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The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen “Breadman” Edwards tackling topics such as Gennadiy Golovkin, Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence, Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora, and more.
If you had to choose a career, who’s would you choose Mikey Garcia a 4 division champion or Errol Spence a long reigning unified champion in one division? Do you think either is a HOF or legitimate great fighter?
Bread’s Response: This is a good question. I don’t hold winning 4 titles after 2010 the way I did in the 80s or 90s. In the 80s you had to be a great fighter to win 3 or more division titles. Now you have to look at the eyeball test and see who the fighter is winning those titles against. Among other things.
When Mikey Garcia beat Robert Easter in their unification fight, I thought to myself he was approaching Barrera, Morales and Marquez status. I was really high on Garcia. He wasn’t fast but his 1-2 was among the quickest in boxing. He was strong, tough, dynamic and durable. I just don’t know what happened after the Easter fight. It wasn’t just fighting Spence, but it seemed the energy changed. I can’t say exactly what but something changed. I think Garcia is most likely a HOF and he’s a borderline great fighter. I wouldn’t argue against with anyone who says he is. And I wouldn’t argue against anyone who says he isn’t. It’s a tough call.
With guys like Oscar, Floyd and Manny it’s easier. But with Garcia it’s tough because he doesn’t have a dominant reign in any of his divisions. He’s also beat some quality fighters but no great ones or P4P guys. He does have some nice wins over some RING Magazine rated guys. A win over Loma or Pacman would have done wonders for his career and cemented him as a GREAT. Let’s see how the rest of his career plays out. I’m really high in Garcia and I love watching him fight. He’s a brutal technical fighter, it just seems like he’s inactive after the Spence fight and he’s not in any big fights anymore. With all of the excellent fighters at 135-140, I think he would fit right in.
I would lean towards Spence if I had to pick a career out of the two but it’s close. I like a dominant fighter who reigns over the best of his division. I love weight jumpers if they clear out a division. Like say Tito did at 154, running Vargas and Reid. Or the way Pernell Whitaker did at 135lbs before leaving. I think staying in one division for a dominant reign to face the best available opponent for 3 plus years is significant. It gets devalued but it’s significant. Kostya Tszyu, Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon, Aaron Pryor, Joe Calzaghe, Bernard Hopkins, Terry Norris etc etc. Give me a dominant reign over a weight division, over a weight jumping career with multiple division titles but no foundation in one division. It’s hard to clear out multiple divisions but clearing out at least one is historically significant. Spence has unified, he has 2 more fighters to face from his era that are in his age range. Keith Thurman and Terence Crawford. If he fights and beats one or both, I think he’s a legitimate great fighter. I also think that puts him in the HOF with a lock. At this current moment he’s on the cusp but he fights for 3 belts in 1 week so he’s moving in the right direction, I think he has a slight edge vs Ugas.
A pet peeve of mine is when fans say, well he didn’t move up. It sounds so stupid. It takes more discipline to stay in one division and fight the best available guy year after year. Some fighters leave divisions to duck smoke. You have to look at each case individually.
Bread you seem to get really attached your fighters. That interview Kyrone Davis gave after the Benavidez fight was touching. I can tell you guys are tight. And your story with Jrock is well documented at this point. The word now is you have a new gun as you like to call him. The streets have been talking about a Spanish kid you have named Romul Cruz. I saw you hitting pads with on youtube. And I hear he’s a terror in the gym. Is he your best prospect ever? You also have the NY kid Ochoa fighting Brandun Lee. I know he’s a long shot in that one but I’m looking forward to it. Who else do you have in your stable at this point? How do you manage to not overstep the boundaries as a coach and father figure? Who do you decide to train and not train? Down here in the DMV we hear about your work and your guys.
Bread’s Response: I appreciate that. I love the DMV boxing scene. I use the DMV area guys for sparring for my big fights. They always give great work. I got some cool boxing homies from that area. Jerry Vines and Nate Peakes top managers and Andrew Council a top trainer. Me and Ernesto Rodriguez are also very cool as well.
I do get attached to my fighters. When you’re in the gym everyday with a guy and preparing him for battle you form a bond. Each bond is different but you have to form one. It’s a business and it has to be treated as such but fighters are human beings. You have to speak their language. They all need help regardless if they say it or ask for it. You have to know when to push and when to pull. I balance the dynamic by just being myself and doing what I need to do. Sometimes you have to be hard on a fighter. Sometimes you have to be encouraging. You wear more hats than just a simple trainer and I’m prepared for that.
