Fear not, your weekly dose of Stephen “Breadman” Edwards is right here. This time, the man with the educated boxing brain discusses internet trolls, Marlon Starling, Boots versus Norman, the finest off-the-floor victories, the best gameplans in boxing history and a whole lot more besides.

Enjoy!

Hey Sir, After reading last week’s mailbag I remembered what a great story you and Jrock [Julian Williams] have together. I remember listening to you and Jrock on Mr. Atlas’ podcast after Jrock won the title. The ups and downs, the highs and lows, before, during and after that win is quite compelling. Have you or Julian ever been approached about turning the story into a book or show of some sort? I appreciate you hammering away at the TROLLS. It’s like you set these trolls straight and they come back for more. Not only irritating but comical at the same time. Lastly, how would you compare RJJ and Boots career trajectories? From what I remember, Roy had a tough time getting big fights early on. Everyone knew he was the most talented boxer on the planet, he just didn’t have a chance to prove it right away.Thanks Mark Stoy, Columbus, Ohio.

Bread’s Response: I have been approached about a book. I’m figuring it out now. Not sure if Julian has. But it would make a for a great story. It definitely was a roller coaster. The highest of highs. And the lowest of lows. 

Man, I have trolls everywhere. But when I’m in the mood, I’m on whatever they are on. The one thing I know about trolls is that they are insecure in real life. And they haven’t met their goals… It’s why they crap on everyone else and are overly critical because they want to bring everyone down to their level. Trolls love to see people struggle or lose. Basically they are haters with access because of the internet. I enjoy killing them because I know they read everything. Imagine disagreeing with me so much that you read my mailbag every Saturday morning. If I don’t like or agree with someone, I don’t indulge in their work. But a troll can't do that because they're fixated and obsessed.

RJ did have a tough time getting big fights but he was further along than Boots was at this same point. Remember, RJ fought Bernard Hopkins for the IBF middleweight title in 1993. RJ was 24, Boots is 27 now. RJ then fought James Toney on a big PPV in 1994. He was 25. Again Boots is 27 and has yet to get those kind of platforms. 

This era just moves too slow for my liking. It takes too long to make BIG fights. But Boots’ talent is on the level. I’m not saying he’s quite RJ but he’s close enough that you can mention him with RJ and not be out of line. I am very curious to see what Matchroom can do with Boots. They did a great job of getting Philadelphia behind him. But there is more work to do. They have to figure out a way to get the other champions at 147 in the ring with him.

Hi Bread, Hope your weekend/week is going well. You hear a lot of literal and figurative talks in sports debates about a person being clutch or the closer (baseball has it in a LITERAL sense) for their team or individual sport. Hypothetically, if a fight was tied going into the final round of a championship fight, and you could pick one fighter in history in the following weight classes to win that round, who would you choose and why? Lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight.

Bread’s Response: At 135 I would pick Floyd Mayweather. He pulled out the last two rounds vs Castillo in their rematch with his career projection on the line. And besides in Castillo 1, I’ve never seen him lose a last round.

At 147, my choice is Ray Leonard. He NEVER lost a last round of a fight at 147lbs that I have seen. Even in the only fight he lost at the weight, he won the last round in Duran 1. He also took the late rounds from Hearns and Benitez, who are all-time greats. Leonard could be the best late round fighter ever. And with his Olympic pedigree, I’m very comfortable picking him to win a last round.

At 160 I would say Roy Jones. He’s just too fast for everyone. And with his pedigree he’s the pick.

At 175 I say Roy also. 

At heavyweight, Muhammad Ali. He’s another fighter who rarely loses a last round. Watch him when he was shot vs Earnie Shavers. Super Clutch gene. As I type I think about his 15th rd KO of Oscar Bonavena in the second fight of his comeback. Ali is the guy you want at heavyweight with everything on the line. His bouncy rhythm and fast hands are it.

Big fan of your column. Regarding Crawford’s next move, I've not heard much chatter about maybe Bud trying to fight for a title at 160. Not Janibek of course, but I'd think fighting the Lara-Garcia winner would be a good option for him if he can't land Canelo. Thanks, Eric.

Bread’s Response: I don’t know what Crawford’s next move is. Something tells me he’s waiting for an opponent to create themselves. I am curious also because I don’t think he’s going to get Canelo. I also don’t think he’s going to just jump to 160. What would be the point? 154 has better options and he’s only fought one fight there. Let’s see what happens.

