The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen “Breadman” Edwards tackling topics such as the career of Amir Khan, the unification between Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano, the skills of Shakir Stevenson, the recent big win by Gabe Rosado, the career of David Haye, and more.
Hello Breadman ,
Just cant get over still seeing bad decisions . The latest victim Adam Lopez , clearly won his fight against Dogboe. It was a good action packed fight . But Lopez won and lost the decision . I think of all the bad decisions over the years. How they impact a boxers career, legacy, money and status . Sometimes championship status . Just wrong to do this to someone . And it just doesn’t effect the loser . The winner gets wrongly credited and awarded to lofty status, money and championships . Think what would be different if Larry Holmes lost to Carl the Truth Williams and Tim Witherspoon.
Canelo has the loss to GGG . It changes things . The bad judges just keep on judging . This has to stop . Why cant judges just score the fight , like you say , one round at a time . With no pressure or politics involved . This has to keep boxing from being legit . Would like to hear your suggestions. Also why would Fury vs Joshua be put on the backburner. It seems to be the biggest fight for the most money. Why risk the huge payday by one or both possibly losing. I don’t understand this. Please help.
Lastly , Teofimo Lopez vs Duran at 135 , Do you think Duran could hang in there.
Thank You, J.B.
Bread’s Response: Wait did you just ask me could Roberto Duran hang in there with Teofimo Lopez? Come on MAN! Lopez is a stud but the question should be phrased can Lopez hang in there with Duran, not can Duran hand in there with Lopez. You guys have to stop disrespecting greatness. If I lived in your house, and I said you stayed with me. That would give people the impression you lived in my house. I have seen assistant trainers call themselves CO trainers, trying to give the impression that they are EQUAL to the head trainer. Wording is very important. Please don’t disrespect the GAWD Dooran again.
Bad decisions are horrible for boxing. The biggest reason is for the people who didn’t see the fight and they only can refer to the result. Over time people forget robberies but they remember results.
The reason why Fury is fighting Wilder is because a arbitrator told him to do so. Joshua is fighting Usyk because he’s a real fighter and he believes he can win. Let them be real fighters and do what real fighters do. FIGHT. They aren’t overthinking it. They both believe they will win. Let’s enjoy the fights.
Hey Bread,
Hope you and your family are safe and well. Bread I wanted to ask your opinion of Amir Khan. I will start by stating I, like Khan, I am of South Asian heritage and live in England and when I grew up Khan was something of an inspiration to us young South Asians, especially those with a love of boxing, so again I admit there may well be subconscious bias in my views.
I feel Khan is underrated on our shores given he won a silver medal at such a young age at the Olympics and is one of the few British fighters in recent times to “crack” America and fight regularly in the States and was willing to fight the very best, no questions asked.
Khan does have his glaring deficiencies, most notably his concentration and his punch resistance however I feel he has had a career he can be proud of. I have heard some very disrespectful comments about Khan over the years which I feel have been extremely unfair and perhaps motivated by more than just dislike for him as a fighter.
What are your views on him Bread and how would you assess him as a boxer and his career? Thanks for your time.
Bread’s Response: Amir Khan is a GUN, first and foremost. He fought Canelo. He has a poor chin and fought Canelo. Say that out loud. That’s all you need to know about his heart. My goodness. He fought Canelo at 155lbs and was actually fighting well. I think Khan is a top 15ish UK fighter ever. I think he was one big win away from the HOF. Yes he has punch resistance issues. Yes he’s been kod. But let me tell you something I know about the art of matchmaking. Big Promoters love to put their star fighters in with big names who are easy to ko. Khan came up in the same era as Manny Pacquaio, Andre Berto, Tim Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Adrien Broner and Floyd Mayweather. None of them ever fought Khan, and Khan is a big name who brings big money.
From 2009-15 Khan was no easy fight. All of those fighters were big money makers and part of big PPV main events during those year and not one fought Amir Khan.Khan’s resume is severely underrated. Khan was the BUTT of many jokes. Some of it was his fault but he fought and beat some tough fighters in his era. He beat Andrys Kotelnik. Kotelnik was an Olympian. The 1st fighter to beat Marcos Maidana and was on the wrong end of a bad decision vs Devon Alexander. Khan beat him clean. Khan beat Maidana in a great fight. Khan also beat Paulie Malignaggi in his prime. He stopped Zab Judah in a unification.
He lost a controversial decision to Lamont Peterson that still doesn’t feel right. Someone from Peterson’s team went over to the judge’s table, it can be seen on video. Khan was deducted a point in the last round of a 1 point fight in Peterson’s hometown. That whole scenario had an odd feeling to it but Khan didn’t get any sympathy.
Khan then put on a great performance vs Devon Alexander. He also beat Chris Algieri and Luis Collazo. Algieri and Collazo are tough outs. Khan’s losses have been very bad and he usually he got stopped. But he has some nice wins and one of the better resumes of his era. If other fighters had Khan’s resume they would be considered HOF, but because it’s Khan he would never get in. If what happened to Khan in DC vs Peterson would have happened to a more well liked fighter a bigger deal would have been made about it.
