Daily Bread Mailbag: Don’t presume that Canelo beats Crawford just because he’s bigger

The Daily Bread Mailbag is here as the one and only Stephen “Breadman” Edwards responds to your questions about Crawford, Canelo, Boots, the lightweight legacy of Duran and the pain he felt watching Julian Williams lose his world title.

I’ve been quick to criticise Canelo Alvarez in the past. That being said, I think recent criticism against him is going too far. The latest whining is about him not meeting with a promoter to discuss a potential fight… while on a press tour for his upcoming fight. That shouldn’t be expected. Why would Alvarez bury the headlines for his next fight with headlines about his fight after that one? The biggest criticism against Alvarez focuses on David Benavidez and the apparent fact that Alvarez won’t fight him. No one mentions that Benavidez could have forced Alvarez to fight him to become undisputed champion. That didn’t happen because Benavidez failed a drug test and vacated his title. Why is that Alvarez’s problem? Why is it Alvarez’s problem that the WBC won’t strip his title? I would love your take. I think the criticism against him is getting absurd and I hope you agree. Thank you!

Bread’s Response: Often times MORE than one thing can be true. Canelo Alvarez is the perfect example of that. Canelo is the face of boxing. When you’re the face of boxing the paying customer wants to see you in certain fights. Canelo has given the boxing world plenty of big fights. But he hasn’t given the world the Benavidez fight. It really doesn’t matter why… There is always a reason. Reasons don’t really matter to the paying customer. They want certain fights. But I will address your justification on why he’s not fighting Benavidez. 

Canelo tested positive for PEDS. He was suspended. You can’t use that Benavidez lost his title because of a positive drug test when Canelo tested positive for PEDs. The bottom line is Benavidez has done more than anyone at 168lbs to get the Canelo fight. Period. And he hasn’t gotten it yet. If Canelo can be forgiven, so can David. Right…

Personally I don’t justify Canelo NOT fighting him. But I do understand it. Benavidez is NO JOKE and when you have options, Benavidez is not the type of guy you go after if there are easier options. Canelo is still an ATG HOF fighter. He’s still one of the best of this era. And he’s still a P4P guy. Any young fighter can watch Canelo and learn a lot. He’s the TRUTH. He just hasn’t fought Benavidez. It’s just something we have to accept. 

As far as the sanctioning bodies are concerned, the issue with them is simple. The rules aren’t across the board. They allow certain fighters to do things that others get stripped for. There is no point in having mandatories if they aren’t enforced within a year. If the rules are enforced across the board the favoritism won’t be so obvious.

Hi Breadman, I hope this email finds you well. In reading articles about Beterbiev’s injury (ruptured meniscus) I find it unbelievable he can be ready for October. When you hear about a football player having this injury (most recent example JJ MCCarthy) it takes a year for them to come back. Do you have any information or insight on this issue? In regards to ATG where would you rank Duran as a lightweight? In my opinion he is the best of the modern era and you have to go back to guys like Henry Armstrong or Benny Leonard to find any equals.Thanks, Aaron in Miami 

Bread’s Response: I thought the same thing about Beterbiev. I find it amazing that he can come BACK from THAT injury so soon. For a man around 40 years old he’s either a medical marvel or he has a great doctor… I really don’t know what to say. Because he has to be in CAMP at the moment in order to be ready for October 12th. When I heard he ruptured his MCL, I thought he would be out until January or February of NEXT year.

For all intents and purposes Duran in my opinion is a top 10 fighter EVER regardless of weight class. If you go by lightweight specifically, I bought all of his lightweight title fights on DVD. There is an argument for Pernell Whitaker, Ike Williams, Benny Leonard, Joe Gans and Henry Armstrong being better. I am comfortable saying that I believe that if they all fought, that Duran would win more of the fights than anyone else. 