Do you think Brian Norman and Boots will fight next? Norman’s dad said they accepted the offer and made a counter offer. Do you have any idea what the offer was? How did their sparring go and do you think the fight will go like the sparring went?

Bread’s Response: I don’t know anything about what Team Norman was offered. But I will say, making a counter offer is NOT the same as accepting the fight. A counter offer means, you want something that was not on the original offer. So you have to be careful with your wording because it’s not accepting the fight. Other than that I have no idea what’s going on but I do hope they fight. Both teams deserve props if they make this fight. Excellent matchup. 

I don’t speak on sparring between fighters that I don’t train. And even if I did train them I wouldn’t speak on it publicly. If the fight gets made I will tell you my prediction. But right now, it’s no use making a prediction while they are in negotiations. However, let’s hope it gets made. This will be a violent shootout for however long it lasts. Young hungry fighters fight differently. Lot’s of pride on the line. Also both are trained by their fathers and sons do not like letting their dads down. These young guns are going to go at it, if the fight gets made.

Hi Breadman, I pray God is blessing and continues to bless you and your family and the fans of your mailbag and their families. I didn’t watch the Crawford fight because I had never heard of the other guy, and he only had 10 fights. I was shocked when so many people who I respect told me he lost, so I watched for myself and think it was a draw, but that is not the Bud who is one of my favorite fighters. It was more like a Mayweather performance - meaning it was boring as hell and tedious for me to watch. Glad I didn’t pay or stay up to watch that mess. I pray Crawford doesn’t go up to fight Canelo because he has legitimate challenges in Boots, Ortiz or the winner of Fundora-Spence which I think would make for much more entertaining fights. After seeing the crap Charlo pulled against Canelo the only way I would pay to watch is if Bud went up and beat a legitimate contender like your fighter Caleb Plant.  Then it would give the fight more credibility because he was so lackluster against the Russian, who is quite awkward. How would you like your chances with Plant vs. Bud? 

Marlon Starling not being in the Hall of Fame is a disgrace. When I read that in one of your previous mailbags I was in shock. He had too many scalps of too many good fighters not to be in there but maybe the establishment is punishing him for beating Mark Breland  who was supposed to be the new Ray Leonard. Starling cost them a lot of money by beating Breland. That is the only reason I can think of for him not being elected. God bless and take care, Blood and Guts from Philly

Bread’s Response: I really don’t see why everyone is so critical of Crawford’s performance. I thought he won the by at least 4 or 5 rounds. I just think we expected him to beat Madrimov up because the general public didn’t know him. But not knowing someone and them being unqualified are not the same thing. Madrimov is a very talented fighter and he’s bigger than Crawford. So Crawford fought a different type of fight. He still finished stronger and he hurt Madrimov much more than Madrimov hurt him. 

I still like Crawford’s chances vs Canelo. And I don’t think Crawford will go fight super middleweights for the heck of it. I think he wants Canelo and that’s that. Sometimes big weight jumps are one offs. I could be wrong but I don’t think he would just go up and take that pounding by bigger men at 168, to try to prove to Canelo that he deserves the fight. Because it’s still no guarantee that he would get it. 

I won’t comment on Bud vs Caleb because it’s too far fetched at the moment. 

I really don’t know why Marlon Starling isn’t on the ballot. I don’t know if he’s a lock to go in the HOF. But he definitely deserves to be on the ballot. He deserves to be under strong consideration.

Bread, I think you’re underestimating Memo Heredia in picking Canelo to beat Edgar Berlanga. Everyone knows that Berlanga is chinny with poor stamina but Memo has been known to make a big difference with fighters. Look at Benavidez for example. Against Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade he looked like a monster once he got warmed up. Against Oleksandr Gvozdyk he was fatigued and confused late because he didn’t have his stamina endurance. Everyone is attributing it to Gvozdyk being a real light heavyweight. But I think it was because Memo was absent. Let’s make a bet, Benavidez goes back to Memo for his next fight. I also don’t want to make any unfounded accusations in this fight. But Memo said on X that the drug testing had not started yet. I don’t know what to think about that. So here is my prediction. Berlanga shocks the world and wins a decision against Canelo. And Canelo takes him more serious in the rematch and stops him. Thoughts?

Bread’s Response: I didn’t know if there is drug testing or not in Canelo vs Berlanga. But I just can’t take your word just because you said it. I have to do my research. 

Memo Heredia did do a great job with Benavidez. But Benavidez is more talented than Berlanga. So I don’t know if that’s a fair comparison. Let’s see how Berlanga looks first. 