Kyrone’s fight with Benavidez was very frustrating for me. That’s the emotion you saw. I was just frustrated. I felt frustrated by not having more time for a monster like Benavidez. And honestly I was frustrated with Kyrone, who I love….for not staying in the gym on a routine, so he could have been better prepared for the short notice and in better shape. He did well in spots but couldn’t sustain it. I’m a guy who’s protective of my guys but I’m also honest. I believe Kyrone can be a world champion if he displays a higher level of DISCIPLINE. He’s very talented but unless you’re lucky or a freak the other aspects have to be in sync with the talent.
Yes Zach Ochoa is fighting Brandun Lee. It’s a tough fight and I know he’s not expected to win but we will be prepared. I don’t care about that. As long as my guy is engaged and he’s ready to go to the BURGER, what anyone else says doesn’t matter to me. That’s all I can say. Zach gave me all he had in camp and I gave him all I had. Let’s see what happens. Zach is the newest of my stable but the kid is a pleasure to train. He’s super disciplined. He works his ass off. And he never complains. I’m very happy for him to get a chance to show his worth on the big stage like this. With his hard work, he’s earned it. He didn’t cheat the grind.
You’re talking about Romuel “Cuco” Cruz, the undefeated Junior Featherweight I have. Yes that’s my guy. He is a terror but I’ve been keeping him under wraps. I guess his name is getting out at this point. If we can get him 3 fights a year for the next 2 years he’s going to be hard to deal with. Very hard to deal with. I’m very high on him.
However, I wouldn’t say he’s my best prospect I ever had. He only had 13 amateur fights. There are levels to boxing. Julian Williams fought Jarrett Hurd and Jermall Charlo and was 77-10 as an amateur.. And Kyrone Davis fought David Benavidez and Anthony Dirrell and was 91-9 as an amateur. That’s the top level of boxing. Cruz has not reached that point as of yet. So it’s important not to get too high or too low on anyone. I will say this. He’s the easiest fighter to train I’ve ever had. Whatever you ask him to do he just does it. There is no friction, no resistance. He just does it. He listens very well and he’s never distracted. He’s always focused. He’s also the strongest kid, I’ve ever trained in a P4P sense. He doesn’t look it but he’s very strong for 122lbs.
But my top guy I ever had is still Julian “Jrock” Williams. He’s the one who won a world championship. You have to put some respect on that. Hopefully he gets another, and Kyrone, Zach and Cuco get theirs one day. I don’t and won’t train everyone. Taking on someone else’s energy is not easy. I’m open to training other fighters. I’ve actually been in talks with a top guy and ex world champion who I have a good relationship with and I’m open to training him because we have personality chemistry. I just have to see if we have gym chemistry. We are going to spend some time in the gym very soon. But overall I won’t just train anyone. I want to get it with my guys. I’m not a corner hopper type of person.
I have the same friends I had since I was 7 years old from my neighborhood. I can call them all for any favor today 40 years later. I never went and try to hang in different neighborhoods coming up in the streets of Philadelphia. I had friends in different neighborhoods but I wasn’t a try to be down type of guy. My high school homies are still my guys. My neighborhood friends are still my guys and best friends. The guys I got close with in boxing, are still my guys. I’m just like that. I don’t switch up.
Quick Story….Going into my junior year of high school me and a close friend Kevin Slaughter were the best 2 players on the basketball team. He wanted a more prestigious school and left. I stayed with MY GUYS. I didn’t regret it one bit. There is a certain type of person you want to be successful with and it hits different when it’s one of your GUYS. If you see me a train a guy, just know he’s one of my GUYS.
Hi Bread-With Pacquiao (hopefully) officially retired…wondering if you’d be up for giving us a run down of his career and historical rankings? How impactful/meaningful was Pacquiao’s post Marquez KO-loss run? He was a HoF before the KO-loss, curious to hear your thoughts on whether his victories/performances post-KO loss were also Hall worthy.
