Question: Hey Bread. I love your knowledge of boxing history. Can you give your top 10 for Junior Middleweights 2000-2025? Here's my list so far: 1-2) Oscar De La Hoya / Winky Wright. Oscar had a great run despite being past his prime in terms of power and youth. (Mayweather Senior helped Oscar overcome that.) His only setback was a controversial loss to Mosley, another P4P guy at the time. Winky had two runs as champ between 1996-2004. Like Oscar, he early on relied on his youth/feet to keep his distance. That hurt him late in fights. (See the first McKart fight. I also remember another fight he got rocked late due to his tired legs not allowing him to keep the distance.) He changed to the front guard, stay in the pocket style that helped him overcome tired legs but also exposed him to body punchers like Vargas. 3) Canelo. Canelo was able to close the distance against Lara and defeated some really good boxers. He struggled with Lara and Mayweather, making me think he'd lose to Oscar. 4) Tito dominated Reid and Vargas. Didn't spend much time in the division, though. My boxing knowledge is limited. Below are others I think could be in a top 10 but I'm not sure how to rank them:- Vargas: He legit beat Winky. In retrospect, that was the highlight of his career. Mosely: The speed on this guy was amazing! Still, despite his controversial victory over DLH and his close fight with Mayorga, there isn't much there. Cotto: like Mosley, just not enough there. Lara: even past his prime, he's still a tough nut to crack.- Charlo brothers: Jermell unified the division but he still struggled against Harrison and Castano. Brother Jermall knocked out an undefeated Williams. You got two excellent fighters who can be as good as Oscar and Wright. See Ortiz and Boots. But I think they need to prove themselves more before being put on the list. Also, would you agree that Mike McCallum beats everyone at this weight between 2000-2025? Best, Brian.
Bread’s response: Junior Middleweight was a very competitive division in the 2000s. Ok, here are top picks for the best Junior Middleweights of the last 25 years.
1. Felix Trinidad: Tito had a crazy run at 154. He unified. He was unbeaten. And he won the best fight in the history of the division vs Fernando Vargas. My eyes tell me Tito was on Hearns’ and McCallum's level in 2000.
2. Winky Wright: Winky did beat Tito but that was at 160 and I believe Tito was past it. But Wright was unbeaten in the division in the 2000s. He also unified vs a HOF in Shane Mosley. Winky has a real case for #1.
3. Canelo Alvarez: Lost to Floyd Mayweather but he reigned for several years. He unified vs Austin Trout. He won the title multiple times and he beat Erislandy Lara at 155lbs which I count.
4. Floyd Mayweather: Mayweather is not known as a great Junior Middleweight but he won the title 3x vs 3 HOF in Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez. Floyd's run at the weight is hard to contextualize but the facts are he beat three great fighters at the weight to win three belts.
5. Oscar de La Hoya: Looked sensational when he first moved up to 154lbs. He unified vs Fernando Vargas and I believe he beat Shane Mosley in their rematch.
6.Erislandy Lara: Lara was an excellent fighter at 154lbs. I think he was robbed vs Paul Williams and he was nip and tuck vs Canelo in a fight that could’ve gone either way. He was also very consistent at the weight for about ten years.
7. Jermell Charlo: Jermell won all 4 belts which is a serious accomplishment at any weight at any time. He also avenged his draw vs Brian Castano by KO and his loss to Tony Harrison by KO.
8. Jermall Charlo: Didn’t stay at 154lbs as long as his brother but he did beat Austin Trout and an undefeated Julian Williams in a real mandatory defense.
9. Jarett Hurd: Hurd had a serious run at 154. He beat Tony Harrison to win the title. Then he defended vs Austin Trout and won by stoppage. Then he unified vs Erislandy Lara in one of the best fights in division history.
10. Fernando Vargas: Would be higher if this was a list in the 90s. But I’m giving you what you asked for. Vargas was up and down in the 2000s. But he did win the title back multiple times in the 2000s and he has a win over the severely underrated Ike Quartey. Vargas also took HOF Tito and Oscar to the brink of defeat in a great fight.