I will say, Benavidez did seem to tire vs The Nail. But I thought it was because he started too fast. And the Nail started landing some nice touch shots down the stretch and it fatigued David. I thought David’s performance was still very good considering the Nail is a high quality fighter and former lineal champion. It’s just that the public is used to seeing David take over down the stretch and in this fight the opposite happened. 

Before we rush to judgement from one fight let’s see more to be fair. And for the record if Benavidez goes back to Memo, I will give you props. Because that part of your prediction would be correct. You guys know more than me sometimes. I didn’t realize they weren’t working together anymore. And if Berlanga wins, you will get major props from me. That would be a great prediction that very few have made. Some underdogs have won lately, but I’m going with the favorite Canelo.

Hello Steven, One of the biggest storylines in boxing right now is Bud Crawford facing off with Canelo Alvarez. Personally I do not believe Bud can defeat Alvarez. I believe Bud’s legacy would be better off by unifying the hottest division right now - IMO 154 - than losing to Alvarez at 168. In your opinion, am I wrong? 

Thankfully yours, Steven.

Bread’s Response: Bud Crawford is 36. He’s looking for a big superfight before he leaves boxing. Most superstars follow this same route. I don’t get why everyone is so against this big fight. Crawford is light years better than Amir Khan. And Amir Khan was a champion at 140lbs. He never won a title at 147 or 154. But yet he fought Canelo for the lineal MW championship. 

Miguel Cotto was a big underdog vs Sergio Martinez for the lineal MW championship of the world. I don’t remember these type of emails before their fights. If Crawford wants to fight Canelo, why is everyone playing manager and trying to dissuade him? I don’t get it. He’s much better than Khan and slightly better than Cotto. If he loses, he loses. But you can never please fans. 

I feel like Canelo’s fans don’t want the fight because if their guy loses, he will get devalued. I get that but you guys are overdoing it. If Crawford thinks he can beat Canelo, let Canelo convince him in the ring by knocking him out like he did Amir Khan. Let him prove to Crawford he’s too small and he doesn’t belong in the ring with him. Personally I believe he can hold his own vs Canelo and what Madrimov did, is what Madrimov did. Canelo can’t take credit for what Madrimov did. Just like Crawford can’t take credit for Mayweather did. They have to fight each other to prove it.

It seems like Edgar Berlanga’s style is tailor-made for Canelo Alvarez to score a brutal knockout. That being said, Alvarez is smaller than Berlanga and hasn’t scored a knockout in years. So, what happens if Alvarez can’t hurt Berlanga? Will Berlanga’s style cause Alvarez problems if that’s the case?

Bread’s Response: They  have to fight to find out. But I doubt seriously if Canelo can’t hurt Berlanga. Berlanga has been hurt several times. But maybe he can absorb a punch better by being in better shape. The reason I don’t think Canelo has scored a KO in a few years is because he doesn’t have that extra gear anymore. He can still punch in single shots but he doesn’t have the energy to force a stoppage. And when his opponents feel they can’t win, they go in survival mode. So we just have to see what happens. Berlanga has a shot to go the distance if his defense gets better and he uses his feet. 

The puncher in every fight is the fighter who can take his opponent’s punches better than his opponent can take his. Canelo has the better chin and better defense. I could be wrong but I think he's the puncher in this fight.

Bread, Hope all is well with you and yours. Looking back at Monster vs Nery in anticipation of Tuesday morning, round 4 has to be one of the greatest of Inoue’s illustrious career.  It almost gets overlooked with him suffering his first career KD, as well as Nery’s three trips to the canvas, the last two being as nasty as they come. He has an extensive list of spectacular rounds before this match too so it can almost get lost in the shuffle, but readers should look back at the round and witness an all-around masterclass. I’ll go so far as to say it was as thorough a display of two-fisted magnificence as any P4P great has put on after getting off the canvas. He seems to come out of the haze one of the best KO fighters of this era put him in and looks pissed to start the round. What comes next is the full unleashing of his arsenal every which way he can, taking firm control of an even fight, and setting up what comes in the final 2 rounds. He even styles on Nery and roughs him up too for good measure! So complete was the bombardment you just knew what was coming next.  

