The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen "Breadman" Edwards tackling topics such as unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, unbeaten star Gervonta 'Tank' Davis, Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford, Devin Haney and more.
What up Breadman?
I sure hate all the Haney hate from the other fighters in his division. First, he was email champ. Now he is undisputed. Then his resume was questioned . Former victims are Kambosos, Diaz, and Linares. Last but not least Ring magazine has him at 3rd best at 135? What drugs are they taking? He beat the man who beat the man. As nice as Lomachenko is he still lost to Teo and then Teo lost. Devan is undisputed and by way of all the belts he is crowned the #1. I don't see Davis as #1 just because he is the cash cow. Funny how Davis and Garcia both sidestep Haney but use his name to clout chase. After Haney washes Kambosos again what will be the excuse to not fight him? Oh he's too boring ? Not enough knock outs ? Then face him and knock him out. To me these cats are scared of the skills that pay bills. Garcia might be famous but last time I checked he does not get paid from boxing like Davis and Haney. Haney has DHP and good investments I heard. I don't know if Instagram teenagers go to the fights just a bunch of casuals. I been a fan of boxing damn near my whole entire life (50 years old). I think I know a little about this thing called the sweet science . These cats are ducking Devan. No CAP!!!
Peace, Michael Blount
Bread’s Response: I like Devin and he deserves NO hate at all. He went after the WBC belt. Lomachenko was the champion. He enforced his mandatory. Lomachenko’s status was elevated so he could fight Lopez in a unification. Everyone blamed Haney for getting the belt. I never understood that. He asked for the smoke with the best fighter in the division at the time but Teofimo Lopez got the fight. I don’t consider what Lomachenko did a duck either because he fought a unification vs an equally as talented fighter and he can’t fight 2 people at 1 time. But nevertheless, it surely isn’t Haney’s fault. He did what a fighter is supposed to do. He didn’t take step aside money. He didn’t turn down his mandatory.
Then Ryan Garcia won an eliminator vs Luke Campbell for Haney’s WBC belt then decided to not fight Haney. Garcia could have did the same thing Haney did to Lomachenko. But he didn’t. And again Haney got criticism for a fighter deciding not to fight him. It’s bizarre. Haney is the champion at 135(lightweight). There is no disputing that. But in fairness there is still a dispute over who’s the best. Being the champion and being the best is not always exclusive. They have to prove who’s the best in the ring. I still don’t know. None of the 4 Kings of this era have fought each other. Let’s see them fight each other and let them determine who’s the best or who’s #1.
Think about this Sugar Ray Robinson decades and decades and decades after he has finished fighting is still considered by most boxing purest to be the greatest fighter of all time. Not many athletes can say that. In every sport they always say that the new generation is better than the past but I’m boxing Sugar Ray Robinson is still the standard. So how great must he have been. We never got to see the greatest heavyweight of all time in his prime and that would be Muhammad Ali. Ali dominated another generation of heavyweights after exile when he was past his prime. So how great was the greatest? Really really great. The greatest fighting machine I have ever seen in my lifetime Sugar Ray Leonard was denied two of the greatest wins in the history of the sport. In the rematch with Roberto Duran all anyone talks about was Duran quitting and Leonard showboating in round seven. Watch the fight Leonard was masterful and was punching the shit out of Duran in the eighth round and would’ve knocked him out. In his fight with Marvin Hagler Leonard moved up and weight, had only fought once and 4 1/2 years and clearly beat Hagler by decision- it should’ve been considered the greatest comeback not only in boxing but may be in the history of sport. Hagler knew he lost, I was there that night everyone knew Leonard won but Hagler conned public into believing he was robbed and everybody bought in. The great Sugar Ray Leonard was denied credit for two of the greatest wins in the history of the sport so how great was he??
Thank you for taking my letter Howie from New Jersey
Bread’s Response: Boxing has not evolved so much in terms of skills. Boxing has evolved in terms of recovery and bigger men making smaller weights. Sugar Ray Robinson is still the best fighter ever because he’s a freak of nature who had the size and skill to go along with his gifts. I think we saw Ali in his prime in 1966-67. I just think it got caught short when he was in exile from 1967-70. However, I do get your point. Ali is the only fighter in heavyweight history who proved to be the best fighter of his era, past his prime. Ali was the best heavyweight of the 70s way past his best days. He was something.
