Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, at the end of a week in which Brian Norman Jnr recorded an eye-catching knockout and Jaron "Boots" Ennis announced his move to 154lbs, answers your questions and assesses your assertions in his latest mailbag.
What up, Bread?
Got a question regarding scoring and, specifically, effective aggression. In Canelo-GGG II most say Canelo won or at worst drew but I feel GGG was winning the effective aggression due to the fact his back hit the ropes maybe twice when Canelo was going forward, whereas in the first fight GGG was able to put Canelo on the ropes most of the fight. What say you? Also, was Amir Khan no longer going to the body against Marcos Maidana after round one of the dumbest game plans in a fight?
Mike S, San Antonio
Bread’s response: My gut feeling after GGG vs Canelo I was GGG won. My gut feeling after Canelo vs GGG II was Canelo or draw. I have no issue with Canelo winning the second fight. I don’t care if GGG went to the ropes or not. Canelo was landing some heavy shots as he walked forward. Canelo goes to the ropes when he’s boxing because he can counter punch off of the ropes. It’s sort of like James Toney going to the ropes. They like it there somewhat.
I don’t think it was part of Khan’s gameplan to not go to the body. Sometimes a fighter just doesn’t do things that are beneficial to their success. Khan was a talented fighter but not a fighter who displayed a great IQ. He made mistakes. That’s not a lack of a gameplan. It’s more of a lack of awareness and IQ.
Peace and blessings to you,
You are one of the best coaches in boxing, and we may disagree on some things, but I respect you more than our disagreements on some boxing issues. That being said, Keyshawn not making weight was wrong – however two fights ago when he was about to fight Gustavo Lemos, his opponent weighed in overweight and Keyshawn still took the fight and stopped him. De los Santos still wanted the fight and his promoter blocked it. I think this was a bad decision given that De los Santos hasn’t fought in 18 months, because now who does he fight? Keyshawn’s after-the-fight actions are totally unacceptable so he will have to deal with that, but he will come back, and still dominate at 140 in my opinion.
Bread’s response: When you make a comparison you have to do it with context. Keyshawn was the favorite and the A side when Lemos came in heavy. De los Santos was the B side, underdog, and fighting in Keyshawn’s hometown. De los Santos also looked like he struggled to make weight. Beating Keyshawn would’ve been a long shot for De los Santos, even if Keyshawn made weight. But beating Keyshawn without Keyshawn making weight would’ve been a monumental task.
We don’t know what De los Santos’s promoter had planned for him because he parted ways with his promoter after he was told not to fight. I don’t second guess the decision one bit and I would’ve respected it either way. But let’s remember the fans, media and critics all clown Devin Haney for losing to Ryan Garciam who came in heavy. And Vasiliy Lomachenko for losing to Orlando Salido, who also came in heavy. Those losses get thrown up against Haney’s and Loma’s legacy every time they get brought up. Think about this – Garcia came in heavy and on PEDs and the media still says that Devin can’t defend a left hook. So I’m not going to criticize Sampson Lewkowicz for protecting his fighter. There is no right or wrong in this but I have seen this be an advantage on too many occasions to fault Team De los Santos for not fighting.
What's up, Bread?
I think 140 is now the hottest division, along with 154. I won't overreact, because Richardson was supposed to beat Kambosos. Now, with Keyshawn entering the fray, who do you rank as the top dog at the weight? Teo, Puello, Russell, Hitchins, or Keyshawn? What are your initial thoughts on Keyshawn vs Richardson? How does Andy Cruz match-up with Shakur and Tank? Have you noticed the trend of PBC fighters having long lay-offs after a loss? Charlo; Frank Martin; Errol; Keith; Wilder; Lubin (even though he won). It's concerning.
Anyways, appreciate your time.