Honorable mentions: Miguel Cotto, Julian “Jrock” Williams, Demetrius Andrade, Tony Harrison, Austin Trout and Sebastian Fundora, Boots Ennis and Vergil Ortiz have not been in the division long enough to list them just yet.
Question: What did you think of the halftime show with Bad Bunny? I’m not sure if you saw it or not but Xander Zayas was part of the show. There seems to be some backlash because it wasn’t performed in English. But isn’t that the same as when they sing the Mexican or Puerto Rican national anthems before big fights?
Bread’s response: I love watching boxing, football and basketball. So yes I saw the halftime show with Bad Bunny performing. My honest opinion is I don’t watch the Super Bowl for the halftime show. I’ve seen every Super Bowl since 1978, except for one. And I don’t really remember any halftime shows in detail except last year when the Eagles won. So my point is I enjoy the commercials and half time shows but that’s not why I watch it.
I heard of Bad Bunny but I don’t know his music. So I was sort of neutral on him performing. It doesn’t really make a difference. I just wanted to see the game. I know some people were offended by a Spanish-speaking artist performing but a 15-minute show is not that deep for me to have an issue with it. As long as someone who had offensive and insulting music didn’t perform it doesn’t make a difference to me. I know you may have wanted a more sexy answer but that’s my answer and that’s the truth.
Question: Hi Breadman. Wardley vs Dubois looks imminent. Who do you like? Seems almost impossible to call. I believe Dubois hits harder and has more quality, but his character has been found wanting. Wardley appears to have the heart of a lion, but he has never fought Usyk… (nor a prime Joyce, who was murder for anyone at that time). Thanks.
Bread’s response: Every elite heavyweight in history has been either visibly hurt, dropped or knocked out. So it’s not easy to pick 50/50 types of fights at heavyweight. But I’m going to pick the more adjustable fighter in my opinion, which is Wardley. It’s more of a gut feeling than a technical thing because Dubois can just catch him clean and KO him. But my guts tell me Wardley is riding high and he seems to operate better under fatigue in the second half of fights. So because of that I’m picking Wardley in a thriller.
Question: Hello Breadman. I saw a couple days ago the announcement that Errol Spence vs Tim Tszyu is likely for this summer. In my comment on BoxingScene under the article I wrote "I'd love to see Spence back in the ring. I hope this comes through. I know Tim isn't what he used to be, but presuming he gets a W in March I wouldn't call this a tune-up fight for Errol. The Big Fish wouldn't be jumping in the deep end, necessarily, but this is far from the kiddie pool, especially with the media hype it would generate.” I just now did a Google search to find out who Errol’s new trainer is. Google’s AI overview came back with this: "Errol Spence Jr.'s new trainer is reportedly Stephen "Breadman" Edwards, with Spence expected to train in Philadelphia after splitting with long-time coach Derrick James due to a dispute in 2024, following his loss to Terence Crawford. While there were rumors of other potential mentors like Roy Jones Jr., Edwards appears to be the confirmed choice as Spence prepares for a comeback fight, as reported in early 2026.” So, my questions to you are: Are you indeed Errol’s new trainer? If so, how did that come about? If you are his new trainer, that’s great news. I like both of y’all and I think it’ll be an excellent pairing. Though, in full disclosure, I pulled for Bud against him. But, I've pulled for Bud against everybody. Keith Thurman is the only fighter I wouldn’t pull for Bud against. I wouldn’t pull for either one as I like them both equally, though I expect Terence would have won that fight. ScottABQ
Bread’s response: Someone in the gym where I train my fighters took a picture of Errol and everyone ran with the story of me training him. But if you haven’t heard Errol or myself announce it then don’t take it as the truth. I’ve known Errol for several years and we are really cool. Julian Williams signed with PBC around the same time that Errol did. So we fought on the same cards for years and were in each other’s company…I like him as a fighter and as a person. Errol likes Philly and we have good sparring here. So he came to get some good sparring. Nothing more or less. Errol will announce his plans and his new trainer whenever he sees fit.