You’re correct about Leonard also. He gets credit for the Hagler and Duran wins. But he deserves more. Leonard fought Duran on the move. And in order for Duran to have beaten him his legs would have had to be in better condition than they were 5 months prior and for as good as Duran was he fought over his head in Montreal. People also slight Leonard for Duran not being in great shape, which is beyond ridiculous. They say Leonard lost to a lightweight. But in the same breath they say Duran struggled to make weight in the rematch. Well if Duran was smaller, then weight shouldn’t have been a big issue.
Here is the truth. Leonard adjusted in the rematch. But Leonard was 24 and his career was on the line rushing into a rematch with an ATG fighter like Duran. He’s the one who took the chance. The fight came down to who needed it the most. Duran was already a HOF in 1980. He was already an ATG after beating Leonard. So he miscalculated and he quit when he knew Leonard was having his day. In his mind the score was 1-1 and they could even it out later. He was too ignorant to realize that quitting would stick with him forever.
But he quit for a reason. He quit because he knew Ray Leonard was a deep water shark who got better as the fight wore on. Leonard closed hard in the 13th, 14th and 15th in the 1st fight. So Duran being macho packed it in. And all of the Leonard haters who couldn’t hook up with the prom queen talked about quitting and the fast rematch instead of focusing on Leonard’s adjustment and what he did to make Duran quit. Leonard got out to a good start in the rematch, better than he did in their 1st fight and Duran knew things would only get worse.
As for Hagler. He related to the average man more. Leonard was the guy who dated the 10. Hagler was the guy who worked for the union and married the nice lady. So they wanted Hagler to wipe the smile off of Leonard face. He couldn’t. So they brought up the negotiations. They said he made Hagler fight a 12 rounder. But they forgot Hagler fought Mugabi in 1986 in a 12 rounder. And Hearns in 1985 in a 12 rounder. They never said Hearns and Mugabi made him fight 12 rounders because he stopped them.
Then they said Leonard used bigger gloves. He didn’t. He used gloves with the thumbs attached. Well detached thumbs were outdated anyway. Then they said the ring was big. Well that was true and it benefitted Leonard. But why did Hagler give in to the big ring? I will tell you why. Because he knew he would win in his mind. He was over confident. In his mind Leonard was too small, too soft and would be too rusty to beat him. The other reason was money. Hagler made 13 million dollars in 1987! Plus the Closed Circuit for every state except the DMV area and Massachusetts which Leonard took. There are some reports that Hagler walked away with 25 million dollars. His fans conveniently leave that part out. Hagler only gave into one thing that made a difference in the fight at that was ring size. Leonard used the entire ring like the smaller more mobile fighter should. But in return Hagler made the most money any fighter ever had up until that point in history in one night.
Watch how Hagler starts dancing after the fight was over. He wasn’t sure he won so he tried to act like it. The crowd there was chanting “Sugar Ray!”. They felt their man was winning. Everyone held their breath as the scorecards were read. They knew it was close. Team Leonard was lifting him up because they felt their man won. Hagler loses then he becomes the victim. Vegas didn’t make him start slow. He had no leg to stand on by fighting a 15 round fight. He had not fought a 15 round fight since 1984. He fought Leonard in 1987. The gloves benefited him and Leonard. They were standard size, they just had the thumbs attached. They were 10oz gloves! Vegas didn’t make him miss punches far and wide. The claim that Leonard stole fight with 30 second flurries is also ridiculous. Leonard used Ring Generalship and Defense also. He controlled the fight. Watch how much he made Hagler miss big punches. So what he made sure he flurried as the round closed. That’s smart. Judges remember the last thing they see before the score the round. All trainers tell their fighters to close strong.
Imagine being the fighter who fought once since 1982 in 1987. Fighting the number #1 fighter P4P in boxing at his best weight 160lbs that you never fought at before and people get mad at you because you outslicked him. Hagler’s fans blame Leonard but they don’t blame their man for starting too slow. Leonard is so penalized for this win that now there is a clamoring for other fighters to be the Fighter of the Decade in the 80s because some still can’t get over being wrong about Ray Leonard being slaughtered in their prefight predictions. When their predictions went up in smoke they came up with excuses and false theories on why Leonard got the decision he EARNED.
Thank you for this comment. About once a year I have to check someone who repeats a myth that never happened. All you have to do is watch the fight. Leonard wins a clean 7-5 decision all day.
