The latest, unmissable Daily Bread Mailbag covers a lot of ground with training at altitude, bad decisions, AI in boxing, the greatest upsets, the potential of Bam Rodriguez and a fantasy matchup between Hector Camacho and Floyd Mayweather Jr just a few of the subjects up for discussion.
Hi Breadman, Thanks for your continued mailbag and congrats on the big win with Kyrone Davis. I think it was before the Charlo fight, I saw that Canelo was training in the mountains for his camp (or at least part of it). From a basic google, it can increase your aerobic capacity, lactic acid tolerance and oxygen flow to your muscles but there must be consequences otherwise I assume the majority of high-level boxers would train at altitude. So my question is – assuming you sleep at ground level – what are the benefits and what are the downsides of altitude training for boxers? In relation to a fight, when and for how long do you have to train to get the benefits and when do you have to leave before the fight to retain the advantage?
Kind regards, Darns, Marrakech
Bread’s Response: This is a question and debate that has been going for some time now. From my research and experiences, the best way to do altitude training is to train at altitude but sleep at ground level. Oftentimes fighters who train in altitude don’t have the resources to sleep at ground level, so they also sleep at altitude which lessens the benefits. I don’t see any downsides if you train at altitude AND sleep at ground level. It’s exactly what you would want to do.
Everyone is different but training is usually done in four-week blocks. So training at altitude for four weeks should give you plenty of benefits. I would say come down from altitude about two weeks before the fight and all will be well. We have seen several high profile fighters who trained at Big Bear look like they were struggling to breath during certain fights.. I often wondered if they stayed up in Big Bear too long without sleeping at ground level…
Hello Breadman, Since the Haney-Garcia fight has been overturned because of PED use, do you think we will ever see results overturned for bad judging? One is as bad as the other. You recently had a bad judge in one of your fights. In either situation the playing field is not level. GGG dealt with both PED use and horrific bad judging in his fights with Canelo. The first fight should be overturned as a win for GGG. He won that fight clean. The second fight he got no worse than a draw. I think it was just great performances from a fighter eight years older than Canelo. Let me also ask this question. Can you see a 36-year-old Canelo fighting a 28-year-old GGG? Wrong should not go uncorrected. I get that boxing is a dirty business with no moral compass or integrity. But things can change. I hope the four belts just go away. Teams are made to post a sizable fight bond. Same day weigh-ins with a failure to make weight cancelling the fight and losing your fight bond to the other team. PED test results should always be posted before the fight with a positive cancelling the fight and the team loses their fight bond. The fighter is then suspended for five years, first offence. Lifetime ban for a second offence. It will take a ‘Money Is Secondary’ acumen for this to succeed. Thank you.
Bread’s Response: I don’t think boxing should pick fights from years ago to overturn bad decisions unless we can prove corruption. It’s just too much and more bad will come out of the process than good. But I do like your aggressive attitude towards WRONG. I will give you some logical solutions to your comment…
I like your idea about the PED use. Bonds should be put up before fights. If you miss weight or test positive you lose your bond and the opposing team collects it. PEDRIOD!!
One positive PED use should equal an 18-month suspension. A second positive test should be a lifetime ban. Period! And any member of your team who is found culpable in your PED use, should also be banned for LIFE.
I don’t want to overturn decisions from years ago. But immediately after a fight a panel should do INQUIRIES on controversial decisions. And judges and referees should be required to explain their view points. If the panel disagrees then the decision should be overturned and the official should be suspended.
The biggest issue with the poor officials is they keep getting appointed. The Commissions and the Promoters ENABLE this by allowing them to continue to work. Just make a list of bad officials and see how often they are used after they made a poor decision. That’s the REAL issue. Officials are being REWARDED for bad decisions. So therefore the decision looks corrupt because nothing is done to correct the wrongs.
If the bad officials aren’t allowed to officiate anymore, it will send a message and I’m relatively sure that so called innocent errors in these decisions will slowly stop.