Thanks, Peter
Bread’s Response: Has any fighter in history been the victim of the KO of the Year at 34 years old or older and come back to do what Manny has? I can’t recall if it they did. Pacquiao in terms of being rare is one of one. He was 1 or 2 fights away from having a legit argument as being the greatest fighter ever. If Pacquiao would have beaten Mayweather and Spence, think about how he would be viewed. He just misses the argument. Many felt the timing was right for Spence and the timing would have been right for Mayweather had the fight happened from 2008-10. Who knows if that’s true but if he wins those 2 fights, he’s there.
I think he has a real case for being the best southpaw ever. Only Hagler and Whitaker can argue.
I think it’s clear he’s the best Asian fighter ever. The distance between him and Donaire, Inoue and Harada is immense. He’s the only flyweight in history to sniff success above 122lbs.
Head to head I can’t think of 10 men in history from 112-140 I would feel comfortable picking to beat him. I don’t care how green he was supposed to be at the lower weights. He was a TANK and on his best days, he would simply overwhelm most. Pac not only won titles from 112-154. But he was the underdog in his first 3 title shots and he won each by ko. That’s what you call delivering. In his big fights he usually scored knockdowns or knockouts. That’s also called delivering.
He lost twice early by ko and it didn’t discourage him one bit. He’s one of the most resilient fighters in history.
His greatest achievement is he won the welterweight title 4x. My goodness. That’s an insane amount of resiliency. He beats Miguel Cotto during his best career run. He loses to Tim Bradley in a controversial loss and loses his title. Then loses by ko to Marquez. He comes back and Brandon Rios at 31-1 is his first comeback and tune up and he wins every round then he fights Tim Bradley and wins the title for the 2nd time. He fights Floyd Mayweather in the biggest fight in history. He loses then he fights Bradley for a 3rd time and beats Jess Vargas for the title and wins it a 3rd time. He then loses it to Jeff Horn in another controversial decision and he then beats Lucas Matthysse for the WBA regular title. I don’t count that as a title but it’s a quality win. He beat Adrien Broner in another quality win. Then he beats 29-0 Keith Thurman for the real WBA belt and wins a version of the welterweight title for the 4th time. I have check but I think that may be a record in terms of how many times a fighter has won a version of the welterweight belt. Welterweight is the division that Manny is viewed as too small for. In hypothetical matchups he’s viewed to not be on par with the likes of Hearns and Trinidad because he’s too small. But with all of his accomplishments at 147. He has to be a top 10-15 fighter ever in the division. He’s been a champion on and off for a decade in boxing’s best division.
With everything that he did and seeing his whole career live. Considering he fought 6 perfect fights in a row on PPV from David Diaz 2008, Oscar De La Hoya 2008, Ricky Hatton 2009, Miguel Cotto 2009, Joshua Clottey 2010 and Antonio Margarito 2010. I think he has to be a top 20 fighter ever. The deciding factor for me is he skipped 115 and 118. If not for that he would be a 10 division champion. With more resources and a promoter who took care of him at the time he would be a 10 division champion. It doesn’t even sound possible yet he won 8 and skipped 2 whole divisions. Once in a lifetime level fighter. ATG!
So this will be a broad question for you, Breadman. I recently saw the Ring’s post of Jim Lampley’s “Best I Covered” on Facebook. I clicked on it and gave it a read. When it got to the category of “Most Underrated Boxer”, Lampley chose Bernard Hopkins because a lot of what BHop brought to the table goes unappreciated by many fans. I know there are personal opinions and subjectivity, but to you… Who do you think is the most underrated boxer of all time?
Greg K.
Bread’s Response: Most underrated boxer of all time. You know Bernard Hopkins is a great choice. But I think as time has went on appreciation for what he’s done has been more. However, I’m going to go with a fighter who went in a different direction.
Roy Jones. Jones’s whole career has seemed to have been discredited. I once read a fighter write on twitter that Roy can’t teach me how to use a jab because he didn’t have one. I thought to myself how sad and foolish. Roy Jones is one bad career decision from having a real argument as the greatest fighter ever. I know some will say he never was and that’s why he lost so bad late. And I understand that. The losses happened. I can’t put my finger on why because he won the first Tarver fight. If he was weight drained I think it should have showed up in the 1st fight and not the 2nd. So I get that. But the BS about him not having fundamentals is ridiculous. He had fundamentals. He had IQ. He was just unconventional. He did what worked for him. His IQ was off the charts. All of this crap about his prime not being long enough is ridiculous. He was a 1988 Olympian. He lost to Tarver in 2004 and was 50 fights in. Fighters in this era will have 30 fights. That’s 16 years, 4 weight divisions and plenty of bad asses but critics say it wasn’t long enough because he lacked fundamentals. So Roy Jones, possibly the toughest style match up in history. The guy who head to head, you don’t want to bet against, is probably the most underrated fighter in history.
