The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen “Breadman” Edwards tackling topics such as welterweight Errol Spence and his rematch with Terence Crawford, Devin Haney vs. Shakur Stevenson, unbeaten Gary Antuane Russell, Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois, Ramos vs. Lubin, Eubank vs. Smith rematch, and more.
You seem to know when things are getting out of hand outside of the ring. You always seem to steer clear of the mess and gossip of boxing. But now we have several outside of the ring issues that are surfacing. I need your thoughts on all. Some one from Shakur Stevenson’s team wore a wire while talking to Bill Haney, Devin’s dad. The wire caught Bill basically saying that Shakur got the better of Devin and if Shakur moves up, then Devin will also. Now we have the clamor that Errol Spence was weight drained and he needs to bring back his old Strength coach Blue Ray, who he’s 11-0 with 11kos with. And last Roy Jones just came out in and interview and said Errol Spence didn’t speak to him because he picked Crawford before the fight. Do fighters take a prediction that personal? I notice every once in a while you don’t make a prediction and I see that you’re pretty cool with most of the teams….Thoughts…
Bread’s Response: Most times you guys inform me of the gossip. I pay attention to fights being announced but I don’t watch click bait gossip. I don’t read anything that is said about me personally. And if I see a Click Bait title and I know the channel owner is known for Click Bait I don’t read it. That being said some of the things you asked me I knew about. Some I didn’t. I didn’t know about someone wearing a wire on Bill Haney. I hope you’re getting the story WRONG. I don’t even want to know what was said in a private conversation. I don’t need to know personal things between Devin and Shakur. Let me give you some wisdom and tell you a quick story.
We don’t need to KNOW everything about everybody. Not our parents, not our kids and most of all not celebrities. It’s just not good for the soul and it’s unnecessary. I thought Devin and Shakur were friends. And I hope they don’t let the boxing and media divide and conquer their friendship over a fight. Errol and Terence handled that energy as good as any two American fighters of recent memories. When you agree to make a 7 or 8 figure fight, at that point you become business partners. You don’t have to be best friends but respect is due because you’re giving each other a platform to make millions.
Again I hope you got this story wrong and no one is taping off the record interactions. I don’t even want to know what was said and please don’t tell me. Hopefully they can figure out their differences without anything spilling over to unfortunate circumstances that they will regret.
I did hear that Errol Spence had a really good Strength and Conditioning Coach named Blue Ray. But I don’t know the details of why or when he stopped working with him. I see that Errol is exercising his rematch clause. So maybe he knows he could’ve did better and he wants to prove it. Maybe he will bring back Blue Ray. I have no idea. As for him being weight drained most bigger fighters are weight drained at the weigh in. But making the weight and the rehydration have to be on point. That’s up to Errol’s team to make sure he makes the weight correctly and rehydrates correctly. They’re both intertwined because if you don’t make the weight correctly you won’t put the weight back on correctly. But the game is to be sold, not to be told. And Errol Spence has all of the resources in world. Let’s see what adjustments are made for the rematch and who gets brought in.
I also heard Roy Jones’s comments. I really like listening to Roy and Mike Tyson talk boxing. I can tell Roy’s feelings were a little hurt that Errol didn’t speak to him. But I’m going to assume that Errol’s feelings were hurt that Roy picked against him. I wish Errol had spoken to Roy. Roy is a legend and he didn’t disrespect Errol, he just picked against him. Which he has a right to do so. Roy said something interesting. He said Errol should’ve asked me why I picked against him. That was deep because Roy explained that he favored Crawford’s versatility. In the fight it seems that Terence knew what Errol was going to do before he did it. Roy hinted that with Errol he’s a little one dimensional……
In perfect world Errol would’ve shook Roy’s hand and told him he’s going to prove him wrong and win the fight. I’ve had plenty of people I know pick against my fighters and I never get upset, it just motivates me to prove them wrong. Errol is a super solid dude. I really like him. But no one is perfect. I wish that never happened. I hate to see a young man, feel like that towards an older man that he idolizes. It’s why I try not to indulge in the internet. Once you hear something you can’t UNHEAR it. There is a saying that goes never meet your idol.
I always idolized Ray Leonard, Roy Jones, Evander Holyfield and Emanuel Steward. I’ve met Holyfield and Jones in passing. But I’ve never tried to push a friendship on them. I admired them from afar. My guy Sergio Mora introduced me to Ray Leonard and we talked at a BWAA awards ceremony. I also talked to Emanuel Steward for about an hour and half in Atlantic City. But I left it there. I’m not saying I wouldn’t be friends with someone I idolized but it would have to be organic and I wouldn’t force it or go out of my way. I have a healthy respect for them and I just wouldn’t want to ruin my outlook on any of them by KNOWING too much. Mike Tyson who also admire once said, that he knows a lot of great people, who aren’t GOOD people. I don’t want to know if someone I admire is a bad person. Especially if I admire them for their ability to play a sport. I don’t need any extra information about them.
