Stephen 'Breadman' Edwards is back to deliver his weekly dose of wisdom as he dissects a fantasy fight between Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson, casts his eyes over the recent performance of Conor Benn, offers his opinion on Boots Ennis, and predicts the outcome of Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua.
What do you think of the Claressa Shields and Alycia Baumgardner feud? Shields advocated for Caroline Dubois to fight Baumgardner. And Baumgardner says that Mikaela Mayer is more skilled than Shields. What do you think of those match ups and is a Shields vs Baumgardner match up possible?
Bread’s response: I’ve seen that Shields and Baumgardner don’t like each other. I believe their feud is real. But as far as them fighting I really don’t know if it’s possible. Alycia fights at 130lbs and Claressa fights at 175lbs. That’s 45lbs between them. I’m not saying it’s impossible for them to fight. But one or both would have to make a huge sacrifice in order to get the fight done. Claressa would have to suck down to an unnatural weight. And/or Alycia would have to put on about 20lbs of bulk which wouldn’t be good either… So I really don’t want to discuss a fight that looks this unlikely to ever happen.
Baumgardner vs Dubois is a great fight in my opinion. I believe Alycia has the best balance and sharpest punch delivery in women’s boxing. Alycia also has Derrick James who I think is a great trainer. I also believe Caroline is one of the more conditioned and athletic fighters in women’s boxing. Caroline is also younger and bigger. I believe it’s a very tough for both women and the betting lines would indicate that it’s pretty much a toss-up fight.
Let me also say, I would like to study Caroline’s last fight before I give a definitive answer. I thought Caroline would stop Teri Harper and I need to study the fight more to figure out why she didn’t. Get back to me on that one.
Claressa Shields is the most accomplished women in history. I don’t think anyone can dispute that. But being the best or most skilled is not the same as being the most accomplished. I don’t have a problem with anyone who thinks Claressa is the GWOAT. I personally believe she is. But some historians tell me Katie Taylor and Lucia Ryker are better. It’s a subjective opinion that I'm not willing to argue over.
Mikaela Mayer has looked tremendous over the last few fights with her new trainer Kofi Jantua. But as for being better or more skilled than Claressa I’m NOT willing to say yet until they fight. I would love to see Shields vs Mayer but again there is a weight issue that the ladies would have to figure out. Let’s hope it happens. That’s another great fight for boxing.
Whatsup Breadman, thanks for the mailbag. How good was Juan Manuel Marquez in his prime? Would he have a chance against today's fighters in his weight class, super featherweight and lightweight? A.T.
Bread’s response: Marquez is an all-time great fighter. He’s an a ATG counter puncher. He’s an ATG Mexican fighter. And he’s one of the most resilient fighters in history. Marquez has been dropped at least 10 times in his career. And he’s never been stopped. That’s remarkable.
Marquez started out at 126lbs. I would pick him to beat any featherweight in the world right now. I would also pick him to beat all the junior lightweights. Things may get tough for him at lightweight but he would more than hold his own. Marquez was the truth.
Why did Turki Alalshikh try to announce Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua without the consent of Joshua or Eddie Hearn? I’ve never seen that before.
Bread’s response: I don’t know. That was a bizarre moment… Hopefully they talk behind the scenes and make the fight. Joshua vs Fury is good for boxing.
My man, Never miss a mailbag, love every one. Especially when you reminisce about the greats from the 80s and 90s! You’ve mentioned Oscar De La Hoya’s performance against Julio Cesar Chavez several times and I decided to look again and you weren’t wrong. Oscar was sensational, that stance, the crouch, just ready to go like lightning. I seem to remember Oscar switched trainers regularly. Who trained him for that fight in particular and why on earth did he not stick with him for the rest of his career? Also, the Shane Mosley that beat Oscar in 2000 vs Tito Trinidad at 147? I’m taking Shane by late KO in an absolute classic! Cheers dude, Craig,Scotland
Bread’s response: I’ve always liked Tito over Shane. Any weight and any time. I think Shane is faster but Tito is actually better defensively and has the better boxing skills. When you watch Oscar vs Chavez make sure it’s the first fight. They fought twice. Once in 1996 and once in 1998. The one in 1996 when they fought for Chavez’s title at 140lbs is the one that I think was Oscar’s best performance. Chavez actually lasted longer in the fight in 1998 at 147lbs.
