In this week’s mailbag, coach Stephen “Breadman” Edwards answers questions about Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ right hand, discusses the best performance of the great Julio Cesar Chavez’s career, and revisits a less-discussed trait to contributed to Floyd Mayweather’s greatness
What’s going on Bread? Peace to you and the family. Man I already know it’s coming… the Boots is overrated criticism. The fight was better then expected. I think he struggled/looked less than impressive in this fight and versus Avanesyan for a few reasons: falling in love with his athleticism and power; not using the jab/sticking to the basics and improper range/distance. I didn’t love the KO advice from his dad. I was also disappointed in his defense. While he rolled a lot and did a lot of glove up and head turns he got hit with way too much silly stuff. I won’t admonish him for it, I think it was just a by-product of him not being up for this fight and possibly being tight at the weight. He definitely gotta tighten up at 154 though, I’d hate to see him go the way of Erickson Lubin (highly hyped fighter, but didn’t totally meet expectations). One last thing on the fight – Ennis kept throwing this looping overhand right akin to Maidana in the Mayweather fight. Why wasn’t he landing it? I just wanna know the defense for it. Bam looked pretty damn good – I wouldn’t argue him being along with Bud, Usyk and Inoue. Keyshawn did his thing – what is his ceiling? I think he can have a Crawford-like trajectory. Lastly, underrated card with Zurdo vs Smith, Tevin Farmer and Barboza/Ramirez. Also Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano 2.
Bread’s Response: Boots definitely loves that looping right hand. He caught Dolurme and Clayton with that shot and put them out. I can’t say why it didn’t land as much on Karen. Maybe Karen prepared for it.
You can defend it several ways. One is to roll under it. Another is to block it high with your forearm. Another is to simply catch with either of your gloves but I don’t like that way because an overhand shot is powerful and if you catch it too close to your face, it can slip through. You can also not allow your opponent to STEP into it. You can’t throw an overhand shot with power if you’re being pushed back, because the mechanics of the shot require you to step into it to get leverage.
Bam is extremely good. He’s so good, he has a good shot to be the Fighter of this current decade – the 2020s. Every fighter of the decade in the past is a generational talent. He’s younger than Inoue, Usyk and Bud. But in fairness to the lofty status, I would like to see Bam beat an A+ elite fighter closer to his age. His best wins have come against fighters who are more than a decade older than him. I don’t want to nitpick – Bam is certainly special but Inoue, Bud and Usyk have big wins over fighters their age or younger. Bam only has Sunny Edwards, who’s good but not quite at the level of the prime guys the others have beaten.
I know boxers have to put themselves through hell to make weight. A lot of boxers walk around 20lbs or more above their weight class, and have to lose it in camp and weigh that much just for one night. Have you had any boxers who struggled with this? How common is it for boxers to miss weight? I heard of some crazy techniques for cutting weight. Like chewing gum and spitting a lot before a weigh in. What other tricks do boxers use when cutting weight?
Bread’s Response: There are too many tricks to cutting weight to name in my response. But I will say one thing – the best way to cut weight is by staying hydrated. By staying hydrated you won’t cut into muscle, you will just cut the water weight off.
Honestly, most of my fighters are over 20lbs heavier than their fight weights. It’s pretty common in this era. It’s really no big deal to me, because I’m used to it. I’ve cut 40lbs off of fighters before and won fights…
What’s up, Breadman? I was surprised that there were no questions about Keyshawn Davis’ performance in the last mailbag, because I thought he put on a really good one! I think he’s one of the best at feinting; I’ve noticed multiple times that a lot of knockouts started with a feint, for example in this fight he feinted a right hand, and instead threw a big left hook. I also think he is on the road of becoming a finisher as good as Crawford is, because he throws his “finishing shots” exactly the same way. What do you think of his chances against Gervonta Davis? The second fighter I want to talk about is Barboza Jnr. I think his fight against Ramirez is the perfect example of a fight that a novice should watch to understand what fundamentals in boxing are. He started and finished everything with a jab, and kept it simple but efficient. To finish, what do you think about Gilberto Ramirez’s last performances? The way he can bully these bigger guys makes you realise how strong Bivol is, because he was able to totally walk him down. What do you think about Ramirez vs Opetaia?
Thanks for your time,
Max from France
Bread’s Response: I can only answer what I’m asked. Keyshawn for sure looked excellent in his last fight. I was very impressed. I think he would be competitive with Tank but I wouldn’t pick him to win if they fought next. Ask me this question next year and the gap may have closed more by then… Let’s see how Keyshawn evolves and if Tank maintains his current form.