Greetings and blessings as always sir,
Quick question for you about Gary A. Russell. At 140lbs is there anyone you would outright favor to beat him. Physically and stylistically I see him as a very tough matchup Lopez, Matias, Haney and Prograis. He might be the kind of guy that forces other top guys to face each other because he’s lurking around the corner. Not to overate him but I see one of the most talented young fighters in the game flying under the radar. What do you see in Gary A. Russell?
Thank you for your time,
Jack from Detroit.
Bread’s Response: Antuane Russell looks to be a stud. Out of the kids that came out of the 2016 class. Stevenson, Lopez, Ennis and Russell were the guys I was the highest on. Russell is on par with them as far as ability but he just hasn’t had a chance to prove in a big fight. I don’t know if he beats everyone at 140lbs. But I don’t outright favor anyone to beat him either. I believe he can be that good, we just have to see him on the level.
Yo bread. I have two questions about the usyk dubois fight. Firstly , I saw someone, who boxed himself, explain on youtube that its possible that the shot was on the protector (so illegal) which made the whole thing move violently upwards. The family jewels would get a hit in the process. Is something like that possible? Secondly, I’m starting to think that usyk and mayweather have something in common. Usyk isn’t scoring any ko’s but for some reason, both AJ and now dubois, didn’t dare to go all out. Mayweather didn’t score many ko’s at the end but he clearly had enough power to keep everyone he faced honest and it looks like that’s the case with usyk since he’s fighting at heavyweight. Would you agree or am I missing something?
Alabama man.
Bread’s Response: Yes you can bang on the side of the cup and the it moves your testicles which becomes very uncomfortable and fatiguing over time. Smart fighters know all of this tricks.
Mayweather and Usyk throw what I call discipline shots. Hard, fast, straight clean punches consistently. These shots don’t ko anyone with just one, but they send a message. All punches hurt. And what happens is because neither Mayweather or Usyk load up when their opponents get more aggressive they put a little more snap on them and discipline their opponents. Because they don’t load up, they are also hard to counter. So while their opponents are punching as hard as they can, they’re just punching sharp and clean. It’s no coincidence that both are usually the stronger fighter down the stretch.
Hey Bread,
Lubin appears sharper than Ramos. Lubin is a real throwback fighter and has tones of heart. But…Don’t you think he’s slowly heading toward steppingstone/gate keeper status? I’m talking about his position in the business. I love him and he has talent. But it’s as if every time he had to step up, he folded. Ramos handlers know about it. Ramos is in a tough tough fight, but he should come up on top. Too physical. Too big. I see a Charlo Fundora repeat. With his talents, do you think Lubin could have been a multiple weight division champion? I could have seen a path for him with a belt at 154 and 160. Surely he is better than Jeyson Rosario, Sadam Ali, Mattew Hatton, Liam Smith, Patrick Texeira, etc… Eubank is a complex individual. Arrogant and divise. But, think he is one level above Smith. Love Smith’s heart and workman style. I see a revenge from Eubank this Saturday in a violent stoppage. Every chin can get cracked but it was him being careless, making an extremely poor defensive decision (emulating Floyd in the rope while underestimating Liam’s power). He got caught flush mid combination plus ate a clean hard elbow we can see damaged his face and knocked him out. If he can listen to Bomac he stops Liam. He can win in a war, a boxing match or a jabbing contest. Liam will be the same old. Good but not physical enough. What do you think?
Cheers, Diego
Bread’s Response: Good call on Eubank vs Smith. Smith is an overachieving fighter who has made the most out of his talent but Eubank is clearly the superior talent and athlete. This is how the first fight should have looked. Shout out BoMac, Red and the rest of the team. Althought Eubank is better, he still lost the first fight and he had to face the demons of getting kod by Smith. Great job.
Lubin doesn’t get folded every time he steps up. He only has two losses. I admit his two ko defeats were both brutal but it’s only been two. He has plenty of nice wins over guys like Jeison Rosario, Ishe Smith, Terrell Gausha, Nathaniel Gallimore and most recently Luis Arias…..
Lubin has some advantages over Ramos that you can see. But my issue is what about the things you can’t see. Ramos may be special. We don’t know yet. We have to figure it out over the next few years. If Ramos wins, a Super Fight with Jaron Ennis will begin brewing for 2025. Mark it Down.