As a fighter he frustrated me because he lacked IQ. Boxing ability and IQ are not always exclusive. Khan has pedigree. He has speed. He has some boxing ability. But his lack of awareness frustrated me because I rooted for him most of the time. He got hit with shots no elite boxer should get hit with hit. But somehow despite his chin, lack of IQ and lack of awareness he had an almost HOF career. I think if he would have got a win over just 2 of the fighters I named that didn’t fight him, he would be a HOF despite his bad ko losses.
Junior Middleweight is about to get it’s first unified champion in the 4 belt era. Who do you favor Charlo or Castano? This weekend we had three big names in the division fighting in separate bouts in Lubin vs Rosario and Jrock vs Mendoza. For some reason Jrock pulled out in what looked like a good comeback fight. I’ve seen pictures online of sparring between Jrock and Mendoza and from what I hear, Mendoza more than held his own. I know you don’t train him anymore but is there any truth to that. Besides the ex champions like Hurd, Harrison and Jrock are there any dark horses to challenge Charlo for division supremacy?
Bread’s Response: Yes being a 4 belt champion will be a measure of greatness in this era. I favor Charlo slightly but I think Castano is an excellent fighter. He looked really good in my opinion vs Patrick Texeira. Castano is a high volume pressure technician. He really knows what he’s doing. Castano also was a better amateur than Charlo. It doesn’t mean EVERYTHING but it does mean something. Castano beat Errol Spence and Sergey Devrencheno as amateurs.
Right now it’s hard to pick against Charlo because he’s so clutch and his chin is so reliable. But he does lose rounds. He also has a low punch output. A low punch output is not the worst thing in the world, it works for him. But during his current hot streak the last two times he went the distance, he had struggled on the scorecards. He lost to Tony Harrison and he got a MD win vs Austin Trout. In fact if you look at the scorecards of the John Jackson fight, Jackson won 7 out of 8 rounds. Charlo usually scores a ko in these types of fights. Today I give him the edge. But if he doesn’t, I think Castano is super live.
It’s hard to beat Charlo, he’s only lost once, but it’s not hard to win rounds against him. All of his better opponents actually win almost half of the scored rounds. Jermell has a great jab but he doesn’t hold his ground and pump his jab like Jermall does. Jermell bounces in and out with his legs and Castano is very good at tracking fighters down. This is a REAL fight. So I say either Charlo by ko or Castano by decision. But officially I’m picking Charlo right now. If I change my mind I will let you guys know but I expect a great fight.
I think Rosario is a very strong down hill pressure fighter. His issues is he front runs. I don’t think he’s a complete front runner. But he does front run. He also has punch resistance issues to the head and body. He’s vulnerable to straight body shots. And he also gets hurt with shots high on the head. Rosario is a young fighter but he loses his legs. Lubin has a tremendous right hook. And he has a nasty straight left hand to the body. Obviously Rosario can hurt Lubin also. But I think Lubin is sharper and more dynamic. I think Lubin clips him in a shootout. Rosario comes in a way, where it’s either kill or be killed. He makes you KO him if you can. Rosario is a dog but I just don’t think he can take it to well. So my pick is Lubin.
I don’t train Julian Williams anymore but I’m not going to insinuate negative things towards him if I don’t believe them to be true. If you’re suggesting that Williams pulled out of his fight vs Brian Mendoza because Mendoza had a good sparring session against him, I don’t buy that. I wasn’t there but you have to realize something. It was sparring. Maybe Mendoza was in the heart of training. Maybe Mendoza is a gym rat. Maybe Williams was just trying to get in shape. Sometimes the fans and media don’t take that into consideration when they gossip about sparring or see videos etc. I’m not saying it doesn’t mean anything but you have to KNOW the context of the sparring. If Mendoza got the better of Williams while Williams was in camp for 4 weeks and was peaking, then it would mean more than a random sparring session.
Whoever picked Mendoza for Williams did a great job. That’s a perfect fight for him. Mendoza is shorter than him. He can’t jab with Julian. He’s smaller and he doesn’t have the physicality to challenge Julian’s skillset and sharpness. Julian is a super sharp fighter. Mendoza is the type of fighter I have picked for him in the past and he looked like a million bucks.
Luciano Cuello1st round ko. Michael Medina 8th round 8k. Freddy Hernandez 3rd rd ko, Orlando Lora 3rd rd ko.
The two losses Williams have taken were against bigger fighters, who were mean enough to not get discouraged when he unloaded on him, and strong enough to make him make mistakes. Mendoza seems feisty but he’s not Charlo or Rosario. Anything can happen in a fight but I doubt seriously if Mendoza can beat Williams or if Williams pulled out because of a sparring session.
Yes there are some young guns who can challenge Charlo or Castano for supremacy. Erickson Lubin is on his way to EARNING a 2nd title shot. I respect Lubin because he keeps going after the WBC belt. Charlo kod him for that WBC belt and even before Charlo unified Lubin was screaming for a rematch. Lubin is live vs Charlo or Castano. Charles Conwell, Sebastian Fundora, Tim Tszyu, Issy Madrimov are all emerging. Jaron Ennis will be a 154lber in the next 2 or 3 years. All of the champions and ex champions are over 30 except Rosario. So new blood is definitely coming. If Charlo turns back these young guns, like he did most of the guys his age, he’s a HOF and top 10 ever in the division.