AI is a good search engine but don’t forget it’s programmed by humans. My daughter is a 14-year-old track athlete and for fun I put her name in the AI Google search. And they got her age wrong along with some minor details of her track career. They were about 80% correct, which is not correct in retrospect. So be careful with that stuff. I’m sort of old school, by the way, if you didn’t already know…
Question: Greetings Breadman! Firstly, thank you for responding to my question on the 1980s top 10! That was a great explanation of your rationale and I am in agreement. Secondly, masterclass performance by Shakur in Madison Square Garden! I don't see anyone beating Shakur anytime soon. I feel bad for Teo, because despite being an uber talent, he needs to replace his father with a more seasoned, professional head trainer and corner. What kind of game plan did Senior have or what instructions for making adjustments did he offer the kid in the fight of his life? To give credit where it is due, he did a fabulous job with creating the foundation that took Teo all the way to defeating the great Lomachenko, but in the very next fight with Kambosos it was the same thing as the Shakur fight: "F him up, man!!" "What are you doin'?!?! Hit 'em!!" I don't know how easy it will be for Teo to fire his dad, and maybe he doesn't have to remove him completely, but as a fan, I think it's urgent. I know you have too much class to bad-mouth fellow trainers, so I'm not going to ask you to do that. However, in your professional opinion, who would be a good fit for Teo at this moment in his career, still young but with two losses and coming off a really tough one with Shakur? I'm thinking about examples like Lewis finding Emanuel Stewart, Pac-Man and Roach, Cotto and Roach towards the end of Cotto's career, Vlad going to Stewart. What trainer do you think could make the right adjustments with Teo if he were to ask you? Feel free to include yourself and the adjustments you would make! Lastly, my gut is telling me that Barrios is going to win this fight Saturday. I just think he's battle-hardened and very experienced now after sharing the ring with Tank, Thurman, Ugas, and Pacquiao. And with Goosen, who knows Ryan as well as he does preparing the game plan. In addition to Ryan coming off a horrible performance against Rolly and training with his dad, I feel an upset coming. What say you? Keep Punching, Breadman! Sean, Atlantic City
Bread’s response: Teo does have talent but he is also self-destructive. Teo had one of the best wins of the decade vs Lomachenko who was ranked #1 P4P when Teo beat him. And Teo self-inflicted his career derail immediately after. He feuded with his then-promoter Top Rank. Fought on a different platform in his first title defense vs Kambosos. Then allegedly accused that promoter of sabotaging the outcome of his loss to Kambosos. If Teo would’ve stayed on course when he beat Loma he could’ve been the star of stars. His career has been up and down ever since he beat Loma. He beats Loma then loses a fight to Kambosos that he should have won. Two fights later he struggles with Sandor Martin, then he puts on a great performance vs Josh Taylor. Then after the Taylor fight he struggles with Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett. Then he looks sensational vs Arnold Barboza. Then he looks clueless vs Shakur Stevenson.
I don’t know what Teo needs but he definitely needs something different. Or maybe he peaked out vs Loma and he can only muster up that type of effort on occasion. You asked me, so I will give this a try. I think he should start off with a therapist or sports psychologist. I say that respectfully. As far as a trainer. I can’t tell you who he should train with. But I can tell you what type of trainer that could help him.
First off he needs someone hungry who can dedicate two hours per day to him every day for eight weeks with no distractions. Teo needs that alone time to sharpen up the small things. The coach has to be able to teach him to go forward properly. Teo doesn’t fight well as the hunter and I believe it’s because of his stance and body structure. He fights in a bladed shoulder roll like stance. So that particular stance doesn’t really cut the ring off but that stance can stalk an opponent with a jab, ala Bob Foster or Tommy Hearns.