Back to Lubin if he wins this fight his career is salvaged somewhat. If he wins a world title his career is, salvaged. I think this fight comes down to Lubin’s IQ. He has all of physical tools. I’m not saying he doesn’t have IQ. But I feel like Lubin gets caught in spots that his talent shouldn’t allow him to. Lubin has a some Terry Norris to him. But Norris won a title, unified and has double digit title defenses….Norris was a hot head but when he had to win his title back from Simon Brown, he fought the smartest fight of his career and boxed beautiful vs Brown in the rematch.
Lubin has to listen to Kevin Cunningham. Whatever Kevin tells him he needs to do. He can’t second guess anything he’s told by Kevin. Listening has to be his IQ in this fight. Listening to his coach. Kevin has experience with his two most notable fighters in Cory Spinks and Devon Alexander, two skillful southpaws. Neither had the firepower Lubin had. But both boxed their butts off. Kevin won some big fights with those guys by just boxing. We all know Lubin has supreme talent and heart. But now we need to see his IQ. IQ comes down to do you do the right things, at the right time. I can’t wait. Lubin vs Ramos is one of the best co main events in a very long time.
Bomac just got a huge win with Chris Eubank Jr. vs the same opponent that Roy Jones got him knocked out against. What do you think of great ex fighters not making it as top coaches? Bomac was not even a journeyman fighter, but yet he’s the best trainer in boxing. And Roy Jones may be the most talented fighter ever and he can’t win a big fight. I’ve read fans try to slam you because you didn’t have a boxing career but you certainly are a better trainer than Jones. What are your thoughts on the dynamics of what makes a good trainer?
Bread’s Response: Hmmm….This is a topic that is all to familiar with me and frankly it’s getting old but I will answer it because it’s relevant because Eubank just beat Smith on Saturday.
Ok…You may not agree with this but I think Roy Jones is an excellent coach. I’ve heard him speak in the corner and I’ve seen his work. He knows what he’s doing. He did a real good job with Bryant Perella. Perella got 2 draws that most likely should be wins and if Perella gets those wins then Roy would be viewed differently. Roy also did a good job with Isaac Chilemba vs a prime Kovalev. Chilemba didn’t win but he gave a good account of himself right before Kovalev fought Ward. Performance value matters especially when you have the underdog.
Just like in anything else you have valleys and peaks and right now Roy is going through some valleys. Bomac is a great trainer, period. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t have a good career as a fighter. Maybe he wasn’t blessed with the talent and ability to be a good fighter. I don’t know…But that doesn’t have anything to do with his mind and ability to teach. People confuse that.
The TRUTH is great trainers come from all levels of previous experience. A CYNIC will always attack the background. If Bomac starts losing someone will bring up his appearance or the fact that he didn’t have a good career. “They” will always find something to say if you don’t win. Always!!!You have some ex fighters that know how to deliver the knowledge that they have accumulated. You have some that only talk about themselves and what they used to do. They remember where the “left off” and not where they started. You have some like Roy who have patience to be in the gym through the daily grind. You have others who don’t have patience and everytime a fighter messes up they get overly upset. I’ve seen both dynamics. You can have some men who haven’t really boxed that want to train. They put everything on social media and they’re super immature. Then you have some that take boxing serious. They have leadership skills and common sense. And despite not having a career as a boxer, they can teach boxing.
People’s minds are so restricted they criticize before they praise. We have male gynecologist. Can you imagine if someone said you can’t be a good gynecologist because you don’t have a vagina? Or you’ve never had a baby etc etc. I can go on about that. It’s ridiculous and closed minded. There is no background that is exclusive to being a successful boxing trainer. This is something that a hater came up with and now it gets repeated. You do need certain traits however. If you’re smart, dedicated and articulate along with a deep understanding of boxing, you can be a trainer. All of the other stuff is irrelevant. It only matters if you allow it to matter.
In the Eubank case specifically, obviously Bomac got the job done. But Roy is being put in a tough spot. He has older fighters who come to him like Jean Pascal and Chris Eubank who idolize him. They want Roy to teach them how to be Roy. If you’re being honest, that’s the issue. Roy was a genius. A man of unique ability that was honed for years by his father. Eubank and Pascal are solid fighters but they don’t have that level of ability. They also went to Roy in their 30s. Roy’s dad taught him how to fight in that style since he was a small child. So now you have fighters in their 30s, going to the man to teach them how to fight like him and he’s the most gifted fighter in boxing history. So Roy has a choice, tell them no there is only one Roy Jones. Or he make his money and try to teach them. I don’t know the answer to that. But that’s his dilemma.