Off the top of my head I’m going to say Jesus Rivera trained Oscar for his first fight with Chavez. I have no idea why Oscar left him because that performance was spectacular.
Sup Bread? Boots-Zayas, I agree Boots stops Zayas. Before the eighth round. I don’t see anything Zayas brings that Boots hasn’t seen. The only thing is I do believe he will fight his heart out and won’t give up. But he’ll be outgunned. Conor Benn, Look I know you don’t care much about Benn. Weird career, multiple advantages, etc. Lots to discuss. But something curious happened. Started average. Then seemed like a monster at 147. Then the PED thing. Then very pedestrian performances. But then, a very good performance vs Eubank in their first fight. Impressive. And then, even more impressive in their rematch. Eubank was shot, maybe. Nonetheless, Benn was very fast, explosive, feinting very well. Sharp and long jabs up and down. Last Saturday vs Regis Prograis, I saw him slow, sloppy, wide. Let’s say part of it is Prograis’ craft. Maybe. But still, something was off. Now, if it was post-PEDs: simple explanation. The weird thing is, he just had two good fights where he didn’t fail tests. So is it a case of not getting up for an older smaller fighter like Prograis? Or is it going back down to 150 after fighting north of 160? Post-Eubank I had Conor by stoppage vs Garcia. Now the opposite. What is happening? CheersDiego
Bread’s response: I can’t call the round but I feel like people underestimate what Boots Ennis is on the inside. I believe Xander fighting back and fighting hard will make Boots meaner and more spiteful. I can’t pick a round but I think Boots wins by stoppage.
It’s hard to answer you about Conor Benn. And it’s not a thing of me liking or disliking him. But he popped positive for PEDS. And when you do that, everything that comes after gets questioned. I really can’t say why he didn’t impress against Prograis. Let’s see him vs Ryan Garcia. Right now, I like Garcia.
Hey Mr Edwards. I only watched three rounds of Tyson Fury's comeback before switching off my TV set and I re-confirm that he was never much to begin with and will never amount to much in the pantheon of heavyweight greats. On this performance, I have very serious doubts whether he even defeats the fragile Anthony Joshua in a fight of never-has-beens. Apart from his glass chin, I maintain that, of the old order among the recent claimants to world championship status, Joshua is, in fact, the most fundamentally sound heavyweight behind Olexander Usyk. If Fury does not hurt and stop AJ early, I am convinced AJ will outbox him and knock him out inside six rounds. In fact, here is something which nobody ever touches on, but it is a serious indictment of this generation of heavyweights. Never, in any era, in the history of boxing, has a lower weight fighter risen to so completely dominate the heavyweight division as Usyk has done. Usyk is about the same size as Muhammad Ali, but Ali was far stronger, faster, hit harder, and could take a body and head shot from any heavyweight far better than Usyk can. I truly shudder to think what Ali could have done to this present crop of heavyweights.
I re-confirm that Jaron Ennis is not all that he is cracked up to be and he will eventually be found out. Ennis would have earned my respect if he had gunned straight for the top man at 154 pounds in Sebastian Fundora. I know of all the promotional and alphabet body nonsense that is making boxing a mockery today but the narrative that ‘Boots wants all the smoke’ is false and, even though I know very little of the matter, I am beginning to believe Bud Crawford when he says he offered Ennis the opportunity of a fight and he declined it. Yet, Ennis has jumped at the opportunity to face a relative novice in Xander Zayas.
There is something disturbingly similar about the career trajectories of Boots Ennis and Georvanta Davis. If I must believe your high regard for Ennis, then he certainly has not been in the fights that matter the same way as Davis has not been but, in Davis' favour, we at least know that he faced a live and comparable threat in Ryan Garcia, albeit with a rehydration clause, and some of his knockout victories have been bone-chilling, to say the least. But like Boots, he has never faced contemporaries who were available on his level like Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson.
