In this week’s mailbag, trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards discusses, among other topics, punch resistance, a potential fight between Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko, Lomachenko's standing, Devin Haney's unpopularity, and more.

Thanks for answering my footwork and ring-cutting question — really helped me better understand what elite fighters are actually doing in there. I’ve got a couple questions that touch on defense and ring IQ. One, do some elite fighters intentionally accept getting touched at certain moments – like taking a lighter shot or staying in the pocket longer – to bait a bigger opening or land something better in return? Who are some of the best at doing this strategically, rather than just getting caught? Two, can a fighter train a better chin – or is punch resistance mostly genetic? I’ve heard coaches say you can’t really improve your chin, but you can work on things like recovery, composure, or even how you take a shot. When I watched boxers like GGG or Hagler, I noticed that when they got hit, their heads barely moved – no real snapback. Is that strong neck control helping prevent the kind of head movement that leads to concussions or knockouts? Or is that just god-given durability? Curious to hear your take. Thanks, as always. Your mailbag is a staple of my week.

Tommy, Europe

Bread’s response: You know something – most elite fighters with elite IQ will allow certain punches to touch them but they won’t let the “kill shot” get in. I can literally give you thousands of examples. But I will give you three that I just studied. Watch Ray Leonard vs Bruce Finch in Leonard’s last welterweight title defense. He stayed in the pocket, allowed Finch to open up, then he knocked Finch’s head off. Leonard gave off a relaxed complacent energy, then boom.

Floyd Mayweather vs Phillip Ndou – Mayweather stayed in the pocket, while Ndou threw a high volume of touches. Floyd allowed him to get greedy so he could KO him, and he did.

Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev. In their first fight, Kovalev’s jab bothered Ward but his right hand dropped Ward. In the rematch Ward conceded the jab but nothing else. The fight was about even as far as points but not threat level. You could see that Ward was the more dangerous man that night.

The less a fighter can make a punch miss by, the easier it is to counter that punch.

I believe punch resistance, like any other gift, is genetic but can also be enhanced. It’s scientifically proven that neck and jaw exercises can stop the head from snapping. The less the head snaps, the less the brain slams up against the skull. Anyone who says you can’t increase punch resistance is simply misinformed. This is not even a matter of opinion, it’s a simple fact. You can also be born with a good punch resistance. Thicker bone density; strong jaw line; thick base, etc, can all be markers of a person born to take a punch. But again, all of those things can be enhanced in training.

I saw that YSM sports uploaded a film from in the venue. I didn't watch the whole fight yet just skipped to the finish. I liked how Erron Peterson went to the body first when he had Aaron Casper hurt. I don't know if it was his natural fighting instincts or your coaching but I was impressed by how composed he went about trying to get the finish instead of just flailing away. With about two more years of professional level training I expect Erron will build up more strength and conditioning of his body and technique, and then the guys might start getting put lights out. After Canelo vs Scull I'd also make Crawford the favourite in my mind. You can get 7/4 odds on Crawford at the moment in the UK – I was tempted to bet it already but want to see a few more things, including if they fight at the full 168 limit with no rehydration clause, and what size ring it will be.

I went and watched Toney vs Holyfield and I can see what you're saying. The thing is my concern is the same as why I thought Barboza couldn't beat Teofimo once I thought deeper about that fight. In my mind it was a case of Teofimo's hands are too fast, so whenever Barboza tries to attack him Teofimo will fire back hard in combination and Barboza won't be able to get out the way. So, I'm unsure if Crawford can hit Canelo without taking return fire – particularly if he leads coming forward as Canelo is explosive off his defensive head movement. If Canelo walks down and can get close enough to jump in with one hard body shot, even if taking two-to-three headshots in return, it could take a toll like with many others since he went on his 168 run. Like you, I also don't rule out Crawford hurting Canelo, but I don't think he'll be able to finish him. Canelo is too proud and too tough for that in my view. Crawford, as much of a killer he is, will probably also be cagey in going for it unless Canelo is properly gone like Fury in Usyk II. If I had to pick right now I'd say Crawford wins on points but they call it a draw. As old as Canelo is there is still far more money in him than in Crawford. I saw Jake Paul is supposedly trying to fight Badou Jack for his cruiserweight title, so we can see where that is clearly headed in a Canelo cruiserweight fight against him. The amount of money that would generate, they'd definitely want to keep Canelo “viable”. About Sheeraz-Berlanga, you probably didn't see this fight but I seem to remember Sheeraz being hurt by River Wilson-Bent here in the UK. After the way he fought against Adames, like you I'm now questioning about his chin and if he trusts it, and if it wasn't just boiling down to 160 that caused the wobble earlier in his career. Could be I'm remembering wrong – I thought he was hurt on the way up. May even have been against Bradley Skeete. I think Ammo Williams hurt him too –  I think you mentioned that.