Greetings and Blessings as always Sir,
There isn’t much I can add in regards to praise for Shakur Stevenson and his abilities in the ring. When a fighter displays the ability to employ defense at a high level and shut out an opponent it would be counter productive to press for a knockout. The guy who is being shut out rarely receives any criticism for not going all out so why should the guy who is winning? Boxing may be the only sport where the winner is blamed for being good and executing a game plan. The guy who gives Shakur problems is going to have to figure out how to side step or step to him as he takes his exit. I would equate Shakur’s exit foot work to a killer crossover & step back before taking a fade away jumper. Pound for pound recognition may take a while but he may very well be one of the most difficult fighters to beat right in all of boxing. Thank you for your time as always.
Jack from Detroit
Bread’s Response: You make an interesting point. In a team sport if a team is winning by running the ball. They don’t get criticized for not throwing bombs. But in fairness and context in boxing you can score a ko, so it makes our sport unique. I feel both sides of the argument. For my entertainment I want to see a fighter get kos. But if I’m betting or I’m involved with the fighter I want to see them secure the WIN first, then get down with the entertainment after. I think the guy who troubles Shakur will be the one who forces Shakur to the ropes and/or forces Shakur into vicious exchanges. Shakur’s defense is brilliant but it’s simple. 90% of the time, he anticipates a punch and he steps back quickly. Well if he’s up on the ropes, he can’t step back. Shakur is also able to get guys off of him by using 1 or 2 shots.
The kind of fighter who can absorb those shots and submit to his skillset can also trouble him. Marcos Maidana was not a great fighter. But he was a good a fighter who got hot at the right time. He was able to trouble Floyd Mayweather twice, because he didn’t submit to Mayweather’s skill set. He didn’t accept that Mayweather was better than him. He also bull rushed Mayweather to the ropes and tried to hit anything. He didn’t try to land the perfect shot on Floyd. I’m not saying that’s the only way to beat Stevenson. But sitting back trying to land the perfect shot, will be difficult to do on him. And yes he’s very difficult to beat. In terms of who can beat who and who can beat the most fighters if everyone were the same size, he’s already top 10 P4P. Stevenson could get P4P recognition very easily. Beat Jamel Herring and Oscar Valdez. Two fighters both with Top Rank. Both top 5 in the division. It’s simple. He just needs to get the fights and win them. I don’t think either is a slam dunk. But I do think he would open as the favorite for both.
I apologize for not getting this to you earlier, Breadman. Started a new job and I’ve hit the ground running.
Anyway, saw that Chavez Junior proved a disappointment AGAIN. I also saw Chavez Senior do pretty good for his age in his exhibition, as well as the moment when he and Canelo embraced. I could almost hear Chavez saying to him, “Canelo, you’re like the brother I wish my son had”. But seeing those two Mexican warriors got me thinking… you’ve done your top 10 ATG list in the past… but can you give us a top 10 ATG list from Mexico? Eyeball test, resume, and whatnot of the greatest Mexican fighters of all time? I think that would be cool! If you do, in the spirit of being fair… should you leave Canelo and other active Mexican boxers OFF the list? Is that fair?
Greg K.
Bread’s Response: I think Canelo is already a top 10 ATG from Mexico. It’s no way he isn’t. He has 4 legit division titles. 2 RING titles which is even bigger. And he won unifications at 154 and 168. Canelo also is one of only 3 fighters in history to hold belts at 154, 160, 168 and 175. The other two are Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns. Canelo HAS to be top 10 ever from Mexico. So here is my list. Off the top of my head without long research but just knowing what I know….Eye ball test, peak performance, accomplishments, competition faced and competition missed or ducked.
1. Julio Cesar Chavez
2. Salvador Sanchez
3. Ricardo Lopez
4. Ruben Olivares
5. Canelo Alvarez
6. Marco Antonio Barrera
7. Juan Manuel Marquez
8. Erik Morales
9. Baby Arizmendi
10. Carlos Zarate
Bread,
I am not sure if you caught the Gabe Rasodo v Mulikuziev fight this weekend but that counter right hand was special. My question is whether that was a trap set similar to the one you mentioned last week were Randall Bailey caught Mike Jones or was that just good timing of someone who was over aggressive and reckless? You have stated the importance of context and it has stuck with me. Consequently, as I evaluate that fight I saw an experienced vet who probably saw that flaw but I wanted to get your take.
As a trainer is it more satisfying to see a fight plan executed perfectly with a majority decision or seeing a trap executed with a KO killer shot because the Bully was definitely ahead at the time of the stoppage ? Sergio Mora called the might and nailed it when he said it was reminiscent of how Marquez caught Manny.
Finally ,as a trainer I guess I just assume you’ve met everyone in boxing. Is there a boxer or trainer that you haven’t met that you wish you could meet? Have you met your favorite boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.
MM :1973 George Forman vs prime Evander Holyfield . Is it the same result or is the younger, meaner George too much for a smallish but great Evander?