Forensically if we go by accomplishments at the weight Benny Leonard may have fought in a harder era of lightweight but it’s close. Armstrong didn’t have enough title fights but head to head he is murder on anyone. Williams is on the level. Gans is on the level but it’s so long ago. Whitaker is the best lightweight since Duran but Duran’s reign was longer and had more defenses.

If you say that Duran is the greatest and best lightweight ever, I wouldn’t argue one bit. His defense against Hector Thompson and DeJesus 2 are platinum level boxing. Duran is as good a natural fighter that I have ever seen. 

Hey Breadman, thanks for the weekly mailbags. I know you’re a straight shooter, so I’ll ask this directly. Is it possible for a fighter to be on performance enhancing drugs and for their trainer not to know? If a trainer has several fighters that have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs should that discredit our assessment of them? Stay blessed, Darns 

Bread’s Response: Sure it is. As a trainer we don’t know EVERYTHING a fighter does when we aren’t around. We are only around them approximately 2 hours per day. Now I will say, if there is a trainer or gym that has multiple fighters pop dirty, then at some point, we have to look at the trainer because the CIRCUMSTANTIAL evidence would have been piling up. 

But overall a trainer can be in the dark. It’s definitely possible. It’s one the reasons why I’m open with being anti-PEDS. So a fighter will know if they ever pop dirty while I’m training them, they are on their own. That’s a SWORD I’m NEVER going to FALL on. So I’m very confident that my fighters are CLEAN because they know PEDS are the one thing I will NOT support.

Breadman, two quick questions for you. 1, You say you think Crawford will be Canelo. So, my ask is – if Canelo beats Crawford will that enhance his legacy? I feel like most likely if he wins it won’t do much but I respect your opinion and if you think Crawford will win then a Canelo victory should be considered legacy enhancing. 2, If Floyd, De La Hoya and Pacquiao fought each other in the same order they fought but all in their primes would any of the outcomes have been any different? Thanks, Good.

Bread’s Response: I feel like Canelo thinks he won’t get credit for beating Crawford is the reason the fight hasn’t happened. Canelo doesn’t want to be in a situation where if he loses his legacy gets devalued. And if he wins, people will say he was supposed to win. But Canelo’s issue is he’s fought smaller guys before in Josesito Lopez and Amir Khan. So that’s a dilemma for him and his PR team to justify.

If he handles Crawford easily I personally would give him credit because I know how hard of a fight that is for him. Smaller men, with agility and durability, are nightmares for bigger fighters. I have seen bigger fighters struggle or lose several times to great smaller fighters.

Hagler struggled with Duran and lost to Leonard. Monzon struggled with Emile Griffith. Holmes lost to Michael Spinks. Joe Louis struggled with Billy Conn. The list is bigger than people realize. It’s why I don’t say a good man beats a good little man. It depends on who they are and what their qualities are. 

With Canelo and Crawford being the same height and Crawford having a big advantage in reach and agility, I believe this is a harder fight than most think for Canelo. I still believe that despite the Madrimov fight. Although I do think Crawford has to defend the right hand better if he wants to beat Canelo.

Good question on De La Hoya, Pacquiao and Mayweather. I really don’t know but I don’t expect Oscar to go 0-2 if he fought them in his prime. Oscar was a helluva fighter on his best day. I would have liked to see Pacman fight Mayweather right after he beat Oscar. THAT Pacman was something and in the midst of the most dominant PPV performance run in history. But it didn’t work out that way. It’s just what history is. It happens when it happens and that’s that. We have to live with it.

How are you, Bread? Getting back into the boxing scene and reading your mailbags. You had an interesting comparison of Floyd and Bud. Taking into account everything that you stated I would  ultimately give the nod to the one who’s least likely to get caught with a big punch and that’s Money.  Anyway, what are your thoughts on these matchups for Bud vs Pryor, Duran, Whitaker, ODLH & Wilfred Benitez?  Greg-bmore

Bread’s Response: Taking Floyd over Bud is reasonable. But I never made a pick. I just gave my thoughts on them as fighters. I like Bud over Pryor. As much as I love Pryor, I feel like Bud’s master counter punching would be the deciding factor, but it’s a tough fight if Bud doesn’t hurt him.

