him fight the fight he would have to fight to beat Canelo. Watch his fight vs Victor Postol. He punched on the move all night and never let Postol hit a sitting target. Bud also has enormous physical strength. Fighters who have physical strength do not usually get “carried fast” in fights. I don’t think Canelo can speed Bud up. Canelo is a special fighter also, but I think Bud is actually a bad match up for Canelo at this point. I think Canelo would run out of gas trying to corner Bud.
I don’t think Bud could beat Morrell or Benavidez. Those are high mountains to climb. But Canelo used to be a welterweight. So while Canelo is much bigger, it’s not the same set of problems that Benavidez or Morrell would present.
Hi Breadman, Thought I would rewind a couple of years to a post I made on Avanesyan vs Boots, which I believe you posted, and how this might be a style Boots may struggle with, last paragraph. Funny how things work out, however, I fully hope and expect Boots to get the job done in style. How do u you see the fight going?Thanks,
Bread’s Response: I think Boots wins in dramatic fashion. Highlight reel KO. Boots’ physicality is off the charts. I have seen him walk down and punish strong light heavyweights. I hope Avanesyan is paid well for this fight.
Hi Breadman, I pray God is blessing and continues to bless you and your family and the fans of your mailbag and their families. Shakur Stevenson is going to have to face this reality. He is going to have to embrace being the villain like Mayweather, Broner and Camacho for fans to come see him. He has to be the guy that people want to see get beat for running his mouth because his defensive style is not crowd pleasing at all. There is no HBO to bail him out for just winning fights like there was for Pernel Whitaker, so he must create the villain persona and embrace it going forward for his fights to sell. The thing that I find to be interesting is how Canelo has escaped criticism for being a lackluster fighter. His fights with Bivol, Mayweather, Cotto, Chavez Jr, Charlo, Jacobs, Hatton, Ryder, Lara and GGG 1 and 2 were very boring to me, and he isn’t a knockout artist like Chavez, Hearns, Sanchez or Duran, yet he is seen as one. I’m not counting his European tour when he was collecting belts instead of facing the top opposition.
It ‘s like Canelo is Teflon with the media and the fans. Always excuses being made for him. He was green vs Mayweather, and he was not a real light heavy vs Bivol even though he beat Kovalev at light heavy and Mayweather was up in age and smaller and the aggressor in the fight. Yet Bivol was willing to come down to 168 to fight him and Canelo turned it down. Why aren’t the fans demanding a rematch with Bivol? They know Bivol will knock Canelo’s head off, that’s why. The double standard is obvious to me. It should be obvious to all. I’m not a fan of Shakur or Canelo and am overjoyed when either loses but neither is particularly exciting to me. Yet only one seems to get criticize for being boring and lackluster. God bless and take care, Blood and Guts from Philly
Bread’s Response: I agree with some and disagree with some. I agree that Shakur has to embrace being the villain. Personally I never get into liking or disliking anyone or anything that I’m assessing. I think Shakur is a super-talented fighter and winner. I respect his skills. But overall the fans and media have turned on him. He’s a good looking kid from a highly populated East Coast market. I never understood WHY THAT wasn’t embraced. I’m not going to get into who’s fault it is because that’s too hard to determine and all parties probably deserve some blame. But nevertheless here we are.
We have a smart boxing, neutralizing type of fighter that people dislike. Similar to Hector Camacho and Floyd Mayweather. It is what it is. At this point, the checks cash the same, from people who tune in to see you win or see you lose. So I agree. Shakur has to embrace that. It takes longer to be beloved than it does to be hated. It’s like bad credit. It takes a lifetime to build up. But one bad credit report can ruin your credit. I’m not saying Stevenson won’t ever be beloved but he won’t turn that around overnight. So he may as well accept it for what it is.
What I don’t agree with is Canelo is a lackluster fighter. Every one of his fights is not Gatti vs Ward. But I find Canelo fairly exciting. I think he goes for the ko when it presents itself. I see him taking chances. His punch sequences are exciting. And he has some thrilling kos. At the top level, KO % usually go down. Monster Inoue and Terence Crawford are exceptions…But I think Canelo gets his share of kos and knockdowns at the top level. I think it’s a mischaracterization to call him “lackluster”.
I saw your Twitter feed. I can't believe some of these so-called boxing media said that Hector Camacho was better than Marvin Hagler. I really don't know how you do it brother. If this was 20 years ago, and I was on the phone with that person, I would've hung up, lol. On another note. I have a few topics I want to get a quick opinion from you on. WNBA Rookie of the Year? Camrom and Mase roasting Shakur Stevenson? Is Ray Garcia a racist? IS Shakur Stevenson gun shy? Your top 10 P4P fighters?
Bread's Response: Yeah man it's tough to have a respectful boxing conversation these days. I can literally only talk to about 5 people in the world about boxing. Literally!! I had to read the Camacho/Hagler comparison three times. I was in shock… But it's not even worth talking about. The only thing I will say is if you're going to stand on a platform at least be well informed.
WNBA Rookie of the Year… I don't know yet. It's very close. Let's wait until the season is over. They may have a CO Rookie of the year with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
I don't think anything of Camron and Mase roasting Shakur. It's part of the game today. The fighters have to just not engage or be subjected to that stuff.
I don't know Ryan Garcia. So I can't speak on if he's a racist or not. But I know the N-word gets used too casually by EVERYBODY. And it's really not a good thing. I cringe whenever I see a fighter of ANY race, say the N word on social media. I will leave it at that.
I don't know if Shakur Stevenson is Gun Shy. But from the eyeball test, he's very cautious with big punchers or punchers he feels threatened by.
My P4P Top 10
- Terence Crawford
- Monster Inoue
- Oleksandr Usyk
- Arthur Beterbiev
- Dmitrii Bivol
- Tank Davis
- Bam Rodriguez
- David Benavidez
- Canelo Alvarez
- Boots Ennis
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