Take care, Aaron from Cleveland
Bread’s Response: I think it was both. I think Gabe set Bek up and I think he seized the opportunity when he saw it. Bek is a southpaw and he’s in love with his power. He dropped Gabe earlier. So Gabe knew he could punch. Most of Bek’s kos are from that sweet spot he’s found with hitting fighters with his left hand underneath the elbow. Bek throws that shot over and over. So Gabe a good right hand puncher decided to go over the shot, while Bek came underneath. Gabe won the shootout. They both punched at the same time. I’m sure Gabe noticed that’s Bek’s money shot on the footage of his past fights. THAT WAS NOT LUCK.
As a trainer it’s satisfying to get both results. A full decision of execution. Or a ko from a move you worked on. It doesn’t matter to me. I like them both.
At this point I’m in my 40s. I don’t want to meet anyone I idolized because I don’t want to find out something about them I don’t like. I have pretty much met everyone I ever wanted to meet. But meeting and talking with someone is different. Sergio Mora introduced me to Ray Leonard at the BWAA awards in 2019. It was awesome, we took a pic together and talked for a few minutes. I have also talked with Larry Merchant who was cool. We talked briefly. I met Teddy Atlas who was also great to talk to. I talked for possibly 2 hours with Emanuel Steward the year he died. That was maybe one of my best experiences as a trainer. I’ve met and talked on a personal level with Naazim Richardson and Russel Peltz. Two of the more popular figures in my city. I met Muhammad Ali when I was 5 years old. That’s the mountain top for me. I almost got my a$$ beat breaking away from my mother to meet him but I didn’t care. He was a GAWD to me. As an adult I grew to be 6’3 the same height as Ali. But as a kid he seemed like the tallest man in the world.
At this point I’ve seen and talked with so many great boxing figures, it’s no big deal to me anymore. But there are two men who I have met in passing but I haven’t had the chance to talk with. And that’s Mike Tyson and Roy Jones. I would love to do that. I almost had a chance to talk with Tyson in Vegas but there were too many people around and too much commotion. I missed my chance. I would also like to talk shop with Max Kellerman. Kellerman gets a lot of flack but he’s very knowledgeable about boxing. I consider him one of the leading historians in the world. All in all I have met some great people in boxing. But I don’t force conversations. I don’t ask for autographs and I don’t push myself on anyone. So any interaction will have to be organic at this point.
Hi Breadman,
With Castano vs Charlo coming up next month, do you think Castano’s win over Teixeira will benefit him vs Charlo? Teixeira’s reach is almost 4″ longer than Charlo’s and Castano didn’t seem to have issues overcoming the difference in reach with Teixeira. I could be wrong although I sense the odds becoming 50/50 on fight night and also seeing Castano stopping Charlo….. care to share your thoughts for this match up?
Thank you!
Bread’s Response: I think Castano was very impressive vs Texeira. He uses his feet, quickness and will power to close the gap. He gets there because he wants to get there. I see fighters applying fake pressure often and they allow themselves to be held at range. Castano gets there. So of course winning a title and performing at the level will benefit him. I don’t think he can stop Charlo. Charlo has determination and a great chin. But I do think this is a winnable fight. Castano is a very skilled fighter. Jermell fights different from Jermall. Jermall holds his ground more. Where as Jermell bounces on his great legs. If Jermell bounces on Castano and gets trapped on the ropes, I think the judges will give Castano the rounds. It will appear he’s executing his gameplan. This fight is intriguing and if Charlo can’t hurt him….
Greetings Bread. Just to open up, I really feel educated when I read your column. Whether it’s historical or contemporary boxing, training methods, or even the life lessons you include when someone’s getting a bit too eager to believe in just one way of doing things. There’s always something I can take away from your column and hope to apply it to myself, even if I wasn’t a boxing fan.
I wanted to write in about a rivalry that doesn’t get enough love. Next week will mark ten years since Wladimir Klitschko vs David Haye. Many will look back and say the fight was a dull, tactical affair. Granted, it wasn’t an action fight in terms of punches thrown, but there was a huge buzz and excitement in the air (plus the pouring rain…) that either fighter could get knocked out; as such, I understand why they fought cautiously because the possibility for a KO was at fever pitch. I will also never forget the build-up which lasted all the way from 2008 amid multiple false starts and cancelled fights. When it was finally announced in January 2011, I can honestly say I have not felt as pumped and ELATED about a boxing match other than Mayweather–Pacquiao.
We’ve recently seen two heavyweight fights everyone clamored for (Joshua–Wilder and Fury–Joshua) which fell apart, yet I can always look back on that whole Haye–Klitschko event with a huge smile and say to myself: for once, we actually got the big fight everyone wanted. Sometimes when that big fight happens, regardless of the actual outcome, we just should be thankful in the years afterwards that it got MADE. I guess it’s my way of keeping positive about boxing.