With Bomac they are going to him to just learn. Not to be like Roy. It’s a big difference. I’m not making excuses but it’s a difference. The ability to DO, and the ability to TEACH are not exclusive. Some have both. Some have one or the other. Some have neither.
At this current moment Bomac and his team are at the top of the food chain. They’re doing a great job. Bomac will probably be the 2023 Trainer of the Year. And if Roy Jones get a young fighter with a blank canvas to teach, he’s going to be successful. Very successful. They say you need the right horse in the race. Well horses don’t run withOUT Jockeys. You need BOTH.
Hello Bread,
I just wanted to get your thoughts on something I often think about and that’s great fighters last great fight or performance? The old adage of 1 fight too many has been around since the beginning of time but fighters are a different beast than any other human and often they’re born that way or had to fight to escape death, poverty and to put food on the table so they just can’t clock off like the normal working man or woman. I was born in 1976 around your vintage I think? And ironically this topic starts and ends with a fighter who put on on the best displays ever in squared ring that year and of course it’s the great Roberto Duran. They’ll be studying him long after we’re long gone but he’s just about everything you’d want in a fighter. Fast forward 14 years and he was in a bad slump in the early 80’s. In 1989 he put on what I think is near his greatest performance against the feared Iran Barkley. A 37 year old 80 odd fight junior middleweight had no place in a ring with that animal at that stage of career let along pull out the win! He just defies belief and I don’t think that win gets enough praise especially how the blade destroyed the hitman a year earlier. Can you elaborate a bit on that performance and how a man at that age with so many disadvantages against him can pull out a win like that? Who can you think of over the years that an older great fighter had one last great performance.
Sam from Australia
Bread’s Response: Roberto Duran went from a consistent and great fighter in the 70s to an inconsistent but clutch icon on the 80s. His big 3 wins of the 80s were Leonard 1, Moore, and Barkley. If you throw in the taking Hagler 15 rounds, I think Duran is a top 10 fighter of the 80s as well as being the best fighter of the 70s.
The Barkley win specifically I just talked about yesterday in the gym. Duran was a 37 yr old, ex lightweight. He’s really about 5’6 with about a 67-inch reach. There should be no reason he’s able to beat a 6’1, powerful Iran Barkley in 1989. But the caveat is Barkley kod Tommy Hearns who gave Duran is worst defeat. Some may say how does Duran rank ahead of Hearns historically when Hearns flattened him. Well if you take into consideration that Duran is 7 years older, 7 inches shorter, with 11 less inches in reach. And you also realize that Duran outperformed Hearns vs Hagler and Barkley by a mile. Then you understand why Duran is so revered, even though he lost to all of the 4 kings.
Duran’s performance vs Barkley was breathtaking but it also showed where he was in his career. He was no longer in his physical prime but mentally he was on a master level. If Duran was in shape and you tried to “fight” him, you weren’t going to beat him. You have to box him and minimize the violence. Duran had too much in his bag. Even Hagler the ultimate fighter, started boxing in their fight. Duran had a steel shin, heavy hands, and a natural defense. He also elite level defensive talent that gets criminally overlooked.
So Barkley looking for revenge against Duran for his friend Davey Moore. And comparing their performances vs Hearns. Stepped to Duran but in a more measured way. Barkley was actually boxing Duran well but he wasn’t running. He was trying to ko Duran. Duran caught his timing early and once he did, he started to really catch Barkley. Barkley stayed the course in a great fight but Duran coming through with a big knockdown sealed the victory. It was breathtaking. Very similar to James Toney vs Vasyli Jirov. I feel as though Canelo is similar to Duran and Toney for the record. A bigger slower fighter, trying to fight Canelo is exactly what he wants at this point. But the game is to be sold, not to be told.
What’s happening, Bread? I hope you and yours are safe, healthy and doing well. A few weeks ago, I asked you a question about the Crawford-Spence fight that had taken place the week before. Specifically, I asked you what criteria did you use to determine it was a 50/50 fight in your mind going in. I asked because I remember you saying you didn’t know who’d win and that you’d give a breakdown a week or two before the fight. In your reply, you called me a “tyrant” for asking a simple question. Why would call someone a tyrant for that? I wasn’t offended, merely amused. (Trust me, I’ve been called a lot worse for less.) The question was asked in the context of genuinely wanting to know what went into your thinking to consider this mismatch to be an even fight going in. What did you see in Spence, in terms of style and tendencies, specifically?