Bread’s response: That was a nice finish by Erron Peterson, but he’s actually KO’d several opponents with one shot. He’s an excellent puncher.

I had Crawford the favorite all along vs Canelo. I’m also curious as to who the judges will be, etc, etc. Any man can be hurt. I don’t think Crawford can stop Canelo with one punch. But I do think he can buzz him and with a volume of punches, get Canelo out of there late. I believe Canelo can stop Crawford with one punch. But I don’t think he will land it.

Sheeraz is a solid fighter with a solid foundation. But after studying him, I’ve noticed he gets hurt more often than noted and the rush to make him a superstar was hasty. Sheeraz was definitely hurt by Ammo Williams. I saw it. I think the matchmaking in the Sheeraz-Berlanga match-up is peculiar. Sheeraz just struggled to a draw where he underperformed. He’s moving up a new division. And he just switched trainers. I think Sheeraz has the edge in skills but that doesn’t mean he will win. Berlanga is huge for 168lbs. He’s also heavy-handed. Maybe Sheeraz’s team thinks poorly of Berlanga. But I think Berlanga is the better athlete and I do suspect that Sheeraz will have to adjust to Berlanga’s power. But Berlanga gets hurt often also. I think the fight ends in a KO. And I slightly favor Berlanga, 55-45.

Bread,

Has Philadelphia had a greater influence on boxing – Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Danny Garcia, etc – or soul music? Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Paul, Daryl Hall, Patti Labelle, Ojays, etc.

Jeremy

Bread’s response: Man what a question. I’m going to say boxing has the slight edge. But it’s closer than I ever thought about before you asked…

Hi Breadman,

I just rewatched Loma vs Kambosos, and even though his opponent was very limited, my eyes showed me a man who can fully compete with these young'uns that are his weight, even though he is so much naturally smaller. He has clearly lost a step, but so had many ATGs who have pulled a rabbit out of the hat. If the Loma from his last fight is considered washed, his peak must be considered historical. From what I see, he should still be considered a P4P fighter, considering his size and clear ability. I understand he has been inactive, but that doesn't change the fact that he has not been considered as a P4Per in years! Why were Floyd and Pac still P4P players when their ability had dropped and, IMO, they were not exhibiting the ability and quality Loma has shown in recent fights? The understanding is that Tank will KO him, and Shakur will outbox him, but I personally cannot see either of those things happening. Haney was also considered all wrong for him, because of his ability and length – however, forgetting bizarre judging preferences, the consensus is he won handily. Loma seems to be the most divisive fighter I have come across, with little reason. All of his wins have been beyond conclusive, with all his losses highly contentious – except possibly Teo, who hulked over him. I would be very interested if you could explain how you could see Shakur “easily” outboxing Loma, as is the general belief. I'm just really struggling to see it.

Bread’s response: I agree with some of your comment but you overcooked my grits a little bit when you said Loma was operating at a higher level than Floyd and Manny and he currently deserved to be on the P4P list. At 40 Manny beat Keith Thurman. At 36 Floyd beat Canelo. Loma is 37. You have to be careful with the comparisons.

I never said Shakur would easily outbox Loma. But I do think Shakur by decision is the most likely outcome. Loma has lost a step but Kambosos is the type of fighter to make an ageing fighter look good. Loma looked good vs Devin also. So I get your point. I think Loma is an ATG junior lightweight. And he’s one significant win away from being an ATG fighter overall. If he would’ve beaten Haney or Lopez he would be. But he didn’t get the official decisions. Loma and GGG are snake bitten in that regard. If Loma comes back he would be in danger of staining his legacy and resume. Loma is getting older while his main counterparts are entering their primes.

I don’t think Loma deserves to be on the top P4P list currently. I love Loma but you would have to be the best attorney in the world to argue that point. He’s not even an active fighter. Teofimo Lopez is barely on the P4P list and he beat Loma. Who would you take off the list to put a 37-year-old inactive fighter on?