Arnold Barboza never caught my eye before. But I was impressed with his win over Ramirez. He took Ramirez to school and was in control of the fight throughout. With more confidence and a good size, he’s going to be tough to beat.
I was disappointed in Zurdo Ramirez’s performance vs Bivol. He probably lost every round. But he has rebuilt himself at cruiserweight and he’s doing great. A few more solid wins and he would be worthy of HOF consideration.
I think Opetaia is more talented than Zurdo, but Zurdo is in a groove right now; he’s very clever with his attack. That’s a REAL fight and Zurdo has a chance to win it if Opetaia is not on his A game.
Breadman,
A lot of great fights took place that went under the radar due to the Tyson event. The undercard produced two great fights that had close decisions. IMHO you could’ve given a case to give the fight to any of the fighters in the two previous fights – Serrano vs Taylor and Ramos vs Barrios. I personally thought Serrano pulled it off again and that Ramos’s hand should’ve been raised. Earlier in the day, Riyadh Season had a few fights. Collazo stole the show. William Zepeda was dropped and Farmer made him earn his respect. I can see that fight being scored a draw or even Farmer’s hand raised. Oscar Duarte won a close and controversial decision. Jose Ramirez either needs to move up to 147lbs or maybe his best days are behind him. Zurdo Ramirez won a gritty decision and I think the Jai fight would be a nice payday – just don’t see how he wins it.
Of all the fights this past weekend, who did you have winning in real time (you’ve stated previously that you usually score fights in real time)? Which of all the fights would you be most upset about, and do you think it would warrant an investigation into the judges? Speaking of Riyadh Season, where do they typically appoint judges from and who decides – the Saudis, the A-side promoter or someone else? Thanks again for continuing to provide the mailbag and also through the various platforms like MillCity Boxing.
Stay up!
Richard Koregon
Bread’s Response: I wasn’t scoring the fights. But in real time, I didn’t know who was winning Taylor vs Serrano. But I suspected Taylor was edging it. I knew it would be controversial because of the punch stats etc. I even said as much on my X page midway through the fight.
Zepeda vs Farmer was also tight. Again I wasn’t scoring it but I suspected that Zepeda would get more credit for his work-rate than Farmer would his precision boxing. Unfortunately for Farmer, I was right.
I didn’t see Duarte’s fight.
Jose Ramirez may be struggling to make weight. But moving up to 147 won’t help him any in terms of winning fights. Moving up is not for everyone. High-energy volume fighters who use their physicality don’t usually move up at Ramirez’s age and make a huge impact. Ramirez is at a serious crossroads. Could you imagine Ramirez fighting Brian Norman or Jaron Ennis?
None of the fights warrant an investigation, in my opinion. All were close, where both participants had cases for winning. However, I would need to see the exact scorecards round by round to confirm, because that’s the only way to tell if there was card counting or corruption. For example, a clear round for Fighter A, goes to Fighter B. It’s why I never say a close fight can’t be a robbery. Yes it can! If a clear round goes the wrong way and it affects the outcome, then yes a close fight can be a robbery.
Sup Breadman,
I’ve read you mention fighters having a good camp or fighters looking good in camp – what exactly constitutes a good camp? What nuances do you look for? Can some fighters get away with having bad camps? Have you ever trained/seen fighters have a bad camp but look great on fight night? Or vice versa? I saw your tweet about JCC’s performance against Rosario. I wasn’t alive at the time so can you give us some context? What exactly made JCC’s victory so impressive? Was Rosario that good of an opponent?
Hope you and yours are well,
Thank you
Bread’s Response: What constitutes a good camp? Sharp sparring. Execution of floor drills. Chemistry with coach and fighter on the floor work. High measurables in conditioning. For example, low running times. Clean reps in strength work. But the number one thing is sharp sparring.
Yes, I have seen both. I have seen fighters have poor camps and fight well. And have good camps and fight poorly. But those circumstances are outliers. The best camps usually produce the best performances.
Julio Cesar Chavez fought a perfect fight vs Rosario. It’s one of the few I have seen. It may be the best performance I have ever seen. That’s how good he was. Precise. Indefatigable. Strong. Defensively responsible. Everything you want in an APEX performance of a great fighter. On that night, Chavez was as good as Duran, Armstrong, Whittaker and Williams.