The issue for Teo is, he’s short with a 68-inch reach. Teo is listed as 5'9 but he’s far from that. He’s closer to 5’6. And he doesn’t have a commanding jab. So while Teo has a versatile style, Teo doesn’t adjust well in fights. Just think about his performances. Either he’s on fire all night or he’s struggling all night. He doesn’t start out struggling, figure out his opponent, then goes on the cruise to a victory. If Teo does decide to move on to a new trainer, that trainer will really have his work cut out. The trainer will have to not only fix technical issues and help Teo adjust in fights but he’s also going to have to deal with obvious mental baggage.
Barrios vs Garcia is a very tough for me to call. Most times I get a quick, strong feeling and I usually stick with it. In this one I’m all over the place. Garcia didn’t look good vs Romero but Barrios has also been in a performance slump with two draws in a row. Barrios should’ve stopped Manny Pacquiao but he struggled mightily. Speed seems to give Barrios trouble and Garcia does have speed. However, the Pacquiao fight doesn’t concern me as much as the Ramos fight. Ramos is not a speedster and he’s an older fighter. Ramos hurt and dropped Barrios in a fight that should’ve been a showcase fight for him.So my point is, I don’t know where either fighter is.
I feel like Joe Goossen is one of the great trainers of this century. He’s the winning coach in possibly the greatest fight in history, Corrales vs Castillo. But we have to see how much Mario has left. And what can Joe do with whatever that is. I believe this will be a very competitive drawish type of fight if Garcia doesn’t catch Barrios early with something big.
I look for Barrios, who is taller, to want to fight on the inside and Garcia, who is shorter, to want to fight on the outside. I believe Garcia is the more talented fighter, but I think Mario is the more professional practitioner. I believe Ryan punches harder for a single shot, but Mario has a really good left hook to the body. Remember Ryan was stopped by a Tank body shot. In fact both Barrios and Garcia were stopped with body shots by Tank. So whoever does the best body work in this fight may sway the momentum in their favor. I’m also concerned about the trauma to Mario’s nose and eyes area. After every fight there seems to be bruising, swelling and bleeding. Last but not least, I expect Mario to be in better shape if it comes to that. Goossen does not play around when it comes to putting in the work. I’m going to assume that Ryan Garcia would be a slight betting favorite because he shows up better on the eyeball test. I personally view this as 55/45 in Garcia’s favor on paper with Barrios having a very good chance to win in reality.
Question: Sir, what’s your thoughts on Gary Ant Russell and his southpaw fight vs Hiraoke? I like watching Russell and think it will be a fun fight. For me sports are more interesting the more I know about it. You mind tossing some info about maybe some strategies and what to pay attention to when watching southpaw vs southpaw? Thanks again, and I hope 140 gets some unifications going. Kevin from MD.
Bread’s response: I don’t know much about Russell’s opponent but on the highlights he looks really good. I actually know some sharp people who think he’s going to upset Russell. I expect Russell to be on his game. I think this will be a great fight. It’s nothing like an undefeated real challenger vs a young champion still trying to prove himself. See Felix Trinidad vs Oba Carr as an example.
In southpaw vs southpaw match ups I always look for who establishes their jab the most. I know it sounds cliché because the jab is always important. But on southpaw vs orthodox match ups the jab oftentimes cancel each other out because if both fighters keep their hands up properly, the jabs can run into each other. But in southpaw vs southpaw match ups that’s not as big of an issue. Andy Hiraoke seems really tall, so I expect Russell to jab to the body. That will be the deciding punch of the fight in my opinion. Let’s see how it plays out.
Question: What's up, Breadman. Thanks for the mail bag. How good was Joe Calzaghe?? Why don't we hear about him more? Thanks. A.T. Br
Bread’s response: Joe Calzaghe was not good, he was great. He is no worse than a top three ever at Super Middleweight and top five ever in UK boxing history. I also believe he’s a top ten southpaw ever. The only critique that anyone can have with Calzaghe’s career is his biggest fights of his career were with a 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins and a well past his prime Roy Jones in 2008. If Calzaghe had found a way to come to the US in the late 90s or early 2000s and take on the best, his legacy would be different for good or bad. But it happened how it happened and Calzaghe was a great fighter on the elite level.