I’ve said on Facebook for almost five years that Crawford is a very bad style for Errol for the simple fact that Errol is very heavy on the front foot, is basic and predictable and almost never uses feints. In the Crawford-Porter fight, you’ll notice Shawn gave Bud some problems with his feints and herky-jerky/stutter-step style. It wasn’t until about the sixth round when Crawford got Shawn’s rhythm down and started catching him with counters to the body that set up the finish upstairs later. Errol does none of these things, and that’s why he will never be in a competitive fight with Bud, regardless which weight class they fight at. Spence is 33, I believe. He’s not revamping his style too much at this stage, which is why I see him struggling at 154 with guys like Castano, Mendoza and Tszyu. In fact, I believe Brian Castano beat him in the amateurs.
As an aside, have you ever watched the old fight between Tyrone Everett and Alfredo Escalera? They fought at The Spectrum in 1977 or 1978. I forgot which year exactly. The WBC 130 lb. belt was at stake. Escalera was defending. Some fans have called the decision verdict for Escalera one of the Top 5 robberies in boxing in the last 50 years. I didn’t see the fight live at the time because it wasn’t televised, but I did watch it fifteen or so years ago online. I scored it 10-5 for Everett, and that was being generous to Escalera. Tyrone got robbed. I’m curious to know if you’ve ever watched that fight online, and if so, how did you score it?
Carl Hewitt, Queens, NY
Bread’s Response: Any pick on a future event is an educated guess. No matter how confident or absolute someone speaks. So asking me why I felt it was a 50/50 fight is in my opinion gloating or trying to highlight the fact that the fight didn’t turn out to be 50/50. I felt it was 50/50 because the oddsmakers made it almost 50/50 and they aren’t in the business of losing. I believed Errol was a winner and he was coming off of an excellent performance vs Ugas. And although I thought Crawford was #1 P4P in the world, I’ve seen him troubled by fighters I believe Spence is superior to. Last but not least I’ve seen Terence at times in his career, take a few rounds to start cooking and by doing that it would allow Spence to get catch his rhythm and start snowballing. So therefore I said the fight was 50/50.
During my breakdowns I also kept stressing that Crawford was the puncher. I also said that I wanted to see if Spence could deal with someone who punches WITH him because he was usually the big dog in fights. So I saw what you did and I responded accordingly. I wasn’t mad. I’m used to it. You can’t handle success if you can’t handle people trying to highlight your failure. I guess, I failed by saying Crawford vs Spence was a 50/50 fight. Ok. I hope this explanation was even more clear.
I actually agree…. I think those will all be tough fights for Spence. But here is my reasoning. I know something happens to a fighter when he loses. What happens is the other fighters and trainers have more HOPE in their approach to fighting you. Only a great fighter, can be great after a bad loss on the big stage. It doesn’t matter what strategy the future opponents will apply. They will all apply them with more confidence. That’s the issue for Spence. Everybody will fight him 10% harder than before. When other fighters have submitted and capitulated. Now they will say let me fight another round. I may land something. Errol is good but he’s not invincible. So that’s what happens when you lose big like that. Errol will also have to overcome the mental and physical hurdles of such a bad loss. I’m looking forward to seeing him again. I like his heart. I like his ambition. I like his maturity in taking the loss. Let’s see what happens. I respect the young man and I don’t believe in kicking a man when he’s down.
Yes, I saw Everett vs Escalera. Everett won that fight going away. Those judges were corrupt. Even an incompetent judge couldn’t have found a way to give Escalera that fight. It’s maybe the worst decision in the history of Philadelphia boxing. Very sad because Everett passed a short time after and he didn’t get a chance to take home the title in his shining moment.
By destroying Liam Smith in the rematch, Chris Eubank Jr. put himself in position for a title shot. Smith was ranked in the top three by both the WBC and the WBO. That means it’s safe to assume Eubank will be named a mandatory, if he keeps winning. In addition to potential fights with WBO champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, or WBC champions Jermall Charlo and Carlos Adames, Eubank also called out a few others after the fight. He named Kell Brook, Connor Benn and current WBC/WBO number one middleweight contender Gennadiy Golovkin as potential opponents. Which of these fights do you want to see as a boxing fan? If you would prefer another champion or contender to fight Eubank, I’m open to hearing about that too.
Thank you so much!
Bread’s Response: I would just want to see Eubank in big meaningful fights. I don’t know why his career can’t sustain momentum. He was with PBC a few years ago. Then he disappeared. He could’ve had the big fights he wants. I also remember he was supposed to fight GGG and for whatever reasons Kell Brook stepped in. So I’m slightly confused…..