So a couple of questions to Breadman: was Haye–Klitschko the biggest heavyweight fight, on paper and in name value, since Lewis–Tyson? I know we’ve had Joshua–Klitschko, and the Fury–Wilder trilogy is looking better as time goes on, but I just haven’t had the same white-knuckle thrill about those fights as I did for Haye–Klitschko. It just felt like a massive, Earth-stopping event. There was something so animalistic and vitriolic about that feud, from the time when Haye started calling him “Dr. Limp Wrist” and confronted him at an arena in London in 2008, to those infamous T-shirts and the eventual cancellation of the fight in 2009, the endless trash talk for the following two years, right up until the HBO Face Off with Max Kellerman in which it was clear to see that these two fighters absolutely frickin’ loathed each others’ guts.
Holy hell, they could not STAND each other! To me that was 100% real; no selling the fight for PPV buys or being friends afterwards. I’ve seldom seen such genuine hatred between two fighters since. Secondly, would you agree that Haye was Wladimir’s best win? Some might say Povetkin, even though the outcome of that fight was not a surprise; many would’ve predicted the ugly, cautious hug-fest that it turned out to be. I think it was a very good win, along with Ibragimov and Chagaev (all were undefeated and current/former world champions with serious amateur credentials) but to me the Haye win stands out, in that so many predicted Wladimir would get KO’ed from the first shot that landed. On the contrary, Haye landed some flush punches in the final round, but that only pissed Wladimir off and made him unload to close the show. So much for the glass chin! And of course, everyone remembers Haye’s toe shenanigans afterwards. What did you make of all that at the time?
Finally, how about a word on Haye’s career? I found it incredibly frustrating to watch him do absolutely nothing worthwhile with the WBA title after winning it from Valuev (and famously nearly knocking him out), other than fight his mandatory Ruiz, and Audley Harrison, and of course he TALKED a lot whilst Wladimir went about his business and brushed off his various mandatories.
Haye’s heavyweight title reign flat-out stunk; maybe one of the worst in recent decades? Then came the four-year layoff, the failed attempt to hype a Haye–Briggs showdown (which would’ve been a lot of fun for however long it lasted), and the crushing TKO losses to Bellew. There was always an excitement about Haye, maybe more so in his cruiserweight days, but at heavyweight he simply did not deliver despite the excellent tools he possessed: insane power, speed, awkward footwork, and a calculated ferocity when things went his way.
-Dan, UK
Bread’s Response: Wlad vs Haye was a huge fight. They both made crazy money. I remember the heavyweight legends appeared and did ring walks. The fight was really a let down in terms of action though. Haye wouldn’t advance forward and Wlad was content on just landing his jab. Sometimes I hear criticisms of boring fights and I don’t agree. In this case, this was not a very good fight. But props to Wlad he got the win and that counts. I think Haye was his biggest win. As good as Wlad is, he’s great. He doesn’t have great WINS and that hurts his legacy in my opinion.
Haye had a good career in terms of business. Cruiserweight is not a deep division in terms of ATG. So I think he’s firmly a top 10 Cruiser ever. But his run at heavyweight made him money but it didn’t have legacy defining achievements. In his BIG Super Bowl he didn’t fight well. If I remember correctly I think he had an injury to his leg. But history won’t be kind to him for that performance. Haye was a very talented fighter but he doesn’t have high championship numbers so historians will require more from him in big performances and big fights.
He didn’t have a great reign at Cruiserweight. He beat Jean Marc Mormeck for the WBA and WBC titles and in his very next fight, he unified the WBO title with a big win over Enzon Maccararinelli. He immediately moved up to heavyweight after that. So while he did have 3 belts at Cruiserweight with two big ko wins. He doesn’t have the wins and numbers that Holyfield and Usyk had. I would put him below those guys in terms on greatness at Cruiserweight.
He also has some solid wins at heavyweight over Ruiz, Valuev and Chisora. But he performed sub par vs Klitschko and was stopped twice by Tony Bellew which ended his career. I think Haye was an excellent fighter in terms of promotion. I think he had excellent talent. He won titles in two divisions and he was apart of some big events. In terms of the UK he rates really high over the last 20 years. But I don’t think he will get into the HOF or be considered a great fighter overall. Unfortunately he would have needed to beat Wlad and distinguish himself at heavyweight a little bit more because at Crusierweight he won those two title fights and exited the division.
Bread,
We had some unexpected good fights this past weekend. Let me touch first and foremost on Charlo vs Montiel. The early rounds were going as many expected them to go and Charlo seemed to be on his way to a stoppage, but when that didn’t happen, I feel like he started to gas a bit and allowed Montiel to gain some confidence. Charlo has this tendency sometimes to look too hard for a stoppage and he may have asserted too much energy. This is why hometown fights are dangerous and if I was managing a fighter, I would be careful in putting them in these types of fights unless they regularly fight there. The fighter feels pressure in exciting the crowd and having a statement win, but it ends up backfiring more times than none. But everyone should give Montiel his just due, he stayed tough in there, took big shots and never wavered. Brought it every single round and made Charlo work for it. Good stuff.