Yes, you’re correct we had a judge in the Kyrone Davis vs Elijah Garcia fight who gave the fight 98-92 to Garcia. Garcia is from Phoenix, so he had plenty of fans in Vegas. The crowd BOOED when they heard 98-92 for Garcia. I’m very curious to see how judge John McKaie conducts himself from here on out and how often he’s appointed to big shows. His scorecard in that fight was inexcusable.
Hey Breadman – Robert Garcia was a former world champion who took a few bad losses and retired at, I believe, 26. Fernando Vargas, of the same La Colonia gym at that time, also took bad losses and retired very young. Fast forward a few years and Garcia goes on to train Brandon Rios and Mikey Garcia, who both similarly seemed to experience a sharp dropoff at relatively young ages. Now we have Jo Jo Diaz and Andy Ruiz, who seem to have plateaued relatively young. I’ll leave Chris Arreola out of this because his last fight was against Ruiz and it was his best performance at 40-ish, but I see a pattern there. Why the early burnout with these Southern California boxers, in your opinion? Thanks, Gabe.
Bread’s Response: This is a deep question. But I don’t really have an answer. I have never trained for an extensive time in So Cal. So I don’t know the gym culture well enough to speak on it. But if I see one of the trainers I know from out there I will definitely ask. My cutman Mike Rodriguez is from LA. I will be sure to ask him also.
Whats up Bread, I always look forward to reading your mailbag on Saturday mornings, loved your breakdown of De La Hoya’s career, I forgot how good he was back in the day. Bam and Estrada fight tonight and I’m betting on Estrada. I just feel like he has a clutch gene much like Usyk… they just find a way to win. Estrada showed it in the Rungvisai fight he was losing and he turned it on late. I don’t disagree with your opinion on Bam, he’s a great young fighter, but El Gallo is in the tradition of Juan Manuel Marquez and Julio Cesar Chavez. I feel he will prevail… I could be eating crow Sunday morning but I’ll put my money where my mouth is. Thanks for all your boxing wisdom, much respect. Ray, San Diego CA.
Bread’s Response: Yes man. Oscar was the real deal. He was cut from the cloth of Ray Leonard and Ali. In terms of being a Gold Medalist. The Money Man. But taking heavy smoke, before, during and after his PRIME. De La Hoya’s resume can NOT be questioned. It was REAL.
I respect you putting yourself out there with your Estrada over Bam pick. We all make educated guesses with our predictions. As you know, I liked BAM big in this fight. I just felt like Estrada is a great fighter. But he has miles on his odometer. And it would be very difficult for any fighter at 118 and below in history to beat Bam at Estrada’s current stage.
What’s up Breadman? Just a few questions. Throughout the decades I have always heard that Cuba has the best amateur boxing program. I looked up guys like Teofilo Stevenson, Felix Savon and watched guys in the pros like Rigondeaux and Robeisy. I’ve been noticing a surge with fighters coming out of Ukraine. Would you still consider Cuba the standard? Also, how do you think the Cuban heavyweights would have fared professionally? Teofilo in the 70s/80s and Savon in the 90s/2000s. Lastly, I watched highlights on Madrimov, he has good movement and size. As a Crawford fan I’m a little nervous. How do you see this fight playing out? Thanks, Jamaal, Louisiana
Bread’sResponse: Cuba and Ukraine are both hot beds for elite fighters. I don’t think one is the standard over the other. They take turns being hot. But if you look close, at this very moment… The Dominican Republic and Japan are the hot countries right now as far as producing fresh new faces. And Australia is not far behind.
I think Terence Crawford may have to be careful early. He may take a few punches trying to calibrate Madrimov’s attacks. But once he gets his patterns and rhythms down, I think Crawford will actually walk Madrimov down and stop him.