Sup Bread,
This weekend I think the most intriguing fight for me is Erickson Lubin versus Sebastian Fundora. Lubin has been a gun ever since his loss to Charlo so if I had to place a bet it would be on him. on the flip side Fundora has been going through his opponents as well and even though he has not fought yet at this level he may be the goods . The winner is supposed to be next for the winner of Charlo v Castano. Something tells me that Lubin does not sleep well at night thinking about avenging his loss to Jermell so he may have the edge. How do you see this bout playing out ?Also as a trainer trainer How do you train your fighter when they’re such a big height differential? Lubin is 5’ 10 and Fundora is 6’5”Do you change the arch of the blow or aim for the chest? Do you change anything at all? How would you approach this?
Take Care,
Aaron from Cleveland
Bread’s Response: Erickson Lubin is a GUN. He lost his 1st big fight bad. He didn’t even get a chance to warm up. But I’ve never bought into the theory it was too soon. We don’t know because he got clipped so early he didn’t get a chance to show his talents. He was days away from being 22 years old. There have been plenty of fighters ready at 22. Just because he lost doesn’t mean he wasn’t ready. Maybe Charlo is a great fighter that he could have never beaten. Maybe he got caught early. Who knows? Nevertheless Lubin has responded like a winner. Taking tough fights and openly seeking out the dude that kod him in Charlo. That’s a gun.
I don’t know who will win the Lubin vs Fundora match up. But if I was forced to pick I would pick Lubin. Speed is a big deal to me and Fundora is just much slower. Unless Fundora has iron will and an iron chin, which he may have but I don’t know it yet, he’s going to be big target for the sharp shooting Lubin. This fight will either look like Margarito vs Cotto or Margarito vs Mosley with Fundora being Margarito.
As far as how I would train Lubin. He has a great corner in Kevin Cunningham and Jason Galarza. I think they got it figured out. I saw they hired taller, southpaw sparring partners…..they know what they’re doing. Lubin’s months of practice and instincts will take over as the fight goes on. I think this is going to be a SHOOTOUT.This fight comes down to who can take who’s punches better. That’s the puncher in a fight. If Lubin can hurt Fundora or slow him down enough to outbox him he wins. If he can’t and Fundora walks and presses him with brutal determination and he doesn’t accept Lubin’s power, Fundora will win. I lean Lubin.
What up Bread man?
Big ups to The GWOAT and the Dream for agreeing to fight for undisputed in the UK and Australia for the 168Pound woman’s and the 135 pound lightweight championship respectively. Watching Momma Shields stroll through that ring apron was reminiscent of the Great Ali. I am telling you she is a natural and is so so marketable. Men do not walk around with the confidence of this great champion. She is going to take on a monster in Savanah Marshall but I feel skills pay the bills. This is why my pound for pound list has Shields, Marshall, and Serrano on it universally right there with Canelo, Crawford, and Spence. These three ladies can bang and fight with the best. Give them their flowers !Now for Mr. Devan! I have been a fan for a few years and feel he has been dodged, ridiculed, and played by the WBC. But now because he took that weak deal it showed he has depth and he wants to get that legacy fight. Kambosos will get outclassed and possibly cut up like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” by Devan’s surgical fist . You don’t need to have a knock out punch to knock people out. That up jab will create problems . Don’t let Kambosos screw around and get clowned in his own home town (I rhymed that like Ali ha ha ha). He can fight but skills pay bills and please quote me as a reference come mid June Sir.
Peace, Michael Blount
Hey Bread. First of all, thanks for the weekly boxing education. I appreciate it mate. My first question is, have you got an opinion on why the welterweight division is always so stacked with talent and great rivalries from Leonard/Hearns, Tito/Oscar, Floyd/Manny and Crawford/Spence bubbling nicely. Personally, I’ve always believed its the most entertaining division because its the ‘biggest’ guys still wearing the smallest gloves or do you believe its purely coincidence?