I just got finished watching The Four Kings documentary and did some research and I was amazed at how soon the fighters came back after a loss. Duran lost to De Jesus and returned two months later vs Robertson. Hearns lost vs Leonard and returned less than three months later vs Singeltary. Seeing this also ticked me off on how people try to discredit Leonard’s win over Duran saying he caught him off guard when the rematch that took place five months after the first fight! Duran was routinely fighting every two or three months so why does that excuse continue to fly? Also, why do fighters nowadays take damn near a year to return after a loss? Wouldn’t it make sense if they returned quickly to gain some momentum and get the loss out of their mind? Not saying those that got KO’d or dominated badly, but those that just lose decisions. Curious to hear what you think the reason for this is.
Take care.
Bread’s Response: Here is the thing. Charlo was just recognized for his achievements at home in Houston for Juneteenth. Charlo is from Houston. Houston is a big market. Fighters want to fight at home. They want to build their brands. Ticket sales at home determines their true VALUE. It’s up to the fighter to not allow himself to be distracted. I don’t buy into that excuse. Charlo didn’t make it but you brought it up. If Charlo would have stopped Montiel in round 6 when he was hurt, then fighting at home would have been fine. After the fight Charlo called GGG and Canelo out to fight in Houston. At the end of the day, fighters do what they do. I simply think we have to give Montiel credit for coming to fight. He had a good gameplan. He kept his hands up. He blocked and parried shots. And he went towards Charlo’s power, instead of away from it. Charlo is a truck. But if a truck tries to run you over, you flatten it’s tires. Montiel was hitting Charlo with a NASTY hybrid left hand under his elbow to his liver. Charlo may have an iron chin, no human has an iron LIVER. That shot hurts. It got to Charlo. But Charlo is a DOG, he didn’t show visible distress but I could see that shot had an affect on him.
After that Montiel started landing a lead left hand, and an left uppercut that looked as if it was going to the liver but he would bring it up stairs. With that one shot, he did 3 things. He wasn’t winning more rounds but he was doing damage. He fought a good, smart fight. You have to give him credit. You also have to give Charlo credit. Charlo turned back a determined challenger. I have seen fighters fall apart and get upset in that same exact spot. Charlo didn’t. He bit down and overcame the challenge. Charlo did what he always does. Lands a great jab. Fights determined. And goes for the ko. It’s just that Montiel had other plans and fought at his best when his best was needed.
Fighting world class fighters at this level is NEVER as easy as it looks. Charlo is a big guy and he did get a little excited. And sometimes when you get excited, it changes your heart rate up. And that can be hard to recover from. After Montiel weathered those storms in the 5th and 6th rounds, things got spicy. That’s why I always tell my fighters to land a body shot, when they see their opponents hurt. So if they shoot their load trying for the stoppage. The opponent also has to get his win, because he’s recovering from a body shot. But again Charlo showed determination because he did get fatigued but he pushed through it. That was a very hard fight in the ring. Not in terms of scoring but in terms of resistance.
All fighters are not the same. Briscoe, Chandler, Marvin Johnson, Chandler, Tony Thornton (to name a few off he top of my head) all knew the difference between right and wrong and lived their lives that way. That has changed, but it’s not just fighters–it’s people. Today everything is a money grab, certainly in boxing. The world is screwed up. How else do you explain Trump and the Republican sycophants who worship him? Read 1984 by George Orwell if you never read it. That is our country.
Bread’s Response: You’re a very wise man. I listen when you speak. But I didn’t say ALL fighters were the same. I said I was told all fighters are the same. I believe there are some fighters with high morals and respectful fair outlooks on the business and the loyalty side of boxing. But from my experiences and I believe yours also that there are some USERS out here who play the victim and act as if the promoters and managers used them forgetting the investments it took to get them there.
For example I once had a fighter and his team approach me to get them signed with maybe the biggest entity in boxing. The boxer was coming off of a loss. He wasn’t a sought after type of fighter to say the least. He wanted me to get him signed without making a dime, but he was going to pay his team. I have ran into that type of mentality more than I have ran into the mentality of, decency and common sense in terms of the fighters. I’m just being honest, I have not met many generous or thoughtful fighters. You have been around a lot longer than me. So your scope is broader. But I will never generalize ALL fighters.
I have a good crop of kids now, with decent morals and I hope to keep it that way. I have two kids who offered more money than my standard 10% and I was shocked. It’s never happened in 11 years and it took me back. So I’m on the right track.
But yes overall people have poor morals these days. The disgusting comments on social media. The entitlement. The victim playing. We are in bad times. My #1 job is to raise my kids through this mess we call society. Thank you for your comment. Legend.
How do you see the Tank vs Barrios fight. I think he’s easy work for Tank even though the real champion is Josh Taylor. Even Floyd Mayweather, Tank’s promoter says there are too many belts. What is the WBA regular champion anyway? If Floyd knows most of these belts are worthless, why is his best fighter fighting for the belt that’s not real? Also give me a solid bet this weekend.
Bread’s Response: I don’t want to discredit the belts right now. We know there are 4 major belts the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO. I also agree with Floyd. There are too many belts. But it’s boxing. It’s our time. What can we do? I view this fight as a BIG fight. Barrios is a top 10 Ring Rated Junior Welterweight. He’s undefeated and this is a real fight. Let’s just enjoy it.