So Robinson in my opinion is the greatest fighter in history. His peak record of 128-1-2 is the best ever complied over a significant time considering the opposition. He also passes the eye ball test of being 5’11 with a 72 inch reach. Having an iron chin, one punch ko power and lighting fast hands. If he fought in this era, it’s possible for him to have won titles from 135-160.Ali is simply the greatest heavyweight ever and a top 5 ever fighter. No heavyweight in history was the best of 2 eras and not have any misses in either era. Ali literally fought all of the best heavyweights of the 60s and all of the best heavyweights of the 70s. Ray Leonard in my opinion is the best fighter ever with 40 fights or less. He’s the 2nd best welterweight ever. And he’s the best fighter of the last 40 years after the Ali era or say 1980.
Bread! Hope everything is well on your end. Something light from my end...here are 10 fight predictions I have for future fights. Can you rate them on a scale of "like," "love,", or "hate" and why? Keeping all fights to ones that are agreed upon already/seem likely and in the works. Crawford/Spence: Crawford by split decision. His fight IQ beats Spence's EQ on the night. Crawford starts slow but dominates the 2nd half of the fight. Instant classic, immediate rematch, and the fight wins FOY. Usyk/Joshua: Usyk by KO. Joshua begins aggressively, trying to impose himself on the smaller man, but gets clipped early on in the process and Usyk finishes the job similarly to how he did vs. Bellew (but much earlier). Davis/Garcia: Davis by late TKO. Ryan outboxes him the entire fight but gets caught shortly after Tank's corner tells him he's down and he starts applying pressure. Shields/Marshall: Shields by TKO. Both women come out swinging. I think Shields is just a tad faster & sharper and clips Marshall. Referee stoppage after 2 knockdowns by Shields. Taylor/Serrano II: Serrano by TKO. Controversial referee stoppage (Taylor winning on all cards, gets rocked, still standing but not punching back), setting up a trilogy.
Golokvin/Canelo: Golovkin by TKO. Golovkin survives an early onslaught, Canelo's gas tank begins to run low just as GGG settles into the fight, the tide turns in GGGs favor in the middle rounds, Canelo's gas tank is never allowed to recuperate for the end of the fight, GGG catches Canelo early in the championship rounds and seals the deal shortly after that. Canelo changes camps afterwards. GGG vacates the 168 belts, takes 1-2 more "legacy" fights at 160, then retires. Paul/Rahman: Paul by KO. If this were fought at heavyweight, I believe Rahman wins handily. But the weight drain on such short notice I believe will be too much. Rahman with an early knock down of Jake Paul but finds his energy zapped later on and Paul knocks him out. Ruiz/Ortiz: Ortiz by KO. First 6 rounds. Ruiz doesn't seem to be able to handle the same punches since going over to Reynoso and getting in the best shape of his life. I believe in one of your mailbags way back when you argued that losing too much weight, even if it meant being in better shape for him, might affect him negatively. Seems that way.
Inoue/Fulton: Inoue by KO late. Difference in size keeps Fulton competitive but the late KO solidifies Innue as one of the best (if not the best) PFP fighters in the world. Lomanchenko/Stevenson: Stevenson by UD. First time Stevenson loses clear rounds in his career but he edges out Loma and proves the hype is REAL.BONUS (this one is somewhat hypothetical b/c many different things need to happen for it to take place)...Bivol/Beterbiev: Beterbiev by late KO. This fight isn't going to happen until next year, if it happens period, but will say it is the FOY of '23. Bivol knocks Beterbiev down early. Outboxes him for the first half of the fight. Beterbiev settles in and uses his size advantage to wear Bivol down and stop him late. Thanks as always. Had fun with these predictions. Hope you do, too!
Bread’s Response: Crawford vs Spence I like your EQ vs IQ assessment but I don’t know who wins that fight yet. I want to see how both look in camp.
Usyk vs Joshua (like)
Davis vs Garcia (like)
Shields vs Marshall (Like) From what I have seen Shields wins but I don’t think it will be a ko. Claressa usually wins by decision and you picked a stoppage.
Taylor vs Serrano (love) I feel like Taylor went to the burger in that first fight and I don’t believe she can go there again. Serrano came close to stopping her in the 1st fight….
Golovkin vs Canelo (hate) I don’t believe GGG can stop Canelo. For some reason Canelo can brace for his power and although his power is great, he hasn’t come close to stopping Canelo in 24 rounds. It’s sort of like Holyfield and Tyson. For some reason Holyfield could take his power.
Paul vs Rahman (like) I don’t love your prediction, but I definitely don’t hate it. I don't like Rahman having to fight at a low weight after being stopped in his last fight.