Secondly, from today’s current p4p list how many do you believe would be able to hang with the greats of their divisions? I’m feeling like the current list is kind of weak compared to when I was growing up when you had Roy Jones, Oscar, Floyd, Tito all in there prime in the same era (I know most sports fans are very nostalgic). I think the only 4 current p4p fighters that could compete/beat the goats of the game are : Loma (126/130 lbs), Fury, Crawford, usyk (cruiserweight). I know people will say Canelo but at 168 do you believe he could beat Roy Jones or Andre Ward, I don’t personally. Lastly, the next generational fighter – who you picking? I’m thinking at this point Shakur Stevenson is looking like the next future great.
Thanks, Joe
Bread’s Response: You just made me think, so you’re comment must be good. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the biggest fighters who can wear 8oz gloves are welterweights. So that makes sense. For those that don’t know…after 147lbs the gloves go up to 10oz. But before the gloves sizes were scaled down, 147lbs was still the best division. I just think it’s the size where you get the mix of skill, speed, power and physicality.
I also believe in the Bell Curve. I think it’s the size where we get the most and best athletes who choose boxing but can play other sports. What I mean by that is for as great as say Chocolatito and Inoue are, they couldn’t play other professional sports at the elite level except for maybe soccer. But at 147lbs, those guys can play other sports. Errol Spence could be a Defensive Back if he framed his body for it. American Heavyweights for example for the most part are athletes who couldn’t make it to the NBA or NFL so boxing is their last choice. But the welterweights are athletic guys who choose boxing first but they’re big enough to have played other sports.
So out of today’s fighters you think only Loma, Fury, Crawford and Usyk can hang in other generations. I disagree. I think there are more. I think Donaire could hang in any era at 118. Inoue could also. Chocolatito could hang in any era from 105-115. I believe Beterbiev could hang at 175lbs. Maybe not beat everyone in every era but he could hang. I also believe Errol Spence could hang at welterweight. I don’t know if he would be champion if he fought in the early 80s but he would be a strong contender in every era. Canelo is a top 5-6 super middleweights ever. He may not be better than Roy Jones or Andre Ward, but you couldn’t name 3 more fighters better than him at 168lbs. In my opinion he’s top 5 after Jones, Ward, Calzaghe and Toney. Canelo is a great fighter and he could hang in any era at 168. GGG could hang at 160, don’t get it twisted. The GGG of 2010-15 would be hell in any era. I think the Charlo Bros could hang at 154. I don’t think they could beat McCallum, Hearns, Benitez or Griffin but they could compete and win titles in most eras at 154. I don’t know about Jermall at 160. 160 is stacked with killers throughout history and I haven’t seen enough of Jermall at 160 to know if he could hang with say the Michael Nunn’s, James Toney’s, Gerald McClellan, Bernard Hopkins level middleweights. Let’s see. There are a few more guys I’m probably missing but I freestyled off the top of my head.
Believe it or not we have some good fighters in this era. They just don’t fight enough so it’s hard to place them. Shakur Stevenson is a very good pick. I think he’s the toughest stylistic match up in all of boxing. I also think he will win 4 division titles at minimum from 126-140.
But I’m going to go with Jaron Ennis. I think Ennis has a chance to win the hardest combination of titles in history. Welterweight, Junior Middleweight and Middleweight. Only Mickey Walker, Sugar Ray Robinson and Carmen Basilio have held the welterweight and middleweight titles in the first 70 years of boxing as we know it. Emille Griffin then did it in the 1970s after a long drought. Griffin also held the junior middleweight titles. Then in the 80s 3 ATGs did it in Leonard, Duran and Hearns. In the 90s no one did it. In the 2000s Trinidad and Oscar did it but Oscar’s title win at 160 was controversial. In the 2010s Cotto did it. That’s it. So only Griffin, Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Oscar, Tito and Cotto have won titles at 147, 154 and 160. Mickey Walker, Ray Robinson and Carmen Basilio are the only ones to win titles at 147 and 160. There was no 154lb belt in their era. This is an extremely special accomplishment. Even in watered down eras fighters don’t win titles at 147, 154 and 160. It just doesn’t happen often. You have to be special. I believe Ennis will be the first to even try since Miguel Cotto and before Cotto tried it’s been about 20 years.