As for the fight itself. I see a few things. Tank is more talented. He has more god given talent. But that doesn’t mean he will win. Tank is short but he’s always been short. It’s like saying that Pernell Whitaker is short. Gifted fighters like that adapt to their physical statures. Tank is MURDER underneath with his uppercuts and body shots. And he’s MURDER over the top with his looping hooks and over hand shots. It’s because he’s short and the shots catch you by surprise.
I believe Team Davis saw Barrios vs Akhmedov and with Akhmedov being a southpaw and landing his left hand often, they feel Tank will land his and ko Mario. That’s a fair assessment because Barrios took punishment in that fight. But they could be WRONG. You never know what Barrios went through in that camp. You also have to factor in that he got better and learned from it. I think this fight comes down to a few things. One is Barrios’s reaction time. Can he react to Tank’s fast powerful attacks and not get hit CLEAN with a kill shot.
Two can Mario mount an offense and make Tank have to adjust to his resistance. Tank has faced some solid fighters in Pedraza and Santa Cruz. But he’s never really had to adjust over 12 rounds and win a fight with his boxing ability. His power and athleticism have been enough.
Third is how will Tank respond if Mario is still in the fight in the 2nd half. Tank gets frustrated at times and people don’t realize it. I’ve seen him pick fighters up and slam them in fights. He hits a little dirty. With casual fans cheering him on expecting him to ko Mario with every shot, if it doesn’t happen can he handle that and keep his composure. Disqualifications happen in boxing. I remember the Brandon Rios vs Anthony Peterson fight. And the Floyd Mayweather vs Zab Judah. Also Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson. Tank has fiery personality similar to Judah, Tyson and Peterson. Judah should have been DQ and Peterson and Tyson were DQ. Tank picked up Santa Cruz in their fight but no one really talked about it because he scored the dramatic ko. But I want to see if he can keep his poise with all of that pressure on him if Mario is winning or holding his own.
I think if this fight goes the distance, Barrios has a really good chance to win. But he has to get out of those early rounds. Tank is a mixture of Mike Tyson/Zab Judah offensively. He’s a brutal offensive fighter but I don’t have an official pick because they are some things that I haven’t figured out at the time I’m writing this. And the little things are important.
The pick I like the most for this weekend is Lubin by KO. I think Rosario is very clever with his pressure. I think his hands are heavy and if he had a better chin he would be the best guy in the division. But he doesn’t. Lubin is sharp, fast, powerful and locked in. I think at some point, he hits Rosario with a right hook and hurts and stops him. Lubin has to be careful not to fall in love with his offense and close his punches off correctly. He also has to not over punch. But my gut tells him he clips Rosario.
Assalaam alaykum Mr. Edwards,
I wanted to ask you for a historical perspective of Malik Scott comparing Deontay Wilder to Muhammad Ali. Specifically, Scott said (according to 78SPORTSTV) that “Deontay Wilder is the closest thing to [Muhammad Ali] in this time.” Scott said this with Wilder listening in and nodding. Scott then doubled down on social media (his own Instagram account) and said, “Human media always miss quoting me for the sake of click bate and because they know their fellow humans are the most easiest creatures to finesse. ..I never said @bronzebomber was the closest thing to Muhammad Ali in this time..my exact words was “Deontay wilder is ten times more skilled in the ring than Muhammad Ali ever was and have beaten ten times more battles outside the ring then Muhammad Ali ever did.” Now go write go about that sh!t. ”We on our side” #Oddguy #Mywayoflife #Notraffic #2X”I left out the emojis because I don’t know how to add them to an email, otherwise the post is verbatim.
I understand that Scott is likely mocking the people who took issue with his original comparison, but I also think he’s doubling down on what is an unbelievably inaccurate statement. I don’t believe that any athlete who ever lived overcame more to accomplish more than Muhammad Ali. I think the only people who can compare historically are Jackie Robinson and perhaps Jack Johnson and Jesse Owens. I think Joe Louis and everyone else who stopped their career to serve during either world war deserves separate mention.
Is this even worth addressing? Because it seems absolutely inexcusable and ridiculous. If the answer to that question is yes it is worth addressing, can you please address it and put Scott in his place (or put me in mine)? Of all the absurdities that Wilder and his team have spouted, this is the worst. And prior to this, it was a litany of other nonsense (costume weight, egg weights, crab in a bucket referee). Their desperation to promote Wilder and the (unnecessary) third fight with Fury is going too far. These men, Wilder included, have no understanding or regard for history.
For the record, I’m an American Muslim and I’m white. I’m also an Army veteran. All that on the table, Ali is a hero who deserved and deserves every single bit of praise ever heaped on him. Moreso still because he did not deserve so many of the difficulties and injustices that made him The Greatest as he overcame them. Wilder doesn’t deserve to be put in the same sentence, unless it’s simply to acknowledge that both men held a heavyweight belt at a particular time and both were among the best boxers of their generation (and that’s being generous to Deontay Wilder).