Ruiz vs Ortiz (Love) I like Ortiz in this fight. Ortiz has a style that ages well. Ruiz does not.
Inoue vs Fulton(hate) Fulton is from my hometown gym so I definitely don’t want to see him get stopped.
Lomachenko vs Stevenson(love) I love Stevenson by decision also.
Beterbiev vs Bivol (love) Iove Beterbiev by late stoppage also.
Bread,
First off, congratulations in getting a former champion in your stable! Question, will he be training in Philly or will you be going to Vegas? And what is your opinion on that? Do you prefer the fighter leaving home and going to where the trainer is located at or do you not mind going to the fighter's hometown for a camp? I read your post regarding Spence/Crawford being one of the biggest and best fights of the last 20 years between fighters in their prime and this fight having big ATG implications. I fully agree with that! In fact, would you agree the winner of this fight will have THE best win at WW since the 1980s? If not, which one is better? Then my other question is if you think the Spence/Crawford fight has ATG implications, while at the same time not being convinced that either can beat Ennis, then does the winner need to stay at WW to fight him? Or are you fine with them moving up to 154?
Take care.
Bread’s Response: Thank you. I think training camp should be where it’s most feasible to have a successful camp. I am not one of those people that believe a fighter should hide under a rock for 8 weeks in camp. I think a fighter needs to be where he can get the most rest. Get the best recovery. Get the best sparring. Get the best meals. And stay away from distractions. Believe it or not sometimes that’s AWAY. But often times in can be in their hometowns as long as they distance themselves from distractions and responsibilities they have in their normal day to day lives.
Yes Spence vs Crawford as ATG implications. Would it be the best win at welterweight since the 1980s. Um….I would have to see the performance first. One of the reasons why Leonard’s win over Hearns was so great was because of how well Hearns performed and what he went on to be. Whoever loses this fight also has a chance to enhance his legacy with a great performance also. This is a HUGE fight in terms of legacy. Most of the fighters who turned pro after say 2010 give or take a year or two, don’t have the same chances to become ATG that fighters of further eras did, because they don’t fight enough and when they do the fights don’t mean enough.
If the winner of Crawford vs Spence stayed at welterweight to fight Ennis that would be GANGSTER. But honestly I don’t see it happening. And if they don’t it wouldn’t be an outcry because Ennis is in their era but he’s not from their era. He’s 7 years younger than Spence and 10 years younger than Crawford. If the winner left the division it wouldn’t be considered a huge duck. But if the winner stuck around and Ennis was their mandatory and they didn’t fight him then……
Hope you had a great week Mr Edwards!
1.a. Who would win head-to-head between Marco Antonio Barrera and Nonito Donaire at Junior Featherweight? I remember Barrera held the WBO Junior Featherweight belt in the late-1990s while Donaire held it in the early 2010s.1.b. Who was overall a superior boxer pound-for-pound between Donaire and Barrera? 1.c. Who has the better legacy between Nonito Donaire and Marco Antonio Barrera? 2. The same three questions as above but keep Donaire and replace Barrera with Naseem Hameed. I recall that he held the WBC International Junior Featherweight title in 1995.3. The same three questions as above but keep Donaire and replace Hameed with Juan Manuel Marquez. He is the only one who did not win the Junior Featherweight title but you can still compare them in the pound-for-pound and legacy sense.
Bread’s Response: 1a) I would take Barrera. Whenever equally great fighters meet at a weight, I look to see where they started and where they maxed out. Donaire pretty much maxed out at 122lbs. Where Barrera started there. So I think Barrera would have a physicality advantage in a head to head match up. Remember how Barrera handled Johnny Tapia. Tapia is similar in size and skill to Donaire.
1b) I think it’s very close between the 2 but I think Barrera is slightly superior.
1c) Their legacies are about even Donaire’s late run at 118 makes it hard to differentiate between the two.
2a. Naseem Hamed is too big for Nonito. He would hurt Nonito. They would fight at 126lbs and it would be a too much.
b) Their abilities are even in my opinion.
c) Legacies are also even. Maybe Nonito has a slight edge.
3a. Marquez b)Marquez c)Marquez
Hi Breadman!