Bread’s response: I don’t know who the top dog at 140 is, because they haven’t all fought. My guess is Gary Russell, but he has a loss to Puello. I think Russell most likely edged their fight but it was close enough for me to respect the official result. Teofimo Lopez has a good case but he can a little inconsistent. I also like Hitchins chances against Teo because of the styles. That’s why they all have to fight.
I have no idea who would win Keyshawn vs Hitchins. It’s a 50-50 fight. I don’t know how good Andy Cruz is going to be but he would be a nightmare for Shakur and Tank from what I can see. It’s hard for me to say who would win because I’m still learning about Cruz, but considering his gold medal and the eyeball test, I wouldn’t be surprised if he beat both Shakur and Tank.
What’s good, Bread?
Short and easy today. Who's your top 10 at 140, all time? How would Floyd have fared against Acelino Freitas, Cory Spinks, Casamayor and Kostya Tszyu at their respective heights? Thanks, bro.
Bread’s response: Tough question on the junior-welterweight rankings. But I will try.
Aaron Pryor; Julio Cesar Chavez; Barney Ross; Tony Canzoneri; Kostya Tszyu; Wilfred Benitez; Miguel Cotto; Niccolino Locche; Antonio Cervantes; Oscar De La Hoya.
Yes, Oscar was a bad boy at 140 and the version of him that beat Chavez could beat any 140lber in history.
I would pick Floyd to beat Freitas – most likely to stop him. Freitas was talented but he had too much give in him to beat Floyd at any weight on any night.vCory Spinks is a tough style but Floyd’s lead right hand is too tricky, in my opinion. I would’ve loved to see it though because we never saw Floyd beat a pure boxer like Spinks. I think Floyd would beat Casamayor but Floyd only beat one gold ,edalist in his career that I can remember and that’s Oscar, and Oscar gave him trouble. Gold medal pedigree is something else. I wish they would've fought at 130lbs.
Kostya was an amateur world champion, which is equivalent to an Olympic gold medalist. I wanted to see this fight in 2004-05. Floyd is the better fighter but Tszyu was brutal on boxers. He had no issues figuring out sharp boxers like Zab Judah, Sharmba Mitchell and even Vernon Forest in the amateurs. Tszyu's pedigree, jab and vaunted power would’ve been a difficult task for Floyd. I’m going to say Floyd via controversial decision. It’s a safe pick but I’m not as sure as I was on the others.
Hello Breadman,
Just read that Benavidez is interested in a shot at Opetaia. Personally, I think Benavidez should forget about that one. Do you agree? George Kambosos is finished now, surely? Can you name any boxer who achieved so much with such limited boxing skills? I’ve always enjoyed Caleb Plant – I actually lost some money on the Alvarez fight. What do you guys want to do next?
Bread’s response: I don’t want to name boxers with limited skills who achieved so much. There is just not a way to make that list in a complimentary way.
If Benavidez fought Opetaia he needs to be talked about in a different light. If he beats him he’s a sure fire hall-of-famer and he would be putting himself in the running for fighter of the decade with five years remaining. That would be an insane victory for Benavidez, who won his first title at 168lbs.
Hello Breadman,
I am still confused about the Navarette-Suarez fight. The fight was stopped on a cut. Was the cut by a punch or head clash? I don’t know. The fight originally went to Navarette, but because of a bad referee call was changed to a no contest. I am still confused about what happened in this fight. Very entertaining fight, by the way. Can you shed some light on this? I hope they fight again. My second question is a somewhat mythical comparison of Loma and The Monster. I hear you talk about footwork and how a fighter has his feet under him. How does balance and tempo play into things, and how do these two compare to each other in these areas? Their weight classes are a little apart, but if we could see them for one night only at the same weight – please break this one down. It has to be a classic.
Thank you, JB.
Bread’s response: I only saw the end of the Navarette fight. I have no idea what happened.