Crawford does so many things well that his COUNTER body punching gets overlooked. But if you watch his fights closely, that may be his best attribute. He lands subtle, pinpoint body shots throughout his fights. He doesn’t load them up, he just whips them in without telegraphing them. He’s the best counter body puncher I’ve seen since Mike McCallum. It’s so subtle no one talks about it.
McCallum was known as a great body puncher. But he didn’t have one particular “go to” shot, like Julio Cesar Chavez or Gerald McClellan. He didn’t score a plethora of one punch body shot KOs. But if you watch his fights, you knew he was special going to the body. Crawford reminds me of McCallum in that aspect.
I think Madrimov has an explosive, unpredictable style. And the way you fight a guy like that is stay close to him, so he can’t get those unpredictable angles when he jumps in. Crawford is a SAVANT. A GENIUS at adjusting and at some point, he’s going to take the bigger man inside, go to his body and stop him between eight to 10 rounds.
What up Breadman. What’s your take on Subriel Matias loss and why was he so passive in that fight? And how do you see Xander Zayas career going? From what I see he has gotten better every fight, looks like a star, but I feel like he is missing something.
Bread’s response: I don’t think Matias was passive. Paro had something to do with it. Paro fought a great fight. Matias is an imposing fighter. He’s a grinding fighter. Fighters like Matias take time to impose their strength on their opponents and Paro just wasn’t having it. A rematch may be different but on THAT night, Paro had his number.
I don’t know what Matias is missing. I think he is what he is. He’s a tall, down hill, volume fighter. Similar to Antonio Margarito. You also have to realize that style does NOT age well. Matias is 32.
Smooth efficient boxers or huge punching high IQ guys usually age well. Not violent, volume fighters. There are exceptions but they aren’t the norm…
Hey Bread, how are you? I know you like to compare some fights that are upcoming to others in the past and this week I had some really strong feelings of Juan Diaz vs JMM. I thought the deciding factor for me would be the level and composure that Bam has that respectfully Juan Diaz didn’t, would be the difference, but it would be a test like that. The up and coming, more dynamic and much younger guy against a technician and veteran who has seen it all before and knows the style like the back of his hand and still has that dangerous accuracy, timing and enough pop. The fight played out pretty similar to the JD-JMM fight but Bam took that moment of being tested and showed what I believed he had in him with the level and the composure. He fought back intelligently and stayed dynamic but smart. I had Bam already in my top 10 list and this helped solidify him.
In my lists I usually have certain guys who are very elite but I don’t think they will ever be top two or three and Bam is one of those for me. Do you see something special in him where he can be a top of list type for you? I love lower weight fighters but seeing Inoue is different from seeing Bam to me.
Watching the Benavidez fight he definitely had less in the tank later than he normally does. And respect to Gvozdyk who looked to be in amazing shape, but it seemed like a training camp error to me. I know you don’t like commenting on it because you don’t know all that happens in their camps, but he said he was right around 190 for the fight and I think he looked heavier than that. I think they should have approached it like a Mayweather type where you make the weight and put on an extra 5-7 pounds or so because he can still make 168 easy. He shouldn’t be up in next weight class and then gaining that much more, right? His legs looked heavier so he was a little more upper body punching, he looked less dynamic and he definitely didn’t have the tank he normally does. I know it’s his first fight up there and he’s adjusting but I believe his speed, dynamic ability and power will travel to LHW easy and he has that rare top level. I’ve written in numerous times to you talking about how I believe he’ll be very top P4P soon so I think he has that type level and his specialness will be highlighted even more by going up in weight like the Mays and Pacs did by training for the fight instead of weight loss and weight regain after. Thanks, Jake
Bread’s Response: Bam Rodriguez is the talk of the boxing world. He’s one of my favorite fighters to watch. He’s a mix of Loma, Chocolatito and believe it or not Salvador Sanchez. I am very high on Bam. I believe he has a legit claim to being #4 P4P after Crawford, Inoue and Usyk. I also believe he has #1 P4P potential. And Bam has a decent shot to win Fighter of the Decade because he’s the most accomplished under 25-year-old fighter in the world right now.