Rosario is a HOF. Rosario was a top-five lightweight of the 80s after Whitaker, Chavez, Camacho and Arguello. Rosario was one of the best 10 punchers of the decade. He was in his PRIME. He had just come off of a destructive KO of Livingston Bramble. Chavez was moving up from 130lbs. And many felt Rosario had beaten Camacho in one of his career losses. Rosario was so good that the betting odds were just slightly in Chavez’s favor at 7-5 and we know what Chavez is. By the way, Chavez was 54-0 when they fought and was still just a slight favorite.
That you think Jake Paul can become a world champion (of course, the word “world” means nothing today), even in the watered-down sport we try to love, says a lot of where boxing is. And to think that from 1854 until 1958, only three professional sports mattered in the USA: baseball, boxing, horse racing. And that’s in alphabetical order, not in order of importance. And, yes, I read parts of your mail bag that interest me.
Bread’s Response: Thanks for reading my mailbag. I look at winning a world title as an accomplishment even though this is not the boxing I came up watching. I also assess it on a fight-by-fight basis. So not all titles are the same. But as you know, Jake Paul has influence and control over the promotion. He also is a big money maker and the sanctioning bodies get a percentage of the purses. I don’t think it’s far fetched to at least consider the possibilities of Paul winning a world title. Let’s see what happens.
What up, Breadman?
I feel with the bad news of Zepeda’s hand injury Shakur can take the Kambosos offer in Australia and ask for a request to be champ in recess at 135. Get the win in Australia and see how he feels at 140, then challenge Paro for his strap in Australia, making two Australian bags along with a belt at 140 – also setting up fights with the other 140lbs champs. I don’t think the other 140lbs fighters would avoid Shakur like the other cats at 135, so why keep the belt? He has no bargaining leverage, because for some strange reason he is the only champ begging contenders for a chance at his strap. I have hated on Shakur before, but not this time. He can’t catch a break . At least Kambosos is calling him out . A lot of fighters talk trash about Shakur but never ever offer him a “bag”. Gervonta Davis? Never gonna happen. Let Davis fall in love with himself and not be chased so much. Shakur can build his own legacy and he has been a unified champ and has taken multiple straps. I got to give the man his props. A lot of Shakur bashing, but like Paulie Malignaggi explains, a lot of people avoid Shakur but beef from the sidelines. Bro is a future hall of famer but can’t catch a “fade”…
Happy Holidays,
Michael “Precise”” Blount
Bread’s Response: I think Shakur has plenty of options. But here is the thing – it’s up to the promoters to create opponents. Not the fighters. A fighter’s job is to fight! There are some good fighters at 135lbs that haven’t had a big chance yet. If Zepeda is not available then Floyd Schofield and Raymond Muratalla are. Shakur can give one of them a shot. No one can complain. But overall, finding opponents is not up to us or Shakur. It’s up to the promoters. Let’s see what happens.
Please don’t take offense to this but I don’t agree with your matchmaking. Australia is a long journey. And unless a fighter had a belt over there and was the A side to Shakur, there is no way I would travel that far to fight. Kambosos has the Teofimo win, but that night is expiring. I wouldn’t even suggest Shakur go to Australia to fight a guy that Haney dominated and Lomachenko just stopped. Shakur would get huge criticism for even considering fighting Kambosos in a non-title fight.
I also don’t agree with suggesting that Shakur move up again. He started at 126. And now he’s a champion at 135. Why move up again when the biggest fight is at 135? I don’t get that either. Let’s see if Shakur can clean out some top contenders at 135 and possibly unify and push for the Tank super fight.
Hi Bread,
Hope you are well. Enjoy the Mailbag very much so thanks for taking our questions. I’ve been watching Floyd a bit lately and just one thing that was standing out (among his other outstanding gifts) is his energy efficiency. The man was brilliant at controlling his own output while not overworking himself defending the opponent’s output. Could you speak a bit on that please, and maybe some other fighters that had that particular gift of energy control/efficiency? James Toney springs to mind but I’m curious who you see it in or have seen it in.
Kind regards,
Sean in Ireland
Bread’s Response: Floyd Mayweather is a boxing savant. He’s a genius. Even though his conditioning was platinum level. He always stayed within himself. He rarely allowed himself to be SPED up. That’s a gift. Because there are plenty of fast fighters who get carried way too fast and they run out of gas going down the stretch.
Floyd almost has a computer in his brain on expending energy. Because he’s efficient but he doesn’t allow himself to get down far in points or look lazy. He was always on point.
James Toney is also special, but Toney looked lazy at times, and appeared to be outworked in spots. He also played the ropes often. Whereas Floyd was much more conscious of losing rounds, and although he didn’t always dominate round for round, he never appeared lazy.