Hey Breadman,
First off, I read your column quite often and most definitely respect your knowledge about the business of boxing and the fighters.Today ,as I was reading your mailbag opinion about GGG winning that 1st fight is something I disagree with even as I read your reasons why. I do respect your opinion btw. I actually have watched that fight half a dozen times sound off and believe it or not I actually agree with Byrd scoring it 10-2 Canelo. At the time GGG was described as a killer of men. That would take your soul with his viscous body attack. Imo, their first fight Canelo easily won, I didn’t see the killer of men.
I saw a fighter finally matched against his equal or better fighter the latter is what I saw. I didn’t see GGG attack the body, I do remember him following Canelo around the ring the whole fight. I watched numerous times trying to give GGG more rounds but I couldn’t. All the things he Normally does to less skilled fighters were not visible. I am ok with you saying he out worked Canelo only because it was ineffective imo. His jab was the his only weapon that night but so was Canelo’s.
I remember one sequence Canelo went to the ropes to draw GGG in and during that exchange I saw GGG realize he was ineffective and backed off! I couldn’t believe it, When a fighter takes the best things you do away from you during a fight and your arsenal is touted as limitless and you let a guy off the ropes thats not good. Imo GGG arsenal was great with less skilled fighters. Canelo totally outboxed GGG and took his best skills out of the match leaving GGG doing less with less. The first time I watched it live I was not surprised by 10-2 Canelo. Rewatching, I also felt bad trying to score more rounds for GGG.. I couldn’t. Thanks for reading. I can get long-winded about that fight. Canelo probably will stop GGG next time unless GGG corner throws the towel in. Have a good weekend and Happy birthday Breadman.
Bread’s Response: We will agree and disagree. GGG didn’t fight a great fight vs Canelo in their 1st match up. I feel like he was too conservative and that’s because Canelo is a master counter puncher. A master! He doesn’t allow his opponents to dig in with any big shots. Canelo has been in some controversial fights as far as scoring. But he’s never been beat up. I always felt that GGG didn’t execute and display his arsenal in their 1st fight. GGG is a vicious body puncher and he doesn’t go to Canelo’s body because the price to pay is too steep. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t win. I thought he outworked Canelo with a jab. Canelo just couldn’t keep up and it forced him to take off rounds. And when he took off rounds GGG’s jab was pumping and snapping his head back. A fight is not scored on who meets expectations. It’s not scored on what’s supposed to happen. It’s not scored on reputation. It’s scored on who’s the more effective fighter in single 3 minute intervals. And whoever wins the majority of those intervals/rounds. Wins the fight. I thought GGG won more rounds. There is absolutely no way Canelo won 10 rounds. Canelo even knows didn’t win 10 rounds in their first fight. Please don’t tell anyone else that. They’re going to think you’re either crazy or related to Canelo.
S’up Breadman,
What you think about the Garcia Tagoe fight, and do you think Tagoe can take advantage of the online Garcia training camp?
Big Pablo from Haiti
Bread’s Response: I don’t believe that Garcia shows all of his stuff online. I think it’s for promotional reasons. I like Garcia by beheading!
Good morning Bread,
I have a question that is boxing / bodybuilding / street fighting related. Assuming skill set are equal, what weight class is the most dangerous in a street fight? I ask because back in the day and maybe to this day…I think some guys feel they need to be jacked to be in good shape for physical activities and self defense. Size obsessed if you will. Some obsess about chest, some arms and what not. My thought has always been function. As a boxing fan I know skills and technique can overcome “perceived” size disadvantages. So from a street fighting perspective (no weight classes), what height, weight and body fat % would be the most successful? I would guess a LHW. I believe the muscle on Cruisers and above, on average, would make them less agile than a LHW. I believe LHW would have enough power to stop a heavy weight especially if they can use leg strikes. I think a LHW is quick enough to deal with a smaller fighter while having the power to be a big problem. I think most guys obsess about size because they really fear altercations and are hoping to scare off threats. Which is effective, until you meet an opponent that isn’t scared. I guess I’m saying I’ve seen the big guy fall to the smaller guy many times and think size is a flawed obsession. At least until you start wrestling…lol Big guys are looking to body slam and end it. Imo, athleticism is more important. I know it’s not specifically boxing related, but I thought it was close enough and a fun break from your typical questions. Have a good day brother and thanks for the time you give to us fans.