I love your take on things! Lately I have been wondering about the following comparison: the great Joe Louis was well before my time, but I have watched him often on YouTube and read lots about him. So here is my quick question: Is it safe to say that Artur Beterbiev is the current boxer we have today who most closely approximates the great Joe Louis in fighting style? Like Louis, Beterbiev is a shuffler whose opponents can run but not hide. Like Louis, Beterbiev needs only to hit his opponents with short, crisp punches that rarely travel more than six to nine inches. Of course Louis had some problems with a masterful boxer like Billy Conn. So too Beterbiev may have some problems with a masterful boxer like Dmitry Bivol. Just wondering about this comparison Breadman. Thanks!
Bread’s Response: I like the comparison. It’s semi accurate. Louis and Beterbiev are not dead ringers but they do have similarities. Louis had much faster hands and his punches are more dynamic in terms of combination speed and their loose flowing sequences. See his rematch with Jersey Joe Walcott. But Beterbiev is on the level. Everything he does is short, compact and direct. Great comparison but I want to add someone. I think Joe Louis in terms of his punch delivery is a mix of Beterbiev and Inoue. Inoue’s punches are also short and direct but they also have a dynamic feel to them. Louis’s body didn’t move overly fast but his hands did. He was deceptive in that way. Beterbiev does not have the natural speed that they have but he makes up for it because he’s so direct with his shots, they still get there.
You seem higher on Tank Davis than most. Granted he’s an elite puncher. But his matchmaking has been perfect. I believe any fighter with his talent level that is blessed with this type of clever matchmaking would have a perfect record. Maybe not so many knockouts but the same record. I’m going to take a quote from you that you have used with other fighters. Davis has not fought any black fighters. Bread you know what’s up without saying it. How can you rate him so high when he hasn’t fought any good black fighters?
Bread’s Response: Tank Davis passes my eyeball test. I think he’s elite. I think his timing, poise, power, IQ and punch delivery are elite. He seems to have a good beard and excellent endurance. He also has switch he can turn on when he needs to. He was told that he was losing to Mario Barrios and he flipped the very next round. I know Tank hasn’t fought the level of opposition that his promoter and mentor Floyd Mayweather has at the same age and stage but this is a different era. Different fighters and he doesn’t have to. I’ve never said he has the best resume. I said he’s one of the world’s best fighters. I know you guys will ask me how do I know without a great resume. Well I just know. He’s a special talent. I have good eyes. Tank is the truth.
I see that you are reserving your pick on Spence vs Crawford. Smart man. This fight is close. Super close. But I want to ask you about a comment Spence made. A reporter asked him about being willing to die in the ring. Spence said he’s not willing to die in the ring. He went on to say he has a mom and dad and three kids. What are your thoughts on that? I find it interesting for a fighter to admit that and I don’t know how to take it.
Bread’s Response: First of all I don’t think anyone has a right to ask a fighter are they willing to die in the ring. It’s a sacred place and it’s intrusive. If a fighter decides to talk about that stuff then that’s cool but no one should be asking a fighter that. Even if Spence said he’s not willing to die in the ring that doesn’t mean he isn’t. Errol has never shown a lack of competitiveness or heart in the ring. Every time he has faced adversity he has responded. All fighters know the risk when they get in the ring. They all know they CAN die in the ring. And they all go in the ring willingly. Some are willing to take more than others but they all assume the risk. You also have to understand something else. Human beings are complex. You may ask me something on Monday and I feel different about it on Tuesday. Maybe Spence was in a domesticated mood when he answered that. I didn’t see the interview. But I know feelings and emotions go up and down. In the heat of battle with adrenaline flowing I have been willing do things that I’m not willing to do in a more calm state of mind. So I wouldn’t put too much stock into Spence’s answer and again no one should even be asking a fighter that. It’s way top personal and not enough context and common sense is used in analyzing the answer.
Dear Mr Edwards,
Thanks for the weekly education on boxing and life. My question is a simple request: could you break down who performed the best against Floyd Jr?
Peace, Kevin from Muncie
Bread’s Response: Oscar is the only fighter to ever get a Split decision vs Floyd. If I’m not mistaken Maidana and Canelo got even cards which led to majority decisions. But I didn’t like HOW Oscar fought. His jab was working good. But he started to flail and he wasn’t patient and consistent. I think it’s a coin flip between Maidana1 and Castillo1. Both fought Floyd great. I can’t separate the two of them. Both had real cases for winning their fights.