There have been some great late round sharks in the history of boxing. In actuality, the best fighters usually get better as the fight goes on. But I don’t know if I have ever seen one as good as Floyd in terms of being successful while being as energy efficient as he was. Floyd didn’t outwork his opponents. He used their work-rates against them and he fatigued them mentally. He’s the best I have seen as far as being consistent doing this. Canelo is also very good at this but obviously not as good as Floyd because Canelo has been outpointed a few times and once by Floyd, so…
Happy Thanksgiving! I was wondering if you could share the fights you’ve been most thankful for as a boxing fan this year. I am very thankful for you and all you do. I hope you have a great holiday!
Bread’s Response: Thank you. Beterbiev vs Bivol! A true super fight – was the one I wanted and that’s what we got.
What’s up Breadman? Paro vs Hitchins coming up – how do you see that fight going? I think Hitchins has the same problem Haney has. Good boxer, but not enough power to keep these guys off them.
Bread’s Response: This is a tough fight for me to call. I still don’t know how good either is. Paro is more proven but that doesn’t equal being better. I can see Hitchins outboxing him. All punches hurt. You don’t have to concuss someone to keep them off of you. But I can also see Paro coming on late and getting a stoppage or a close decision. The Lemos fight is one to refer to.
I figured that Hitchins, with his height and boxing ability, could control Lemos a little better. I also know Hitchins struggled at times as an amateur with fighters who didn’t “wait” on him. Hitchins can box his butt off. But when fighters don’t wait on him, he’s not quite as comfortable. Basically, he needs time to think and he likes to fight at a certain pace and when the fight is not contested at his comfortable pace, he’s not as dominant. It’s not really a weakness because he hasn’t lost. But it’s more of an observation.
This is a compelling fight. It may come down to who the judges are. I don’t have a pick yet, but I will say that I have seen video of Hitchins training. And he’s in shape, shape. I haven’t seen Paro so I’m not suggesting he’s not in shape, shape. But I saw Hitchins and there is a look a fighter has when he’s in that next level type of shape. And Hitchins seems to be in that type of shape for this fight.
Hey Breadman,
How special was SRR and Joe Louis in the grand scheme of things?
Bread’s Response: Here is how special they are. In 1965, when Sugar Ray Robinson retired, he was the number-one P4P fighter ever. And Joe Louis was the number-one heavyweight ever. Well, 60 years later Robinson is still recognized as the number-one P4P fighter ever, and Joe Louis is no worse than the number-two heavyweight and some still have him number one. Mount Rushmore-level special.
Bread, you have the best eyes in the game in terms of breaking down fights. I still can’t believe you called Beterbiev by decision. The guy had a 100 per cent KO ratio and in his biggest fight you picked him by decision and it actually happened! Then you broke down exactly how your fighter Caleb Plant’s fight would go with Trevor McCumby. You even predicted it would be tight early before Plant pulled away. Because of your breakdowns it compelled me to ask how one of my favorite fighters Edgar Berlanga would do against David Benavidez? I heard you were complimentary of Berlanga after his Canelo performance and I’m curious to see how you think he would do against Benavidez, and do you think he should fight him in 2025?
Bread’s Response: Thank you. I do my best. I was complimentary of Berlanga. He boxed well, showed a good jab and he didn’t quit. But you have to take everything in context. I saw him bite an opponent that he was winning against. That’s a complete meltdown if you’re being honest, because he risked a DQ in a fight he was winning, just because the opponent was fighting back. So I complimented him on not coming apart in the big moment vs Canelo. But again, context is important.
Berlanga did some good stuff but he lost every round. He also didn’t sell out for the win. He’s supposed to be a big puncher but he never really stepped to Canelo with the intent to KO him. There is a difference in fighting and fighting back. In full context I think Berlanga was fighting back. And this is not a criticism of Berlanga. I’m assuming he did the best he could. Canelo is levels above him, even at 34.
It also seems like I gave you a false impression because I complimented Berlanga. I’m not the type of person that looks for fault in people unless it’s someone I’m training and I’m looking to improve them. Other than that I say positive things. But if I gave you the impression that I think Berlanga vs Benavidez would be competitive then I apologize.
I think Benavidez would end his career. Benavidez is all wrong for Berlanga. He’s too mean, too relentless and too skilled for Berlanga. He would drown Berlanga in the deep end of the pool in my opinion. As much as I admire Canelo Alvarez, Canelo is like the employee who has been on the job for 30 years and he turned in his retirement papers. He’s been an outstanding employee. He’s still going to come to work on time and do his job because that’s just him. But he’s not going to work overtime. And he’s not going to do anything extra. He won’t sully his name but again he’s not going to do extra work.