Inoue and Loma have some of the better feet of the past era. Inoue is currently at 122 and Loma started at 126. It would’ve been a fantastic fight. Inoue’s footwork is perfect for his high-volume violent attack. Loma’s footwork is perfect for his pressure and technical style. If I had to pick who’s better, I wouldn’t, because their styles are different. If you’re asking me who would win if they fought head to head, I would say Loma. Loma is manoeuvrable with his footwork. Inoue knows how to “get to you”, whereas Loma knows how to get to you and around you.
Loma has trouble with huge guys who fight him at a range that’s difficult for him to cover. Even if him and Inoue were the same weight, he wouldn’t be dealing with the physicality and range of a man 20lbs naturally heavier. It would be hard for any man in history who doesn’t have a significant size advantage over Loma to beat him. I know some will argue this – especially since Inoue may have surpassed Loma as far as career accomplishments. But I’m comfortable picking Loma to beat him and I didn’t have to think about it too hard.
Do you believe Deontay Wilder has any chance to become a legitimate heavyweight contender again?
Bread’s response: Sure he does if he’s matched correctly and he’s on a consistent schedule.
What do you think of Brian Norman Jnr after his performance? Do you think he has a legitimate shot to beat Boots Ennis or are you still favoring Ennis to beat him?
Bread’s response: Norman looked really good. I wish you guys would have asked me about this fight beforehand, because I believe in Jolene Mizzone and Adrian Clark. They have a really good thing going. I also believe in Top Rank matchmakers Bruce Trampler and Brad Goodman. So without knowing too much about Norman’s opponent, I saw that he was a fast fighter who was in love with his offense but not much defense. Those type of fighters who are not A-level fighters usually get knocked out bad when they step up. Imagine Mike Tyson without the jab and elite defensive head movement. But nevertheless, Norman looked excellent and he did his job and raised his stock.
It’s not worth talking about Boots and Norman at this point. They aren’t going to fight. Boots is at 154 and Norman is at 147.
While in camp with a fighter, do trainers pretty much do the same training routine with each fighter or does it vary from camp to camp? Also, do trainers train differently depending on the style of their fighter or style of the opponent? I know you may not be at liberty to talk about it but I’m asking because Caleb Plant looked as if his stamina was improving in his first few fights with you and then in his last fight he looked like something was done different in this camp, leading to a bad performance. On another note, how do you think Boots Ennis does against the field at 154lbs? Who would you say is his biggest threat?
Bread’s response: At a certain level a fight camp is opponent specific, but there are certain things that should be a baseline that should never be compromised and if they are compromised you have to make up for it and overcompensate in another area.
I would say that Boots Ennis would be the favorite over each individual fighter at 154lbs. But as you know, the totality of the opponents can have an effect on you. So if you’re asking me can he be the best fighter at 154, I would say yes. But if he fights all of the best fighters back to back and each fighter is in his prime, there can be a slip up. For example, from 1979 to 1981, “Sugar” Ray Leonard fought the 38-0 Wilfred Benitez, the 71-1 Roberto Duran twice, the 34-0 Ayub Kalule and the 32-0 Tommy Hearns. He lost one of the fights and that was to Duran. So my point is if Boots fights Vergil Ortiz, Sebastian Fundora, Tim Tszyu, Bahkram Murtazaliev and, let’s say, an elite fighter emerges, he may take a loss because of how rough a schedule it is to go through. But again, individually all things being equal, I would favor him over all of the 154lbs fighters. Things are fluid in boxing. But my guess right now is that his hardest opponents would be Fundora and Ortiz.
Does Richardson Hitchins have the best jab in boxing? If not, can you give a top-10 jabs in the game right now?
Bread’s response: Hitchins certainly is in the argument for the best jab in boxing. His jab is simply ridiculous. He has perfect balance and a perfect release on it. Top 10 jabs – this is off the top of my head, so I won’t have a perfect order, but here goes… Boots Ennis; Richardson Hitchins; Devin Haney; Monster Inoue; Jermall Charlo; Dmitry Bivol; Terence Crawford; Canelo Alvarez; Artur Beterbiev; Hamzah Sheeraz
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