I thought David Benavidez looked good. He got a little tired but I’m not going to overly critique him. The Nail is an elite fighter. He was an Olympian, a lineal world champion. And you can tell he was in impeccable shape. He was also hitting David with some sneaky counters and I think they took their toll.
If you notice Ukrainian fighters don’t load up on their punches. They make strong contact. Loma, Usyk etc. So the Nail’s shots didn’t look hard but they’re strong contact shots. Over time those contact shots add up.
Benavidez is just fine. There is no need to panic. The Nail is not a pushover.
I DISAGREE with you strongly about how much David should rehydrate. If he put on 5 to 7 pounds like Floyd Mayweather after a weigh in he wouldn’t have any energy. He may not even be able to get through six rounds of a fight.
Mayweather and Benavidez have different body types. They are different size men relative to their weight classes. They have different backgrounds. David was an overweight kid and his body has a high fat content. Mayweather was a lean smaller fighter (130) who moved up gradually over a 10-year period to 154lbs. In boxing it’s okay to pick up on some stuff that others do, but what’s good for Floyd, is good for Floyd. And what’s good for David, is good for David.
What I saw that shocked me is that the Nail was a much bigger man. Not so much height, but his bone density was superior. David doesn’t have BIG hands, wrist, neck, forearms, calves etc. Areas that you can get stronger without putting on so much weight. If he’s going to fight at 175lbs he’s going to have to increase his strength in those small areas. But other than that he will figure it out.
Weight jumping after 147lbs is difficult. It’s why only special fighters have won titles at 147 and 160. And the biggest jump in boxing is from 160 to 168. It’s totally different size men between those divisions. And before super middeweight was invented the biggest jump in boxing was from 160 to 175. So David will just have to adjust to dealing with the physicality of the bigger men. You can always tell these things by what champions have won titles at the specific weights I named. You won’t see many super middleweights in history who have won light heavyweight titles…
I still think Benavidez beats Bivol. But if he decides to fight Beterbiev, he may need more developing. Let’s see what happens.
Dear Breadman, Following scorecards of “Bam” vs Estrada it is hard not to think, thank God, it did not go the distance. I agree with comments that 2 scorecards are appalling. However, what I have noticed recently in case of undue scorecards that more and more fans would like AI (Artificial Intelligence) to take over the scoring. Even if we are not, technologically, at this level just yet, it should be a matter of (short?) time only. What would be an interesting option is to see, once AI judging is refined, is rescoring – an opportunity to rescore so-called controversial (but often downright wrong) verdicts of the past. I think once a quality AI is applied, it will be inevitable. I said it would be interesting, but interesting can have different aspects. Would you be able to comment on AI and possible knock on effects? With kindest regards, Marek Wójcik
Bread’s Response: I really respect Juan Estrada. He’s a HOF fighter for sure. But I will die on the HILL that he lost the Chocolatito rematch. I literally thought they read the score cards wrong. Choc won that fight, close but clean. I bring it up to not discredit Estrada but to illustrate how he has received the benefit of doubt on scorecards. Because it’s not even plausible that he was winning the fight vs Bam. He actually lost just about every round. He was competitive but Bam was beating him to the punch by enough where it wasn’t hard to score. There is no way Estrada should’ve been close on the scorecards before the stoppage.
On another note, I don’t like the AI judge idea. AI is still programmed by humans and where humans are involved, corruption is possible. I will say it until I can’t say it anymore. Simply do not bring back the judges who turn in bad scorecards. In most professions when you do a bad job, you get some type of reprimand. In boxing you get more jobs. Take the bad judges’ employment away from them. Until these judges lose their jobs as judges, the bad judging won’t stop.