Much appreciated!!!
Bread’s Response: I actually agree with you. The average light heavyweight is about 6ft, 200lbs and that’s all you need in a street fight. But I want to add two things. One is, temperament is a big deal. Vicious, crazy type of guys who swing first are usually the best street fighters. So you left out temperament. Two, you forgot where these fights take place and how long they are. In a closed in space I would be take a bigger guy who would grab and just maul you down to the ground and pounce. But in a wide open space where 2 guys square up, give me the light heavyweight who can maneuver.
Hello Breadman,
It seems that GGG just does not get the accolades he deserves . He is forty now and has two tough fights in front of him . He was ducked and horribly avoided by Champions . I always wanted see him fight Sturm , Zbik , and Cotto . But those fights never happened . Those fights and more should be counted as wins.
My question is along the MM line. If GGG were the same age as Canelo, how do you see that fight . I am a huge Canelo fan , but I know he lost the first fight clean , no question . I also dont think Canelo got more than a draw in the second fight . This from a fighter eight years older than Canelo . GGG has to be a special fighter . So three questions . One – They are both thirty one years old. Two – GGG is twenty eight and Canelo is thirty six . Three – Please give a breakdown on the Murata fight and what we can expect . I dont see another forty year old fighter who could do as good or any better .
Thank You
J.B.
Bread’s Response: I won’t do the mental gymnastics of what would happen if GGG were Canelo’s age. He’s not. Neither can help when they were born. The GGG of 2012 was a monster. He was 30 then. But he’s not the first guy to get boxed out by the establishment. We have to accept it.At his best GGG would ko Murata. But he’s not at his best anymore in my opinion. So I don’t know how this goes as far as who wins. I think GGG will try to use his jab, find a rhythm and land his right hand. Murata will try to overwhelm him. GGG looks like he aged in his face. But Murata lost to Ndam and Brant. Let’s just watch it and see…
Breadman,
What can I say about this weekend after having such limited boxing last weekend. Firstly, GGG does not have the stiffest challenge ahead of him, we must not dismiss what Murata has accomplished (gold medal and two time champion), but he’s up quite a bit. A long layoff, age (40 years old) and fighting in Japan (with the time zone difference). GGG is as professional as they come so he should overcome all these things. I sit back and think what if he would’ve fought Dmitr Pirog, Felix Sturm, Sergio Martinez, and Miguel Cotto in his prime. What if he was given the decision in the first Canelo fight and a draw in the second Canelo fight. What if Mayweather would’ve challenged him at 156 catchweight. I think it would be hard to not put him as the #1 Middleweight of all time. Unfortunately, GGG like Rigondeaux were ducked during their prime years. I would’ve favored him in all the above fights during his prime years.
Ryan Garcia has a guy ahead of him with a glossy record which is slightly misleading. While I respect every fighter that steps between the ropes, we know he’s being served to Ryan. I’ll give him a pass since he’s coming off a long layoff, however, if he comes thru this unscathed he’ll need to step up big time on his next outing. The Lubin vs Fundora should be a firefight while it last. Initially, I was thinking Lubin big. Fundora’s reach, aggression and confidence have me leaning towards him upsetting Lubin. How do you see this fight playing out? Tony Harrison is hard to root against, his whiskers and confidence worry me. I’m hoping he beats Sergio Garcia which is another fight as me actually seeing Sergio Garcia winning. I hope I’m wrong as I would like to see a Harrison vs J-Rock fight.
There’s a few more fights this weekend, but since the average fan doesn’t know the names I won’t discuss them unless you opt to mention them. I’ll be up from dusk to dawn watching boxing and maybe squeeze some of the UFC fights on another screen. Blessings to you and the family.
Richard K, Oregon
Bread’s Response: Huge weekend of fights! If GGG would have been given the huge fights in 2012-15, his legacy would be greater. It’s just that simple. Ryan Garcia should look great. Joe Goosen is the man… .Lubin vs Fundora is a tough fight to call but I’m leaning Lubin. I think his sharpshooting will carry the day but Fundora seems to have strong will and a strong chin. It he holds up Lubin has the fight of his life in his hands. Tony Harrison is actually the underdog in his fight. Sergio Garcia is a very fit fighter. He’s very busy and he knows how to push a hard pace. I’m curious of what style Tony uses.
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