Conor Benn. I know how lightning fast you are in clamping down on improper criticism of fighters on your mailbag, so, let me put it this way. I'm a working man who has enough by grace to feed my family but if you were to offer me 100-million dollars to watch Conor Benn I wouldn't take it. The only reason I watched Benn was to see if it's time someone said something while there's still time to say it about his last opponent. Regis Prograis was, at some point, a really exciting fighter worthy of the world title he held at the time. However, some commission has got to take away Prograis' licence before we have yet another tragedy on our hands. Enough said. As for Benn, Zuffa Boxing just exposed themselves as a bunch of suckers. Keep punching Mr Edwards. Katlholo, Johannesburg, South Africa
Bread’s response: I think Fury vs Joshua is a 50/50 fight. Fury has the mental edge in my opinion. But Joshua is better technically. Both get hurt often but Fury has better survival instincts.
I agree with you about Ali.
But we disagree about Boots. Let’s see how the rest of his career turns out. I know he hasn’t had the mega fight just yet. But his next fight will be for two belts in boxing’s best division. I also disagree that Boots is picking on Xander. When you criticize at least be objective. Fundora had his fight with Keith Thurman in the works for quite some time. If you remember an injury to Fundora’s hand caused the most recent postponement. So Boots went after the champion in the division with two belts and you call that picking on someone. We will always disagree on that. Boots also was in negotiations with Vergil Ortiz who had legal issues with his promoter, which caused the negotiations to dissolve… Again let’s see what happens June 27.
Conor Benn has done a good job of marketing himself. He stimulates the algorithm. I can’t criticize that. No one is going to turn down the money he’s been paid. But unfortunately for him, his ability doesn’t match his appeal. Oh well, you can’t have everything.
I think Keyshawn Davis is the truth also. I would love to see him in big fights. I think he’s ready.
Hi, how are you? Been seeing you on some shows lately. Glad to see you're getting more screen time. I have a quick question about boxing fitness. I haven't been in the ring in seven years and I haven't been in the boxing gym in a year and a half. I have been consistently working out during all that time but now that I've returned to boxing, I'm finding that the stamina isn't coming back as fast as it used to. I'm in shape but I'm not in fighting shape. I can feel the difference. I watch Chris Eubank’s YouTube channel and he says the key to great stamina is not to run fast, but to run slowly for a long time. He also says to never run with headphones on because it’s a crutch that will put you at a disadvantage when you get into a tough fight because you're in the ring by yourself. He says if you train with a crutch, subconsciously you'll want to revert to it when the going gets tough but in a real fight it won't be available. I was curious about your thoughts on this and if you had any guidelines on stamina for an older fighter who just wants to get back in there to maintain his skills and slow the natural rate of deterioration; not necessarily to prove anything as a fighter at this stage. As usual, thanks for the wisdom. Don from Dubrovnik
Bread’s response: There is an age-old debate on how to build stamina and endurance. My beliefs are my beliefs and I will explain them. I believe long slow runs are good for stamina but that wouldn’t be my ONLY conditioning for stamina. Long slow runs are scientifically proven to produce estrogen in men and slow down the fast twitch muscles. I believe sprints or some type of HIIT is also important to get complete conditioning in fighters.
I don't want to get into specifics because it will take away my competitive edge. But I can say that during a fight you need different energy systems. The long endurance run is just one. The sprint is another. If you only concentrate on one, then the other will lack.
I like Eubank's opinion on headphones. When I see athletes in general on their headphones working out, they constantly check their phone and they're constantly searching for music and inspiration. They spend more time looking at their phone than actually working out. So, I definitely agree that it's a crutch to require that type of stimulation to run, when in a fight you want have music to get you through.
Hello Mr Edwards. My question is: who do you think would have won if Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson fought both in their primes? Kind regards and greetings from Germany. Fabian
Bread’s response: This is a tough fight to call because Frazier was a little vulnerable early. But the Frazier from when he beat Buster Mathis in 1968 to the Frazier that beat Muhammad Ali in 1971, is as good a pressure fighter the heavyweight division has EVER seen. I believe he was all wrong for Tyson. Tyson would have to stop Frazier within three rounds to win in my opinion. And I wouldn’t bet that he would. I know Foreman did but Foreman is Foreman. So, my pick would be Frazier by late stoppage or hard-fought decision.
Send CONCISE questions and comments to dabreadman25@hotmail.com