Peace, John
Bread’s Response: How are you Sir? I don’t read articles or watch videos. So maybe Malik was being sarcastic I don’t know. Maybe he’s tired of the media. Malik Scott has a big job in front of him. It’s legacy defining. Regaining the heavyweight title is a BIG deal. Emanuel Steward’s best jobs as a trainer was regaining the heavyweight titles by Evander Holyfield vs Riddick Bowe. And Lennox Lewis regaining his title after he knocked out by Oliver McCall. And Wlad Klitschko going on a run after early ko defeats. Scott is in a big spot. So just maybe he wanted to take some pressure off of his fighter and put it on him. I don’t know. But I’m not going to compare Ali and Wilder. I don’t want to get into that. Two different fighters. Two different eras. Ali was Ali. And let Wilder be Wilder. I like Malik Scott and wish him well. He’s a cool dude and he’s very knowledgeable. Let’s see if he can apply his experience and knowledge to training.
Hello Mr Bread,
As a new fan of the sport, You told me to watch some of the old guns that fought back in days, you’ll be glad to know I had already seen a lot of them, Ali vs Frazier 1,2, 3, frazier vs foreman, ali vs Forman, the 4 kings era and all their fights. I was wondering, do you think the heavyweights of today will be tune ups for those guys back then? Cause they seemed really ruthless back in the days.
Now, Inoue man….I dunno how to classify him, but he looked flawless. The dude dasmarinas was taller and rangier yet I saw him throw a jab and it didnt land, yet inoue the shorter guy throws his jab and it lands. How is this dude able to get in and out of range so quickly? What did you make of his performance, and is there any weakness you have seen from him so far, cause am basically in the driver’s seat of his hype train lol, the man is phenomenal. I feel like Shakur Stevenson could be everything inoue is (but he doesnt punch as hard). Let me explain, this might sound weird but I think Shakur and inoue are similar in some aspects. Take their last performances, they both fought tall rangy guys who hit really hard. Shakur was able to stay out of range and not get hit, he got in range quickly to get his shots off and move back out of range. He never showed urgency or pushed the pace.
Now in inuoe’s case he was able to do all that shakur did, but he did it coming forward and stalking his opponent who had good footwork. Inuoe’s showed that you can come forward and be slick and still prevent being hit yet beat your opponent like he stole something. I dunno if this makes sense lol. With that said, how do you see these matchups, Inoue vs Shakur, Inoue vs chocolatito, inuoe vs lomachenko and inuoe vs bud Crawford ( assuming they were all in same weight class) am really high on him right now lolAlso, Jermal charlo showed what I always knew he had in him, and that’s being a “dog”, montiel was game, what do you make of his performance. I saw his post fight interview he was a bit irritated by a reporter who said he was hurt/slightly buzzed late in the fight.
What is this with fighters of today never wanting to admit that they were stung or buzzed, charlo’s body language was a bit different at that point when he got hit and this is no knock on him, it was indeed a great performance IMO, I seen the greatest Ali get hurt, smoking joe, big George, they all still became ATG, even Devin Haney refused to say he was hurt, is it ego or pride?
Have a good one Mr Bread.
Bread’s Response: Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua would not be tune ups for any heavyweight in any era. They would fit in, in any era. But that doesn’t mean they would be dominant champions. The heavyweights the 70s were killers but they were smaller. I do think they could compete because as humans we ADAPT to our times. So if they fought today they would have access to better recovery. Context again. They would have access to more advanced weight programs etc. In other divisions it isn’t as prominent. But in the heavyweight division it would be a factor.
However, I still think 6’3” to 6’5” and from 225lbs-240lbs is all you need to be successful. Because 99% of the heavyweight lug around too much weight. And when that happens they compromise agility and stamina. There is a such thing as being TOO BIG. Shakur Stevenson and Monster Inoue have great feet. Both have quick and athletic feet. But their temperaments are different. Stevenson is a winner and he’s very competitive. Inoue is a MONSTER. He’s a serial killer. Both are acceptable. Fighters have to be who they are. But in fairness to Stevenson, Inoue is much further along in terms of development. Inoue has had over 10 title fights. Stevenson just 1.
Inoue’s performance was awesome. I wish he were bigger and I knew his opponents better. I’m starting to get the same impression of him that I got of Ricardo Lopez. He never really has an off night. He’s precise. Athletic. Talented. Technically sound. He’s offensive but still defensively responsible. And most of all he’s a SAVAGE. Inoue fought arguably the best puncher ever from 118 and below in Nonito Donaire with a broken face and never QUIT. As much as it’s NOT appropriate to criticize fighters who decide to quit for their health. We should applaud fighters who keep pushing. Inoue kept pushing.
Basically your asking me in your matchups is Inoue the best fighter in the world. He may be. I still say it’s Terence Crawford but man Inoue is so so good. I don’t know if he can beat everyone, but I don’t know who I would pick over him if everyone is the same size.
I thought Charlo performed well. He has nothing to be ashamed of. Montiel came to fight. I don’t watch interviews. But you’re right there is no shame in being hurt. It’s boxing. Maybe Charlo doesn’t want to say it because he wants to keep his invincible mindset in tact. Fighters don’t admit a lot of things and that’s ok. None of us are in a position to argue with him. Being hurt is actually a matter of interpretation. I thought he was hurt but he hid it well like a true professional. But if he says he wasn’t that’s no big deal. He’s a fighter.
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