While Naoya Inoue has been praised for being among the best in the world, there have been some criticisms about his time in the lower weight classes. Inoue didn’t fight some of the biggest names in the 115 pound division while he was fighting in and around that weight class. Jesse Rodriguez has fought the names Inoue didn’t and he’s dominated them. That fact leads me to this question: How close is Rodriguez to being considered Inoue’s equal? It seems like he might just be a few fights (assuming they’re the right fights) away from being considered at Inoue’s level. Is that a fair assessment or does Rodriguez have more work to do?Thank you!
Bread’s Response: Inoue has a few misses but I don’t get the impression he was ducking smoke. Bam has fought some elite names but they all were well over 30 and had wear and tear on them. Anyone’s resume can be criticized… I think Inoue is a slight level above Bam at this moment. Inoue is 31 and Bam is 24. That’s a big difference in boxing years. Inoue has over 20 title fights. Inoue may be the best bantamweight ever. And has a case for being a top 10 fighter ever from 122 on down. That’s how good he is.
I think Bam is equally as skilled but I don’t believe he has the raw athleticism and physicality that Inoue has. So I don’t like the comparisons from a standpoint of how many divisions Inoue went through vs Bam’s rise. How many KOs they score etc… They possess different qualities.
Bam is the truth. He may be my current favorite fighter to watch. But Inoue’s physicality is unmatched at this moment. I don’t even like when people say Bam could fight Inoue. If Inoue was a 115lber currently I would be all for the fight. But if anyone expects Bam to go up seven more pounds and fight a fighter who is bigger, faster, hits harder, has more physicality and equally as skilled and equally as talented and win that fight, they are sadly mistaken. Bam cannot beat Inoue at the moment. Just like Inoue can’t beat Tank at the moment. Let’s just enjoy the kid and allow him to be what he’s going to be.
Hey Mr. Edwards… I want your opinion on a mythical matchup – Floyd Mayweather versus Hector Camacho. I think at 135 or 140 or 147 or 154, Mayweather wins, but I’m not sure who wins at 130, because that was Camacho’s peak/prime weight – he actually had power at that weight, and phenomenal speed, and it was before his fight with Edwin Rosario. I know Edwin Rosario hurt Camacho bad and Camacho fought more defensively after that for the rest of his career, but at 130 lbs, Camacho was excellent. I don’t really see a size difference between Hector Camacho and Floyd Mayweather Jr. I think Floyd is slightly taller, but both fighters won their first world titles at 130, and Camacho even fought successfully at 160, so I think the two are evenly matched in size and speed at 130 lbs. I think Camacho would be the underdog, but I believe Camacho was never stopped in his career, with well over 60 fights. So I think a fight between Mayweather and Camacho would be close and competitive. What do you think? John, Sacramento, California.
Bread’s Response: Camacho was a great fighter. He may even be an ATG at 130lbs specifically. I can see him making the all time list at 130 after Mayweather, Chavez, Arguello, Saddler and Nelson. Camacho has a case for top 10. He was very fast, with raw athleticism and IQ. But Mayweather is in a different league as a fighter.
There are fighters at those weights who I think would have given Mayweather a hard tussle. For example Sandy Saddler. But I just saw Camacho have too many tough nights close to or in his prime, to beat Mayweather at his best weight. I don’t know if Floyd stops him but he beats him in my opinion and I didn’t have to give it much though.
I saw a prime Camacho and he was a bad boy but he’s not on Floyd Mayweather’s level. On top of that I think Camacho’s run at 130 is slightly overrated. I do think he’s one of the more talented fighters I’ve seen at 130. But he won a title in a fantastic performance vs Bazooka Limon. Defended it ONCE and moved up 135lbs. He was in his prime when he fought Rosario. We have seen Floyd get hurt in fights. Look at the Chop Chop Corley and Shane Mosley fights. Floyd was just as hurt in those fights as Camacho was against Rosario. Floyd didn’t stop being a FIGHTER because he was hurt bad in a fight. And for the record I’m not criticizing Camacho. I’m just answering you in a comprehensive way to illustrate the difference in Mayweather and Camacho.