What fights come to mind when thinking of a P4P great getting decked hard only to take over like that later on? On a related note, a couple of legacy-seeking lil men are saying Inoue’s name, and gamely so. I myself would prefer they faced each other for bantamweight supremacy first though. How would you lean in a tilt between Junto Nakatani vs Bam Rodriguez? Speaking of bantamweight, and I realize he’s in the twilight of his career, but what a display Chocolatito put on in his last fight. I know he didn’t fight a notable guy, but he was a solid opponent and Choco went through him like the buzzsaw he is, after a year off no less. How would you rate his chances vs Nakatani? Do you think El Venado Lopez has another run in him? His light was put out in the ugliest of ways, so really hard to see it, but hope he can. High praise to Angelo Leo, too. How do you see things shaking out with Top Rank’s current crop of featherweights? Finally, considering the type of effects an injury like his will have on his style of fighting, are you still leaning toward Beterbiev over Bivol? It went from 60/40 to 50/50 here. Definitely rooting for King Artur! Thanks,Ray - Elmhurst, IL

Bread’s Response: I have been arguing with people for a very long time that Monster Inoue was special. Not only is he an offensive dynamo, he has big cojones. When he’s hurt or challenged he responds with SPITE. I love his temperament. 

Tito Trinidad got off the canvas about 7 times to win by KO. He was the king of that in the 90s as was Juan Manuel Marquez in the 2000s. 

Evander Holyfield came off the canvas to almost decapitate Bert Cooper.

Simon Brown came off the canvas to utterly destroy Tyrone Trice in their welterweight title fight. I have so many examples of this, I don’t have room to list them. But nevertheless we don’t see it as much in this era and Inoue just showed major chops doing it.

I could be wrong but I like Bam over Junto. I think Bam is a little small for 118 at this point but I think he’s slightly better than Junto and Junto is the truth. 

Choc is one of the best sub-118 fighters in history. Top 10 in my opinion. Rarely does an ageing pressure fighter look good in their late 30s. But Choc can box going forward and he’s so relaxed and in tune with himself he’s been able to be relevant way past his expected expiration date.

I can’t say if Lopez can come back. Only he knows that. But props to Angelo Leo. That was some performance.

The first report was that Beterbiev ruptured his meniscus. And to see him back this soon is very impressive and concerning at the same time. I still favor Beterbiev but not by as much as before. You cannot keep getting hurt like he does, fighting once a year and performing at the level he’s been performing at. But I’m going to rock with him again in this legacy-defining fight where the winner becomes an ATG at 175 and goes into the HOF with a bullet.

I feel like every sport has hot takes that become points of divisive debates among fans. But I also think there are some hot takes that don't make sense. Like... why are fans bickering over this? I came across a basketball video by Jonny Arnett where he looked at some of those in basketball, such as Paul Pierce's claim that he was as good as Dwayne Wade, and he made the argument that Pierce is right there with him and that it's not that bold or brash of a claim for The Truth to make. Do you think boxing has hot takes like that? Hot takes that you don't think should be hot takes? If you do think that, what are your personal "hot takes that shouldn't be hot takes"?  

Bread’s Response: I actually think that Pierce is every bit as good as Wade. That was a never a hot take to me.

In boxing there are many… Let’s see… Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Roy Jones are three of the best body punchers I have ever seen and none will make an all time body puncher list.

Ricardo Lopez is as perfect of a fighter technically that there has ever been and he doesn’t get credit because he fought at 105lbs for most of his career.

In this current era it’s harder to make the HOF because of the inactivity, random matchmaking and overly critical media after a loss.

For as great as Chavez was, something fishy happened with the stoppage in the Taylor fight. Three other events support my hot take. Steele allowed Tommy Hearns to continue vs Iran Barkley and Hearns never even acknowledged Steele. Mike Tyson’s stoppage over Razor Ruddock was so fishy that an immediate rematch was ordered. And Chavez getting a draw vs Pernell Whitaker three years later. 

Looking at the Taylor fight alone you may not feel it was a fishy call. But when you consider that Don King had Chavez and Tyson at that time and Steele stopped both of their incredibly tough fights controversially. Then he allowed A-side Hearns to continue while being out on his feet. You can reasonably come to the conclusion that Steele goes with the house fighter in terms of what he was willing to let go. And overall if you think Chavez deserved a draw with Whitaker, then I want to sell you some sand at the beach. It seems that preserving Chavez’s record was a priority. And he was a great enough fighter to put himself in position to win almost every fight, so… And for the record I’m a huge Chavez fan.

Oscar De La Hoya had a great chin.

Hagler’s game plan to blitz Hearns and Ali’s game plan to rope a dope Foreman were the two best gameplans in boxing history.

I can go on all day with hot takes. I’m not even sure if they are really hot takes though. They seem sensible but maybe because they’re mine so of course I’m bias to myself.

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