Eubank is a household name. With good skills. He looks the part. He’s in a money division. And he’s 34 years old. After the fight he called out GGG and said he was holding up the belts. GGG is 41 now and he doesn’t have any belts, anymore. Sometimes a fighter can be emotional after a big win, but that genuinely confused me because Eubank has the type of star power to fight who he wants and he called out a guy who seems retired that gave up his belts. I’m a purist so I like big fights with big stakes. Fights with real championships, Ring titles or lineal titles on the line between notable and/or highly ranked fighters. I’m not from the UK, so I don’t want to see Eubank vs Brook. Brook seems semi retired at this point. He’s a welterweight. And he’s taken heavy smoke in his career. Brook fought Porter, GGG, Spence and Crawford all in their primes while they were undefeated. Kell Brook is that DUDE, period.
I’m not even going to mention the Connor Benn fight. I don’t even know what fight we will see at this point after the PED situation. That’s very dangerous to say the least.
So at this point I would like to see if Eubank can win a real belt from one of the titlist at 160lbs. He’s never been a world champion and athletes compete to be champions or the best. Or at least most do. So I would like to see if he can beat one of the current champions at 160lbs.
Dear Mr Edwards,
I just read your mailbag, another good one. I don’t know how many people appreciate what you’re doing for us, but I just want to thank you again. You’re a great source of knowledge for us and you’re also a great outlet for us to be able to communicate with someone directly involved in the business, successful in the business and rubbing shoulders with all of these trainers and fighters, especially for those of us out here on the other side of the globe who probably won’t ever run into these fighters even by chance. So thank you, I hope you won’t tire and keep doing what you do. In fact, I think even some of your most diehard detractors will miss you when you’re gone, people rarely appreciate what they have until they have lost it. First of all I want to talk about the weight issue with Spence and Crawford. In my last email I said I wouldn’t address this with you because of how it might come off but it keeps coming up, and honestly, it’s been nagging at me. So I thought I would address it today. You said weight wasn’t an issue for Spence until he fought Crawford. I’m sorry that’s not even remotely true. Crawford himself saw weight as an issue. Let me take you back. I don’t know if you remember the FIRST time Crawford and Spence were mentioned in the same context, but I do. It was after one of Crawford’s fights at 140lbs, before he even became undisputed at 140lbs, when moving up hadn’t been even a conversation for him, and if I’m not mistaken, Spence hadn’t even fought Brook yet for his first world title. It literally came out of nowhere. I forgot which exact fight, but it was a post fight interview after Crawford obviously won, and Max Kellerman asked him when he was moving up and fighting Spence. I remember being shocked myself and laughing at the shock on Crawford’s face because at the time, the only talk about Crawford fighting a welterweight was him vs Manny at 140lbs. He didn’t see that coming, and I certainly didn’t.
Anyway the important thing I want to bring your attention to here, is Crawford’s response. Crawford said that he doesn’t believe the fight can happen because he believes Spence will be moving up soon. Just think about it. Spence was still a top contender, not even champion yet, and Crawford was not undisputed at 140 yet and was not planning on moving up soon. This puts us at around between 2016/2017. Crawford already believed Spence should be moving up. Don’t believe me? Okay, lets go forward in time. Around late 2018 after Terence beat Jeff Horn, we all know about the legendary encounter between Spence and Crawford. Do you remember what Terence said? Again, I do. He said “after I beat you they gonna say you stayed at the weight too long”.Remember, this is the same guy that, a year or two prior, said that he thought the fight can’t be made because Spence should be moving up soon, and these guys would go on to fight FIVE years after that second time Crawford talked about Spence’s weight. There is no way you can tell me weight was not an issue. I’m sorry but that’s not being objective at all, especially since now we are going to statements about weight that Spence made himself LONG before their fight. In 2019 Spence fought Mikey Garcia.
After the fight, Spence talked about how hard it was to make weight and that he had to wear sweat suits and stay in the sauna for hours just to make weight. After the fight, Shawn Porter said that he thought that Spence “overtrained” because the usual “snap” to his punches wasn’t there. After the accident, he fought Danny Garcia in around 2020/2021. After the Danny Garcia fight, he called out Canelo at ring side after one his Canelo’s fights (don’t remember who he was fighting) for a catchweight fight at 160lbs.When they asked him about jumping two weight classes, Spence said the reason he was confident was that he would be one hundred percent at 160lbs and was only operating at around 70 percent of his full potential at 147lbs. A year and a half later give or take, Spence hired a nutritionist, Declan Walsh I think, and explained that he couldn’t make weight on his own anymore and therefore hired a nutritionist to make the weight cut easier on his body. Recently Mr Mayweather jr came out and said Spence should be fighting at 160 or 168lbs, also, on the commentary DURING the fight, around the beginning of the second round, the commentator mentioned that Mr. Mayweather jr was sitting next to him and just told him that Spence looks weight drained and should move up in weight. So, Mr Edwards, please help me understand what you meant because I just can’t wrap my head around this.