With Castillo, Floyd got out to an early lead. Castillo is the only fighter I have seen do better vs Floyd in the 2nd half of fights. Floyd gets the better of all of his fights after the halfway mark. Castillo is the only fighter to get the better of him after the 6th. Castillo put clever pressure on Floyd. He closed the distance. He jabbed well vs Floyd. His jab was not better than Floyd’s but it was good enough to disrupt Floyd. Then when he got close, he would plant his lead leg in between Floyd’s stance and he would hit Floyd with short left hooks to the head and body. He didn’t care if they landed clean. He just wanted to hit something and with being that close to Floyd, it took away Floyd’s speed advantage. Castillo was able to get his rhythm if I remember correctly somewhere around the 4th or 5th. While I was watching that fight live, I was rooting for Floyd and at the end of the fight I honestly didn’t know who won. With the HBO team all thinking Castillo won and from what I had watched without a pen and pad I didn’t know who won. I was relieved when Floyd got the decision and I was glad he ran it back and got a clean 7-5 in the rematch because that 1st fight was razor close. Each time you watch you can get a different score and I like to be fair go back to my initial feeling and my initial feeling was I had no idea who won.
Maidana fought equally as good as Castillo but the difference was he started really fast and I believe he hurt Floyd with a right hand high on the head early. Maidana simply swarmed Floyd and because he’s so heavy handed Floyd had to be careful. Maidana looked crude but by 2014 Robert Garcia had him really rolling. Floyd’s fights are not usually chaotic or violent. It’s more a skillful energy. Technically it’s violence but not the way the 1st Maidana fight was. That fight was violent! He hit Floyd low. He hit him on the top of the head. He bit him. He overwhelmed him in spots. Floyd thinks too fast for 99% of fighters in history. But Maidana wasn’t thinking, he was reacting. Maidana got a little tired down the stretch and Floyd started taking some rounds but I think this caused Team Maidana to overthink themselves in the rematch. Because Floyd closed so strong in the 1st fight, they were more conservative in the rematch trying to save something down the stretch. It backfired because winning the first 7 rounds is no different than winning the last 7 rounds. Maidana is a really hard puncher and Floyd has to respect his power. So if Maidana started fast, Floyd would have to be careful early because he could get clipped. Maidana had the ability to hurt Floyd. He did hurt him twice in the first fight and once with the big right hand at the end of one of the rounds in the rematch. Again I wasn’t sure who won the first Maidana fight. It was that close.
I hate rescoring fights because by then your mind has been polluted and the judges don’t have the luxury to rescore. I don’t watch fights with a pen and paper. I think most of us don’t. I’ve personally seen members of the media lie about who they had winning fights. I have seen them drink alcohol, walk around, talk and go to the bathroom during fights. Then in the days after a fight, I have seen them say how they scored the fight. I’ve never called out anyone personally, but they know who they are. I am honest when I say I don’t take a pen and pad to a sports bar or have one with me when I watch fights. Most times I can tell who won. But close fights with swing rounds you need a pen and paper. Both of those fights were up in the air for me and I’m glad Floyd ran them back immediately to erase doubt because they were close and both Maidana and Castillo deserved rematches.
Hey Bread,
Hope all is good! Writing in to see what are your thoughts on Danny Garcia moving up to 154lbs and how do you see him faring against Jose Benavidez? I think this has the potential to be a really tough fight for Danny if they're both at their best this weekend. I also remember thinking Cotto would be too small to have much success at 154lbs but he did pretty well there and even became a champion at 160lbs. What are your thoughts and picks on the mythical match ups below at 140lbs?Oscar De La Hoya vs Aaron Pryor Timothy Bradley vs Paulie Malignaggi Miguel Cotto vs Kendal Holt
Thanks for taking time out to do the mailbag, it's my favorite boxing publication by far!
Bread’s Response: Those bigger guys will have to get Danny’s timing down. Danny is not a fast 140lber but he’s going to be fast for 154lbs. I favor Danny to win going by what I saw from Benavidez in his last fight. There was a time when Benavidez was viewed as an elite prospect and can’t miss champion. But inactivity and his leg injury have really slowed him down. He looked awful in his last fight if you’re being honest but I know he’s better than that. I’m not sure what’s going on but he seems stressed mentally. Fighters who are really stressed out, over try and unless they’re huge punchers they look bad. So going by that you have to favor Danny. I think Jose will look better than he did in his last fight but Danny can usually handle the level of fighter I think Jose is at this current moment. I expect a very good fight. But maybe a late ko by Danny.
Oscar vs Pryor. In a 12 rounder flip a coin. Oscar could hang with him and most likely drop him. In a 15 rounder I would take the Hawk. His engine is too good.
I would take Bradley by decision over Paulie.
I would take Cotto by stoppage over Holt in a shootout.
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