I like the Duran that beat Leonard over Bud. Duran was remarkable that night. And despite this new thing that Leonard let a lightweight beat him, THAT lightweight had fought eight fights for 2 years at 147. He was strong, in his prime and after the rematch he never fought at 147 again. Duran has 2 HOF wins at 147. He was a great welterweight.

Bud vs Whitaker is a drawish type of fight. I would take Whitaker at 135 and maybe Bud at 147. Close fight.

I like Bud over Oscar. The skills are equal but Bud’s IQ is better. Oscar seemed to make the wrong choices in BIG fights, where Bud makes the right ones.

I like Bud over Benitez.

Hello Breadman, Crawford is not getting the Canelo fight . Get this, Canelo is almost never out loud or talkative . When he does interviews he uses an interpreter because he doesn’t speak English. But a very good friend of mine played golf on vacation at a high end resort with a friend of his. They met Canelo and played golf with him. He spoke perfect                       English, no interpreter. He said Canelo laughed and talked and all had a great time. Canelo is a smart guy , he lets everyone else do the talking, he just rakes in the money. Canelo doesn’t like Crawford, said he would never give him the payday. Never. Let’s see if this is true.             Thank you, J.B.

Bread’s Response: I didn’t know that but I can see that. The one thing the public doesn’t get about boxing is, when you’re the A-side, you’re giving fighters chances to make money off of you. So some fighters will fight you and beat you up if they don’t like you. And some will freeze you OUT and NEVER give you the opportunity. Let’s see what happens.

What’s up Bread, big fan of everything you do, to say you know your stuff is an understatement. However, I have to contradict you on one thing. You’ve said a few times that a Tank-Shakur fight, if it comes off, might be the biggest lightweight fight of all time. With all due respect, hell no. You’re ignoring the fact that boxing is nowhere near as relevant and popular as it used to be, at least in America. I shouldn’t have to explain this, it’s pretty obvious. To say that a fight between Shakur, who has his own hometown fans leaving his fights early, and Tank, who while popular, isn’t quite a real mainstream star that the average sports fan knows, is the biggest fight in the 120-plus year history of a division is simply recency bias. Here’s one example of a bigger fight in its time: Benny Leonard, still considered by some as the greatest lightweight of all time, and a hero to his people, v. Lew Tendler. 60,000 fans were at the 1923 rematch between these two at Yankee Stadium. Call me when a Shakur fight does anything other than put people to sleep, let alone do numbers like that. That’s just one example. Boxing was simply bigger in bygone eras (and the media landscape was less fragmented) so guys from Ike Williams to Duran to Ray Mancini all had big fights that were seen by tons of people, and were all popular sporting figures. I wish boxing was a bigger deal now. Fact is, Tank and especially Shakur don’t come close in terms of popularity. I mean, shit, I’m pretty sure Tank-Ryan was a bigger fight than this would be, at least in the mainstream. Nate,Toronto

Bread’s Response: Great point. I thought about Leonard vs Tendler. I also thought about the Williams vs Jack title fight, Arguello vs Mancini and Chavez vs Rosario. Here is  my reasoning, but I should’ve put it in better context. 

I don’t feel like Tank and Shakur separated is huge. But combine them together in a legacy-defining fight, I feel it would be huge. Today’s multimedia platforms, podcasts, and YouTube channels would go CRAZY with the fight. Shakur is from Newark, which is right next to New York. He’s also managed by J Prince who is huge in the hip hop community. Tank is from Baltimore which is next to the nation’s capital. Tank also has BIG ties to the hip hop community. The stars come out for his fights and his fight with Rolly Romero did great in NY. 