There are YEARS of evidence that weight has been an issue for Spence for a long time, Crawford himself mentioned it when he was still at 140. Let me say this, I’m not trying to take away from Crawford’s victory, because in my assessment, he would have won anyway because he looked like by FAR the better prepared fighter. His tactics were spot on. As I said, I believe Crawford and team studied every move Spence ever made in his life in the ring. It’s like he knew what Spence was gonna do before he did it. But saying Spence wasn’t wait drained is just factually untrue. It was easy to see even without knowing the background I just provided. Two things can be true at the same time. Jaron EnnisI think Ennis is a generational talent, he still has to prove it of course, but he passes the eye test with flying colours. But he runs the risk of ending up like Demetrius Andrade in my opinion in only having himself to blame for not getting the big fights.If I’m not mistaken, some mailbags ago, someone asked you about Ennis not signing to PBC and that being the reason he doesn’t get fights, and you dismissed it. I happen to agree with the guy and I would like, if you can, you to explain why you dismissed such a notion. Ennis is not contractually tied to anyone else, so he has no reason not to join PBC, where 90 percent of the top fighters at his division are.The p4p #1, Terence Crawford, and the cash cow and face of boxing, also a top p4p fighter, Canelo Alvarez, both signed pbc contracts to get the fights they want. Crawford signed to get Spence and Charlo, and Canelo has signed to get Charlo, and presumably the other Charlo too and Benavidez.
Respectfully, as great a prospect/contender as he is, comparatively speaking, he’s a nobody. If he really wanted the smoke, he could have easily signed maybe a six fight contract. That would presumably be enough to get him fights with all the top welters and some of the 154 pounders when he moves up. And then he can decide from there, when he has a name and a resume, what he wants to do.It seems to me like he isn’t facing reality or wants to call the shots before he has earned the right to call the shots. His talent is not in question, he has the potential to be the greatest ever, that’s how high his ceiling is. But decisions like these are suspect to me and I watched Andrade make too many of those not to be concerned. As an insider in the game, could you shed some light as to why you think he doesn’t have to sign to pbc, and if I’m mistaken and you didn’t say that, then I apologize for falsely “accusing” you. I’m not trying to confront you or put you on the spot, I’m genuinely curious about this because I would hate to see a talent like this wasted like Andrade. Andrade still has a small window to salvage it but right now it looks like talent wasted, at least in terms of legacy (I’m sure he has made a ton of money with his talent to take care of himself and his family).Stephen Fulton.Where does he go from here? I know you were/are big on Fulton’s talent, but I was never sold. When my friend wanted to bet on Fulton against Inoue, I told him hell no! I just didn’t see him winning in any scenario. People talked about the size but Fulton is no Shawn Porter or Marcos Maidana. He doesn’t have that roughhouse style that can make his size count like that.
Plus, when I saw them together, I didn’t see no size difference, even worse because I didn’t think the size matters much when someone has the kind of power and precision Inoue has. I’m not going to act like I’m some betting wizz, because actually I lose A LOT of my bets. But I knew there was no way Fulton was beating Inoue. I even told some guys on social media but nobody listened, smh (as usual). I was surprised though at him being so easily outjabbed. Fulton’s biggest weapon to me, even though I don’t rate much else about him, was the jab. I thought he had a very good jab. I was surprised to see him outjabbed like that and when I saw him get outjabbed in the first round, I knew it was only a matter of “when” he would get knocked out instead of “if”.Anyway, my question, should Fulton move up? I mean, what can he do at the weight now? He is not beating Inoue in a rematch. For me this wasn’t shocking because I knew beforehand the talent gap was way too wide especially for a guy who doesn’t even punch hard, so he didn’t even have a puncher’s chance.But even if he moves up, it seems like Inoue wants to become undisputed and then move up again. So it’s not like Fulton can keep “running”. This is tough position isn’t it? If you trained him, or were his adviser, how would you advise him moving forward?
Sincerely,
Abongile Zolani Peterson
Bread’s Response: I’m not saying weight wasn’t an issue for Errol Spence. What I’m saying is it can’t be used as an excuse because he just looked great vs Ugas and he said he had his weight under control. So therefore if Errol isn’t using it as an excuse neither should we.