I’ve been wondering something about Usyk that I wanted to run by you, Breadman. For years, I feel like I’ve heard a lot of people refer to Usyk as “Lomachenko, but bigger”. On the surface, I get why they’d say that: They’re both Ukrainian, they’re both southpaws, they both have next level footwork, and I believe Anatoly Lomachenko trained both (at least both as amateurs, I’m not sure how involved Anatoly was with Usyk as a pro). But I think in terms of their fighting styles, all that is about where the similarities end. I see Usyk, with his longer arms, as more comfortable doing things like fighting at range and on the backfoot more than Loma, and that’s why I don’t fully agree with that assessment. Also, in the past you’ve described Lomachenko as like a combination of Calzaghe and Whitaker, and I don’t really see that combo in Usyk. I can see Whitaker but not so much Calzaghe. I don’t know… what combination of fighters do you see in Usyk? Do you think there are more similarities that I’m missing? Or do you think it’s not wholly accurate to call Usyk “Lomachenko, but bigger”?
Bread’s Response: Loma and Usyk are not dead ringers in fighting style. But they do have similarities outside of being southpaw. They both stay on their toes. They both probe up and down with their lead hands. And both are always attacking the angle, especially against right-handed fighters. I think Loma is more naturally dynamic in terms of athleticism and dexterity. But Usyk, as you mentioned, is built differently. He’s longer so he can jab and play it safe at a distance whereas Loma has short alligator arms so that’s not his game so much. I think the similarities are relevant but they are not the same exact fighter by no means.
Happy Independence Day Sir. Hope you and your family are doing well. People love a great underdog story. What’s three of your favorite ‘Against All Odds’ boxing fights and why? By Against All Odds – I mean the WINNING fighter had to face a seemingly significant unfair advantage (outside typical A/B negotiations) or variables in a combination of: fight arena/crowd; B-side treatment; was a heavy betting underdog; unfavorable ref and/or judges; unfavorable ring size/glove choice, etc. Again not all factor’s aforementioned, just a few.
Bread’s Response: I love these themes going into fights. And when a fighter overcomes them, that fighter’s status elevates to new heights. Off the top of my head…
Ali vs Foreman… Foreman was 40-0 with 37 KOs. He had just destroyed Ken Norton and Joe Frazier inside of two rounds. Ali had lost to both and in the rematches he barely scraped by. Foreman was 25 and Ali was 32. Most thought Ali would not only lose but that he would get seriously injured. Ali not only won the fight but he stopped a man in Foreman who looked to be invincible.
Holyfield vs Tyson I. Tyson had just unified two belts at heavyweight. He was back to his old knockout ways. Holyfield on the other hand, since they were originally proposed to fight, had lost 3 times and was diagnosed with a heart condition. He had also just been stopped by Riddick Bowe in 1995. And he struggled a great deal with Bobby Cyzy in what was supposed to be a showcase fight. Most were NOT giving him a shot vs Tyson. Holyfield not only won but he dominated Tyson and stopped him.
Azumah Nelson vs Jeff Fenech II. Fenech deserved better than a draw in their 1st fight. Fenech was looking to become a four-division champion. So they are set to fight a rematch and Nelson the defending champion had to go to Australia, Fenech’s home land. Everyone was against Nelson including the referee. But it didn’t matter, Nelson scored one of the best victories of his career, with a thrilling stoppage over his great rival.
I have so many of these Up Against It fights in my thoughts but you only asked for three…
However I gave you historic fights where fighters were up against it. I will also add some fights of the last decade.
Shawn Porter vs Adrien Broner. Porter was an amateur at 165lbs. He gradually made his way down to 147lbs. But the Broner fight was made at a 144lb catchweight. Broner had already won a title at 147lbs but the catchweight favored him greatly. Porter still WON the fight.