So I don’t expect Tank vs Shakur to do the LIVE crowd that some of the old school fights did. But today because of multimedia and PPV, the fights reach more people. Where as back in the day, you only had two ways to enjoy the fight. Live or by radio. So I feel like Tank vs Shakur would reach more EYES than any other lightweight fight in history. Let’s see if it happens…

I didn’t answer your question because it was a purely nonsensical question, insulting of anyone with 14 brain cells. I have a lot more than 14 brain cells, btw. But I’ll humor you. To answer your question: I don’t hold Crawford to the same behavioral standards as Boots because Bud is a four division champion who has pursued smoke and never let managerial or promotional obstacles slow his march. Can’t say the same for Boots – 27 years old, 33 fights in and the best names on his resume are Roiman Villa and Sergey Lipinets. I hope you’re not comparing Boots’ accomplishments with Bud’s and putting them on equal career leverage footing at similar career stages. You seem smarter than that. You call me a troll, but am I really a troll? Trolls don’t know boxing. I do. Trolls hide and don’t disclose their real names and cities. I do. I always (except when I’m rushing and have one of my airhead episodes) provide my name and city on my submissions. Just say that it irritates you to have to defend the career of one of your sacred cows against legit and well-founded criticism. I’ll understand. I will. But to call someone a troll just because they don’t deify the same fighters you do is intellectually dishonest and lazy. The bottom line is that Boots is too talented to be in the position of having to fight a second pointless fight with Karen Chukhadzhian. He says he wants to unify all belts at 147, but that will take at least two years, maybe more because Matchroom has no other champions at that weight under their banner. Eddie could have asked the IBF for an exception to allow a unification before the deadline expired, but he didn’t. Funny how Al Haymon is able to do the exception thing repeatedly (Spence Jr., Jermell), but Eddie mysteriously can’t. That takes us back to why Boots signed with Hearn in the first place if Matchroom has no champs at 147 or 154. Boots never had an affiliation with PBC. His affiliation was with Showtime through Stephen Espinoza. If Boots was affiliated with PBC, Al wouldn’t have kept his best welterweights away from him. Al owes him nothing. That’s Business 101. Bud was in his second weight class when he unified 140. He wasn’t a weight bully. He was only at 135 as long as he was to give Rey Beltran the title shot he promised him, so no, Boots beating Barrios, Stanionis and Norman Jr. would not put him on par with what Crawford did at 140. No sane person would assert that. I know you’re very fond of Boots, but you really need to get a grip on reality. Btw, do you think Al and Bob will just throw open the cupboards for Eddie to access whatever he wants? Due to promotional conflict, it will take Boots forever to unify 147 unless Turki gets involved. It’s not happening if left to Hearn. It’s just not. Why should Boots move up? Well, when things weren’t poppin’ for Aaron Pryor at 135 (I believe Mancini and Claude Noel or Jim Watt were the lightweight champs when The Hawk wanted a shot), he didn’t languish. He moved up to 140 and stopped Pambelé Cervantes for his WBA belt. You admit that Boots is big for 147. Will it tarnish his legacy to move up now instead of 2027 when he’s 30? The work is at 154, not 147. I’m not even referring to the Crawford fight. He’ll be retired in 2-3 fights. I’m talking Fundora, Conwell, Tszyu, Madrimov, Bohachuk, Ortiz Jr., Zayas, Ramos, Murtazaliev. Sitting at 147 and waiting and waiting and waiting is harming his career. Anyone who suggests he should remain in a clearly dead division simply doesn’t care about the man’s career. That’s not trolling, that’s the truth. Go look at José Luis Ramirez’s resume. It’s astounding to have that many fights and only nine losses, and only one by stoppage. Fans tend to remember his gift against Sweet Pea and hold it against him, but Ramirez beat a prime, elite Chapo Rosario in Puerto Rico and dropped Arguello in Miami in a fight many fans thought he won. No way in Holy Hell does José Luis Ramirez not belong in the IBHOF. I gave my thoughts on Stevie Collins last week. Marlon Starling did great work at 147, then jumped to 160 and gave a killer like Michael Nunn fits for twelve rounds at a time when Nunn was knocking heads off shoulders. Starlon was an amazing fighter who has always been unappreciated. ‘Moochie’ would have done great in any era. That’s my rant for the day. Stop labeling people “trolls” and “tyrants” just because you disagree with them. It’s human to disagree – I disagree with myself on a daily basis! Carl Hewitt, Queens, NY