I don’t know who Boots is signed to directly. I’m assuming there is some type of agreement in place with Showtime because that’s the network he’s been fighting on. Other than that I just like watching him fight. His business side, is his business.
I still am big on Stephen Fulton. He’s a terrific fighter. I read him say he wants to move up in weight. So I assume he’s moving to 126lbs. So that’s the move. If a fighter isn’t injured I don’t believe in sitting around moping after a loss. Tommy Hearns lost the biggest fight in history up until that date vs Ray Leonard in September of 1981. By December he was fighting again. Emanuel Steward didn’t want him sitting around thinking about the loss. I hate to see a guy in this era sit around for years sometime after a simple loss. So I would like to see Fulton back in the ring quickly and against someone he can stop so he can feel good about himself and then go for a title at 126lbs.
Breadman, I saw you in Vegas after Benavidez vs Plant, in the a club in the MGM. You and Luis Decubas were dripped out. You may not remember me but I tried to take a pic with you guys but you guys moved to the front of the line. I can tell you guys are tight. My question to you is about Boots. I know how high you are on Boots, and with your relationship with DeCubas, why don’t you just get Boots on your team. Boots is wasting his career away the same as Demetrius Andrade and Terence Crawford did. Both have generational talent with poor decision making skills out of the ring. Andrade signed with Roc Nation instead of fighting Jermell Charlo in 2014. Then stayed with Star Boxing for far too long. Then went to Matchroom were they didn’t deliver him one big fight. Now he’s on PBC undercard, under Boots begging for fights at 35 years old. Andrade has the worst resume in history for an undefeated two division titlist. He has never beaten a current or ex world champion. Crawford may be the toast of the boxing world at the moment. But had he signed with PBC before he signed again with Top Rank he would be 50M richer. He may be now considered a top 10 fighter ever going by his Spence performance, if he performed like that earlier on the big stage. Spence was clearly the PBC’s top rated Pound for Pound fighter. And Crawford just stopped him in 7 rounds! Crawford would have beaten Thurman, Garcia and anyone else in the PBC stable over the last 5 years. He would already be unified at 154. But instead Spence is the only A list fighter on his resume and he’s 35. For years Crawford was with Cameron Dunkin the same manager that has slowed Boots’s career to a point where although he’s talented no one has to fight him. Dunkin was a great manager but the PBC has him in choke hold. He can’t do anything with Boots. Boots should be fighting Barrios or Ugas but instead they’re fighting each other. I know you don’t like discussing the business side publicly. But you have the best eyes in the game by far in terms of talent evaluation. You have been talking about this kid for a decade. He has GOAT potential. But if the business side is not right it won’t matter.
Say Breadman, put Boots on.
Hypothetical Match ups: Boots vs Jose Luis Lopez, Boots vs Yuri Boy Campas, Boots vs Oba Carr
Bread’s Response: You should’ve said something in Vegas. I would’ve taken the pic. I’m cool with many people in boxing that I don’t brag about being cool with….but I’m confused as to what TEAM you’re talking about. Listen, I love Boots’s talent. His dad is a great guy and he welcomes me in his gym for sparring whenever I want. But what they have going on, is what they have going on. I rarely offer advice to anyone. I’ve become an expert in minding my business. I admire his talent from afar. I think he is a generational talent. I think he has the ability to win titles from 147-160. But again, I stay out of commenting on someone’s business because they may like where they are. I don’t ask them. I stay in my lane. Other than that, I don’t have much to say, except I hope to get to see him again before the year is out. He’s a terrific talent and I look forward to seeing him fight, the way I did Roy Jones and Terry Norris in the 90s.
Your hypothetical match ups are good because I don’t like comparing guys who fought at different levels. For example someone just asked me about Edwin Valero and Manny Pacquiao. That’s tough for me because we haven’t seen enough of Valero at the top level. These match ups are of guys who were at a certain level. Basically you’re asking me is Boots above the level I saw Lopez, Campas and Carr at. I’m going to say yes. Boots’s physicality is scary. He’s a BIG kid. He’s very powerful and forceful when he wants to be and he has the range of a middleweight.
I think Carr is just too small for him. Carr is skillful with guts but I think Boots would force himself on Carr. Campas got hit too clean to beat Boots. That would be a meat carving.
Lopez had the making of a guy who could’ve been a P4P level fighter. I’m not sure what was going on with him mentally but when he was hot, he was rough. Oscar De La Hoya who fought everybody in his era, never bothered with that kid. Lopez should’ve beaten James Page but he was too hot and cold. Today I will pick Boots but Lopez is just the kind of rugged fighter with sneaky explosiveness that could give Boots a go.
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