If a fighter is tamed and stays in his place, Canelo is not going to over-press for a KO. The risk isn’t worth it to him. And he fights an energy-efficient fight. It’s why fighters like Jermell Charlo and Edgar Berlanga can make it to the final bell. Canelo will not put it in the overdrive if he doesn’t have to.
David Benavidez, on the other hand, is a new employee who’s only been on the job for a few years. He’s not close to retirement. He wants all of the raises and benefits that come with being the best. He’s even willing to do all of the extra work. Benavidez is willing to take chances and exhaust himself at this point in his career. Whereas Canelo is not. So, therefore, Berlanga would not have the same chance to go the distance with Benavidez as he did Canelo.
I know you may think Canelo hits harder, and he’s a more accomplished fighter. He does and he is. But in head-to-head match-ups that doesn’t mean Canelo is more difficult. I know you like Berlanga as you stated he’s one of your favorite fighters. And I could be wrong. But from my perspective Benavidez would end his career as far being a serious threat for supremacy in the division. But don’t fret, because Berlanga has one of the best managers in all of boxing in Keith Connelly. I’m going to assume Connelly didn’t get to this point in his career without a good set of eyes. I won’t speak for Connelly, but I don’t believe that Berlanga would go anywhere near Benavidez any time soon.
Yo Breadman!
Thanks for doing the Mailbag. It’s great for casual boxing fans like me. Personally, I’m more knowledgeable about football, and I’ve got a question for you about how a football game might compare to a boxing match. I believe you’re an Eagles fan. I like the Rams. But rooting interest aside, I think yesterday’s game was much closer than the final score indicates. I’m thinking of two plays that truly might have changed the outcome if not for questionable refereeing (minimal mental gymnastics required). The first play is the fumble on the Rams’ opening drive. Credit to the defender for causing a turnover, but the ball carrier was ruled down and I’ve NEVER seen refs accept a challenge flag they didn’t see before the next ball was snapped. If you caught the game, you might agree that if not for that change of possession, the Rams seemed on their way to a TD. In which case Philly obviously wouldn’t have gotten the resulting FG. And assuming the rest of the first half plays out as it did, LA leads at half-time 14-10.
The second play is the Rams missed FG late in the third quarter. Continuing with the aforementioned scenario, at that point the Rams would have been down 21 to 24. If the refs then don’t let Sirianni accept a third down penalty he’d already declined, LA most likely makes a FG from fourth and three instead of losing yardage and missing one from 47. In which case the game would be tied 24-24 going into the fourth quarter. My point isn’t to complain about refereeing but to highlight that because it factored into both these plays, either could have gone the other way. And if even one of them had, the Rams’ chances of victory dramatically increase. Now to bring it back to boxing – in a fight in which two boxers start out competitive but one ends up pulling away, how can fans tell if we’re seeing “the cream rise to the top” as they say, or if one or two moments could’ve swung things either way? It’s a general question but I’m also thinking of Fury-Usyk in particular. The fight seemed close to me, but a lot of boxing people seem to think otherwise, just based on their picks and reasoning for the rematch.
Thank you sir,
Steve Stav, California
Bread’s Response: This is a great question. And you’re correct – small moments tend to sway the tides of competitive contests and often times the final score doesn’t indicate how competitive the fights were. But here is the thing – for the most part, the cream of the crop tend to succeed the most often. So while your breakdowns are intricate and accurate, overall the best usually win.
The best have a way of separating themselves, even if it’s by small inches. These small things usually go the way of the best. And when they happen to the same person on a consistent basis, it’s because they are among the best.
Time tells ALL. No great team or great fighter will be that fortunate every single time because of chance or luck. If it’s just a one moment or two-moment thing, the fighter will have a George Kambosos-type of career. But when you’re special like Usyk, it tends to consistently happen in your favor.
The Eagles are just a little better than the Rams this year. And Saquon Barkley is having a special season. Historically special. So the fortune was on the side of the better team who had the best player on the field for that night…
Fury had his moments. Breidis had his moments. Dubois had his moments. But like clockwork the overall event favored Usyk. I know you aren’t suggesting it was luck. But I’m just telling you that’s how greatness works. In a sport of inches, the small things keep going Usyk’s way. Trust me – it’s no coincidence. Just like it was no coincidence that the Patriots won five out of the six Super Bowls by three points. There were many moments in those games that could’ve went the other team’s way. But they went the Patriots way because… they’re GREAT.
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