Bread’s Response: If your 14 or MORE brain cells were working you would use better context. When Bud was 27 the best names on his resume was Yuri Gamboa and then Ricky Burns. Burns was an underrated, solid champion and Gamboa was a talented fighter but  sort of an underachiever. Bud wasn’t a four-division champion yet. He was just a one-division champion. 

But doing this comparison with a TROLL is not fair to either fighter. Because everyone is different. It’s like saying Mike Tyson is better than Muhammad Ali because he won the title and did more at an earlier age. Or Wilfred Benitez is better than Floyd Mayweather because he won his first title at 17 and Floyd didn’t win his until he was 21. Do you see how stupid that sounds? And make no mistake, just because you know SOME boxing doesn’t mean you aren’t a TROLL. Trolls and haters come in all shapes and forms. Troll.

I’m assuming Boots signed with Hearn for the same reason Bud signed and the re-signed with Bob Arum. Do you remember how people criticized Bud for re-signing with a promoter who didn’t have any of the top guys at 147 except Pacman? Do you remember how Top Rank never gave Bud the Pacquiao fight? I surely do. And for the record I never criticized Bud. I know for a FACT, not just speculation like you, that signing with a promoter is often about comfortability. No disrespect to any promoter but it often comes down to who the fighter is more familiar with. So let’s not make it seem like Boots signed with Hearn to NOT fight. Hearn is signing top new talent all the time… Am I right?

So Bud and his team were comfortable with Top Rank. They were comfortable with the logistics of how they ran their company. So he signed and resigned despite being on the wrong side of the street. I never once said that Bud was scared etc, etc. There’s more to it than that. And just because you are WITH a company it doesn’t mean you will get to fight their biggest fighters. Again did Bud get Pacman? Did Thurman or Khan get Floyd? Did Benavidez get Canelo? 

You suffer from SPITRS (Smartest Person in The ROOM Syndrome). 

Boots unifying against Stanionis, Norman and Barrios would be MORE than what Bud did in first division (135) and equal to, or more than, what Bud did at 140. Bud was sensational at 140. But his best win was Viktor Postol. That’s a very underrated win. Postol was a very good champion. But Julius Indongo was not as good. It’s not Bud’s fault at all and I don’t want to come off as criticizing him. But Stanionis, Norman and Barrios are at equal or better than the combination of Indongo, Postol and Dolurme.

It took Bud six years to unify 147 because of promotional issues. Remember that? Or did your 14 brain cells forget? But you want Boots to leave 147 and he just became champion last year. Fighters have to sign with someone and not all promoters do business together. It’s part of the game. But the fighters have to pick somebody.

People have come at me and criticized me for talking up for Bud’s resume. I always found it ridiculous because my eyes tell me that Bud is special and no one wanted to fight him. Well now I find you ridiculous, for doing the same thing to Boots. 

I used the word affiliation because he was not signed with PBC. But Showtime is a network not a promotional company. Now you tell me, Mr. Smart Guy, who was the promoter for Boots’ last 7 fights prior to his last one? I can tell you. TGB. Do you know who TGB exclusively promotes? PBC fighters. 

So are you telling me that Boots fighting 7 fights in a row and earning millions on PBC cards, is NOT an affiliation? It doesn’t matter if the relationship was built THROUGH Stephen Espinoza. It’s still an affiliation. Maybe your vocabulary is more extensive than mine. So you give me a better word to describe Boots’ relationship with PBC. Because I think affiliation is pretty accurate.