Vasyl Lomachenko lost his title shot vs Orlando Salido. But Salido vacated the title because he came in overweight. Lomachenko then challenged the ultra talented Gary Russell in his very next fight. At the time Lomachenko was 1-1. But here is the kicker. The fight took place on an PBC card! Lomachenko performed like a magician. Loma won the fight cleanly but yet it was scored a Majority Decision. Imagine how the history of boxing would be if Loma had lost that fight.
Julian Williams vs Jarrett Hurd. Hurd was on fire. He had just beat Tony Harrison, Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara. Hurd was in line for a unification vs Jermell Charlo. He had fought a few southpaws, so he wanted to sharpen up on a right handed fighter in Williams before he took the Charlo fight. Hurd wanted a big fight in his hometown. The Washington Football team’s marching band walked Hurd out along with a rapper. The energy of the fight felt like the Hurd crowd was there for a celebration and coronation. They seemed to think it was a foregone conclusion as to what was going to happen. Hurd had a great uppercut and Jermall Charlo had stopped Julian Williams with an uppercut. Everyone thought they knew what was going to happen but they forgot to tell Julian Williams. He put on a clinic in aggressive boxing and took Hurd’s titles in Hurd’s hometown.
Hi Breadman, I pray God is blessing and continues to bless you and your family and the fans of your mailbag and their families. I wasn’t surprised that Tank vs Martin didn’t do good box office. The fight had no momentum based on Martin’s last fight and most people didn’t perceive him as a real threat. Tank is at the stage where he must fight people who people feel have a legitimate chance to beat him. Loma to me is a step in the right direction but he is considered a little past it but he did look great in his last fight. The fight that appears people want to see is Tank vs Shakur. The only thing with that is I don’t feel Shakur is going to be much of a challenge either, but he is young and people will fall for the hype. Tank’s resume is better than people realize: He beat Garcia who has beaten Haney and his victory over Pit Bull Cruz is going to look better as time goes on. He, like Crawford and Inoue, is entertaining while still being highly skilled and he is going to be a tough out for anyone. The most underrated aspect of his game is his defense the way he hunted down Martin while blocking most of those punches was very impressive. Tank has many layers to his game, and I think Shakur if the fight is ever made is going to be in for a long and painful night. Tank is a boxer who can punch not just someone dimensional slugger like he is being advertised to be.
Bread’s Response: I think very highly of both Tank and Shakur. If they keep building up their fight can be the biggest fight in lightweight history. Bigger than Chavez vs Rosario. Bigger than Camacho vs Rosario. Bigger than Williams vs Jack. Bigger than Duran vs DeJesus III. Lightweight has not had many super fighters over the last few decades. This would be it because we never got Loma vs Mikey Garcia.
I think highly of both Shakur and Tank. And I am well aware that just because Tank punches harder and scores more KOs, it doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to win the fight. Shakur will be difficult for anyone at 135lbs because of his reflexes and his pure boxing attitude. Shakur will not sacrifice his defense vs a puncher like Tank just to satisfy the crowd. So that in itself is a difficult proposition for a ko artist.
But I will say that I feel that Tank’s matchmaking was very smart in fighting Frank Martin. Martin is a southpaw. He’s fast, athletic and strong. Tank showed an ability to press the fight vs Martin, and force Martin to make mistakes while pressing him and counter punching him. I didn’t doubt if Tank could do that but I had not seen him do that against an opponent of Martin’s skillset. I know some will say that Martin is not Shakur. Well that’s obvious. But Martin is no slouch.
Because Tank showed an ability to cut the ring off, be defensively responsible and stop and in his prime Ring-rated contender. While I don’t have a pick just yet… I think the oddsmaker will make Tank a clear favorite vs Shakur.
But fights aren’t won on paper. They are won in the ring. And if Shakur performs well in his upcoming fight, he and Tank is still the SuperFight at 135!
Tank’s resume is solid. It’s not GREAT and it’s not awful. It’s solid. Critics get aggravated because they want more. I understand it. But they mislabel his resume because of their frustration.
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