Stephen,

I hope that you are doing well. The Chris Eubank Jnr vs Conor Benn fight was a good tussle, which added to the Eubank-Benn family rivalry. I think their family rivalry is somewhat similar to the Ali vs Frazier rivalry. Also, anytime I see Eubank Snr talking on a platform, I have to listen. He's engaging and appears to be a sincere gentleman. I think it’s an injustice that Chris Snr is not in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He had 22 title victories and defenses – granted mainly in Europe – but his three fights with Nigel Benn and Michael Watson were HOF-worthy. What is your opinion on why Chris Snr isn‘t in the International Boxing Hall of Fame? I appreciate your work, and thanks in advance.

Meredith Miller, Orlando, Florida

Bread’s response: I have said several times that Chris Eubank Snr deserves to be in the HOF. If you look at his resume, you know it’s an injustice that he’s not in. Eubank was 41-0-2 before he took his first loss. He won over 20 championship fights through two divisions. And on the nights he stopped Nigel Benn and Michael Watson he was a great fighter. He wasn’t the most dominant champion. He had plenty of close nights. But it’s not the Hall of Dominance, it’s the Hall of Fame. Someone needs to do a forensic study, to determine how Chris Eubank Snr is not in the Hall of Fame. If you really think about it, you know he was slighted. Why Eubank is slighted, I don’t know? But there has to be something there.

Hiya Breadman,

Been a boxing fan for nearly 60 years and have tried myself as a boxing scribe and chronicler for about 40 years. Bob Arum for the nth time praises Naoya Inoue as the best he has ever seen in boxing, topping even the likes of Muhammad Ali and Manny Pacquiao. In a recent video interview, he was at it again and nearly everyone seemed to go along until the interviewee asked about Brian Norman, another of his fighters, fighting Boots Ennis. He blurted, "Boots Ennis? Never heard of him!" Duh? Well anyway, Arum can always sing pagans to Inoue on all media platforms. But why is he doing that to the point of hard selling the Japanese “Monster”? Is he being honest and sincere in saying so? Everyone knows Arum never had it so good as a promoter since latching up with Inoue and his cash-rich promoters and sponsors. Imagine just being there in Japan and cooling his heels and earning millions of yen and dollars without shelling out from his own checkbook?

Bread’s response:

Never ask is a promoter being sincere. It’s his job to promote, regardless of if he’s telling the truth. I have heard Arum say that Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Vasyl Lomachenko and now Monster Inoue were the best fighters he’s ever seen at different times. Well there can only be one best. So that tells you all you need to know about that question. I don’t know why he’s hard selling Inoue but there is a reason for everything. Maybe there is a big money in the Japanese market that we don’t see on the surface level. Of course Bob Arum will act like Boots Ennis is invisible. That’s typical promoter behavior. If he said Boots was the best fighter at 147lbs and he has a champion at 147lbs, what would Brian Norman think of him?

Terence Crawford has a history of carrying his power into higher divisions. Because of this, I expect him to immediately be the biggest puncher at super middleweight. I expect him to have devastating one-punch knockout power. I haven’t seen this from any other current super middleweight. Canelo Alvarez doesn’t have the length or reach to stay out of Crawford’s range and box him from the outside. This is why I think Crawford will knock Alvarez out. Am I dreaming, or do you see this as a possibility as well?

Bread’s response: I don’t think you’re dreaming as far as Crawford getting a stoppage. It’s possible. But I don’t think Crawford is the biggest puncher at 168lbs regardless of the outcome of the fight.

What up, Breadman?