I’m glad you brought up Aaron Pryor. He was a great fighter but he was notoriously poorly managed. Pryor was just 24 years old and pro for 4 years. He wasn’t boxed out for a significant amount of time. Legend makes it seem like he was the #1 contender for 5 years and had 50 fights before he got a title shot. It didn’t happen that way. And he got the shot in his hometown. So it wasn’t the gamble that you make it out to be. If Boots moved up and left an undefeated titlist behind at 147, people like you would say he ducked Norman and Staninios. But he’s saying he wants to unify and you’re rushing him to move up. With people like you, no one can win, because there is literally always something to criticize. If Boots can still make 147 there’s nothing wrong with establishing a legacy there and unifying against undefeated, in their prime champions. Pryor was never a champion at 135. So he wasn’t asked to vacate a belt and move up that he just won. He moved up and took a shot vs a champion in his hometown. 

Do you think one of the champions at 154 would offer Boots a chance to fight them in Philadelphia?

How do you know if Eddie Hearn asked for an exemption or not? Do you work for the IBF? Do you work for Matchroom? You guys say things with conviction like it’s a fact. When you’re just speaking your subjective preference. That’s it! You don’t know what happened or what didn’t happen. You just act like you do.

Now if Boots can’t get the WBO, WBC or WBA titlist in the ring and he has no one to fight, sure, moving up is the move. But damn, he just won the belt. Can he defend it a few times? Is that ok with you?

We aren’t disagreeing about Starling or Collins. Good call. We aren’t really disagreeing about Ramirez. He was a tough customer with a rough resume. But I watched him in real time. I thought he was very, very good. But I honestly don’t view him as a HOF. If he got in, I wouldn’t protest because he’s a borderline case. But there are much better fighters than him who aren’t in yet. There were six lightweights better than him in the 80s. Arguello, Mancini, Whitaker, Chavez, Camacho and Rosario. I know he fought Arguello and Rosario tough but their careers were overall better and they are considered better fighters. I don’t know if being the 7th best lightweight in a solid but not great era gets you in the HOF. 

Again I respect Ramirez. He was a GUN. But you seem to be championing for him to be in the HOF. And I just feel there are better cases.

The problem with you and I, is most New York people are pushy. And Philadelphia people don’t really stand for that. On top of that, we are just a better fight city. New York has more people than anywhere in the country. So Per Capita you should have the most world champions and you don’t. Philadelphia has had way more champions and top contenders over the last 40 years and it bothers you. I can tell, because for you to single out Boots Ennis out of all of the fighters and you write in your complaints to MY mailbag, shows me all I need to see. Go tell New York’s best 147-154 to fight him or spar him and see how well that works out for them and you, Mr. Queens. Or does Queens have any reputable fighters in those divisions at the moment?

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 was wondering your emotions in watching the Hurd vs Rosario fight. With J Rock beating Hurd and losing to Rosario it must have been an odd feeling for you. Who would have thought after J Rock’s great performance vs Hurd that it would be the beginning of the end for both. I thought we might get a trilogy or at least a rematch from those two. I remember when J Rock lost to Rosario, and you were so disappointed because you felt he had no business losing to him. I thought you were a bit harsh at the time because I was really impressed by Rosario’s performance at the time but you turned out to be right because he really fell off after that fight. It was a case of what J Rock didn’t do then more of what Rosario did which is why you are a pro and I’m just a fan. I didn’t realize that at the time and you knew what your fighter could do and Rosario’s limitations. What do you attribute to all three fighters (J-Rock, Hurd and Rosario) falling off so rapidly? It is rather strange because all seemed to have such bright futures ahead of them. God bless and take care, Blood and Guts from Philly

Bread’s Response: You know as you get older you learn ACCEPTANCE. You acquire the serenity to accept the things you can NOT change. It hurt me to see Jrock lose to Rosario. But with time I’ve accepted it because there’s literally nothing I can do about it. 