Calzaghe’s style would be tough to deal with for anyone in history near his weight. He’s not as neat as say Loma or Usyk in his southpaw attack. But he has volume, ultra fast hands, superior conditioning, ability to adjust and big heart are very big problems for everybody.
Question: You have a lot of wisdom, my brother. While everyone was condemning Tank Davis for his run in the law, you simply stated you wanted due process to take place. Now there are reports that some shady things happened to Tank and he may have been the victim of a set up. Good for you for not speaking too soon. Do you think Tank will get back to where he was before his arrest? If so, who should he fight?
Bread’s response: Here is something that I know to be true. When a person has a reputation for something, it’s easy to get people to believe that they did something they have a reputation for doing. So, for example, if you have an uncle that’s a thief and he comes over for the holidays and something is missing, if anyone in the family accuses him of it, it’s easy to believe it without proof.
I don’t know Tank to take up for him. And I’m surely not suggesting he's innocent but I have enough common sense to know these things. I also have a brother who lives in South Florida and I will leave it at that. Again, let’s see the evidence come out and wherever the evidence takes us, it takes us.
Before this incident Tank had a draw with Lamont Roach. I would like to see him fight Roach again and prove he is the superior fighter, if in fact he is. He owes it to himself, he owes it to Roach and he owes it to his legacy. But one step at a time. Let’s see if he comes back.
If Tank does come back, and if he ascends to the top again, he’s going to have to be a great fighter. Not just a talented fighter but a great fighter. Because his mystique has been cracked somewhat. His rivals don’t respect him as much because of the Roach performance. They are more eager to face him now. They’re going to fight him with much more confidence than before. In their minds, right, wrong or indifferent, they will say if Roach can do that to Tank, I can do better. Boxing is more mental than physical and once future opponents see a highly esteemed fighter in distress, they all fight him with more confidence and hope. Let’s see how this plays out.
Question: What are your thoughts on Shakur Stevenson being charged 120k for WBC sanctioning fees when their title was not on the line and being stripped because he didn’t pay them? Do you know if this has happened to anyone else in boxing history? I also wanted to know where you place Shakur in the pound for pound race. Is he the best fighter in the world?
Bread’s response: I have to read the WBC bylaws before I can answer in absolute terms. Because I didn’t know that a sanctioning body could charge a fighter a sanctioning fee if their specific belt was not on the line. But the WBC is out front with their actions so it leads me to believe that by the letter of their rules they can do this.
I’ve always said that boxing needs a union. This is the perfect example of this. I believe there is a place for the sanctioning bodies but there needs to be some type of fair structure and practice that gets voted on. With all expectations and actions required to be formally explained in front of a panel. For example, there needs to be an explanation on why a WBC lightweight champion, who moves up to fight a WBO/RING magazine junior welterweight champion, has to pay WBC sanctioning fees of 120k, when the WBC belt was NOT on the line.
The WBC would have to come up with a logical explanation and that explanation would then need to be voted on, then we can all have a better understanding. For now, let’s see what the involved parties have to say moving forward.
Shakur may be the world's best fighter. But I don't have him ranked number one right now. Usyk is my number one but I believe Shakur is his equal. But because of Usyk's longevity and better resume, I'm more comfortable with Usyk being number one. When I believe the ability level is even, I then turn to resume and longevity. Let's also not forget Inoue. He has a chance to break Julio Cesar Chavez's record of 31 title wins. Right now I have Shakur #3 or #4. Bam Rodriguez seems just as good and his resume may be better. The pound for pound debate will heat up this year. If David Benavidez beats Zurdo Ramirez and if the winner of Ennis vs Ortiz looks sensational, the debate will intensify.
Send CONCISE questions to dabreadman25@hotmail.com