As a Devin Haney follower I am just convinced he might be one of the most hated fighters in all of boxing history. And I have been watching boxing since I was eight years old in the late 70s. Back in the day a hated fighter would verbally slander someone or do some bad shit in the ring. As for Devin and Ryan, I would never have imagined that real true boxing fans would persecute Devin and support Ryan. We were supposed to see the rematch  with or without osterine, right? Ryan dropped the ball and nobody is clowning and in fact now hates on Devin Haney's shut-out performance. I believe Devin has never been an in-the-pocket type of fighter but obliged you hating ass fans and went toe to toe with Jo Jo Diaz and Linares. It seems like this young man can't do anything right, actually. He honestly has to knock someone out, which is not fair. Even then, if he did, the public would say the opposition was weak. He will have to be a villain now ‘till the end of his career. He has a solid fan base and we rock with him. In this modern day era you can't let your 0 go, unfortunately. My favorite fighter Sugar Ray Leonard had three losses but still is my dude. Sad that Devin Haney can't never take an "L". Seems like the fans of today are not like US fans of the years past. Devin and his dad go do or die against the grain. As a Shane Mosley fan I recall them hating on Mosley Snr when Shane was poppin. Is he a Whittaker, Ray Leonard, or Sugar Shane? No, he is not. But the kid takes on all "fades” and ducks nobody. He was chasing Ryan, Loma, and Teo Lopez for years. I am at the point where I am just like get the "W". He should get the bag a few times and retire. He gets another strap, he can get to hall of fame if he were to defend the belt and leave the game at 30 years old with all his faculties. If you can't get love, have them respect your name when you leave it. Andre Ward and Calzaghe could say they were the best ever whether hating ass fans agree or not. Satisfy your own fan base and let the haters hate. Screw these fans on the keyboard talking smoke. You got many styles of fighters, man – like Shakur, Camacho Snr, Paulie Malignaggi, GGG, Canelo, Duran, Hearns, and so on. I feel bad for Ali's last days. He gave the US his all heart against Frazier, who put the final touches to Ali's ending of his career. Y’all want Devin Haney to rope a dope? Much respect to all the fighters and their different styles. But using the whole ring aint running. Learn to cut off the damn ring like Chavez Snr did on "runners'. That's a lame ass excuse...

Micheal "Precise" Blount

Bread’s response: Here is the thing about people disliking you. You have two choices. You can either wonder why they dislike you and change. Or you can keep doing you. I don’t know why so many people dislike Devin. But it’s not up to me to figure it out. People have a right to like who they want. I told Devin a few years back to keep boxing, keep being smart, keep using his jab and feet and most of all, keep winning. He doesn’t have to listen to me at all but he listened somewhat. He boxed well vs Kambosos but he tried to walk Ryan down. I won’t even say it was a stylistic error because Ryan tested positive for drugs. But that’s what happened.

What I have found in life is that people don’t care about right or wrong. As long as their confirmation bias is satisfied, they couldn’t care less about ethics. I have heard enough people say that Devin needs to learn to block a left hook and overlook the ostarine in Ryan’s system...

At this point I agree with you – Devin needs to make his money and win fights. He can’t worry about pleasing fans that don't like him. But he can worry about improving his record, making more money, winning more titles and leaving the game with his health intact.

Hello sir,

Big fan of your work. I’ve learned a lot about the sport and coaching from you (as a teacher-coach myself). What do you tell your fighters about the first round? What do you want from them early in the fight? Anyone stand out to you as great in their approach to the first round (or early rounds)?

Thank you, and keep up the great work. Pat S

Bread’s response: All fighters are different. I have, and had, guys that are sharp right away. They don’t need time to warm up. I always tell those guys to be sharp but don’t show too much early. I actually tell all of my guys that. But I let them to cook.

I have other guys who start a little slower and they need time to warm up. I tell them to not rush their warm up. Download data, get their body warmed up and try to win rounds without being on fire. Different concepts but same goals.

Breadman,

After the May card there appears to be a change in plans. Haney-Garcia doesn't make sense from a marketability standpoint right now; 140 lbs, Teo-Ernesto Mercado (he should be ranked), Teo vs Rayo (backstory is there from their sparring sessions pre-2020), Teo vs Russell; at 147 lbs Teo vs Boots wouldn't be to leave your seat as would be a high-level chess match, Boots vs Haney, Haney would have to fight against Boots, Haney vs Norman Jnr would test Haney, Romero vs Norman Jnr, Rolly could make interesting. I didn't include Garcia as he seemed as though he was missing that "drive" to compete and will himself to win. The exciting fighters right now are Teo and Boots. How do you see those fights playing out? With the boxing landscape, the money and marketability seem to be there, or do you think others would be more fitting?

Blessings, Richard K

Bread’s response: I haven’t watched enough of Mercado. I like Teo over Rayo. I can’t call Teo vs Russell yet. Let me think on that. I like Boots over Teo. I like Boots over Haney. I think Haney vs Norman is an even fight. I like Norman over Romero.

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