It wasn’t hard watching Hurd vs Rosario. It was just a fight to me. If you’re asking me who I was rooting for, I wanted Hurd to win. I’ve always liked Hurd even before he fought Jrock. I know his management Nate Peaks and Jerry Vines and I wanted Hurd to do well as well as them. I don’t know Rosario and I’ve never really interacted with him, so instinctively  I wanted Hurd to win. 

Fun fact. I almost trained Hurd after his fight with Jrock but things didn’t come all the way together. 

Rosario is 5 years younger than Jrock and Hurd. So his slippage came a little early. But I heard he didn’t train for Charlo like he trained for Jrock. Most fighters put everything together in their first big shot. And it’s harder to defend the title than it is to win it. All fighters get hurt but Rosario has been stopped three times with body shots. So he’s just not a durable fighter. But he beat us fair and square so he deserves props for that. 

With Hurd I think Julian took his prime away. It was a gruelling fight. And to lose like that in your home town is tough. Hurd was an excellent champion but he wasn’t a dominant one. Tony Harrison, Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara all had big moments vs Jarrett. Jarrett won those fights on WILL.

Against Julian he couldn’t out WILL him. So once a WILLFUL fighter loses, often times they fall off the cliff. Subconsciously it’s just tough for them to GO through hell to get more wins. It’s why I never say fighters like Arturo Gatti and Diego Corrales don’t belong in the HOF. Because they were actually WILLFUL fighters who had some longevity. But once the losses start coming, the slide is usually a tough one. See Matthew Saad Muhammad. Look at his record after the 2nd Qawi fight. 

Here is another reason why I don’t criticize Shakur Stevenson about his style. If you can win a fight without leaving a piece of yourself in the ring, then do it. Because WILL runs out at a certain point. You only have but so many miracle comebacks.

Once the boxing world saw what Jrock did. Hurd’s future opponents all had more HOPE against him breaking their will because they saw Jrock not allow his will to get broken. 

As for Julian lots happened. Although he won the Hurd fight, it was also gruelling on him. It wasn’t luck but he was in the ZONE. It’s hard to stay in the ZONE. In camp for the Rosario fight, Julian was actually doing great. But he got sick in December and the fight was scheduled for January 18th. From what I was told it was a FLU. But something happened to him and he looked odd for the rest of camp. I was going to cancel the fight. I should have. But Julian wanted to fight and we fought. I don’t think he would’ve listened to me, but I should have tried harder in postponing the fight.

After that fight I didn’t work with him again until September of 2021. Things were different. His conditioning and application was off. When we fell out and he was touched by several other trainers. When he came back he was off. I learned a lesson. It literally took me 2 years to get him back in shape. 2 years! And during that time the outlook on him changed. The treatment he got, changed. And now here we are. We aren’t in 2019. We are in 2024. 

I learned many lessons from this. I’m open about it because I’ve grown. I learned acceptance. I’ve also learned some valuable lessons in handling a fighter. Too many to state. But now I can say I’m much firmer in my stance with a fighter, when it’s something I don’t agree with. I’ve never been disrespectful but when I say something I feel is important. I make sure the fighter not only hears me but he listens. And if he doesn’t, there is a chance I will walk away. If you bend too much on your boundaries with a fighter, most fighters will instinctively break you because that’s why they are fighters in the first place. It’s instinctive for them to push the limits.

Three things went wrong in that Rosario camp. I spoke out about them but I wasn’t as firm as my usual self. I started training Julian when he had just turned 20. By the time he fought Rosario he was almost 30 with a family. So I allowed him more room to do what he wanted. He wasn’t a kid anymore. And when he went against my wishes, there was NO real push back from me. It literally COST us everything.

Today I don’t give disrespectful pushback. But I am VERY clear on my stance and if a fighter goes against it, it’s on him if his way doesn’t WORK. I make it as clear as clear can be.

I have never felt disappointment like I felt the night Jrock lost to Rosario. And I don’t ever want to go through that again.

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