In this week’s edition of the Mailbag, top coach Stephen Edwards talks about several upcoming fights, his thoughts on Usyk-Kabayel (happening or not happening), the great Ruben Olivares and rehydration clauses.

Who would you favor between David Benavidez and Jai Opetaia? Keith Thurman and Sebastian Fundora? Josh Kelly and Xander Zayas? And last question. Is Usyk ducking Kabayel?

Bread’s response: I favor Benavidez but let me see how he looks vs Zurdo Ramirez. If that fight goes how I expect it to go, I like Benavidez big over Opetaia. Thurman is interesting. He never really looks rusty after his layoffs. He throws deceptive looping shots that always catch his opponents. Looping shots are how you clip Fundora. Thurman moves as if he’s going to gas out but he never really does. I probably underestimate him because his style is not energy efficient but he’s only lost one fight. I think I may be underestimating Thurman again because I feel like Fundora may have punch resistance issues. He’s so tall and angular when he gets it, he really gets hit. But I like Fundora to win this fight with his jab and pressure but I wouldn’t be surprised if Thurman KOs him brutally.
I like Zayas by decision over Kelly in a tactical fight.
Um…. I love everything about Usyk. He takes tough smoke. He fights on the road. And if the fight is close or controversial, he has no issue running it back. I won’t say Usyk is ducking Kabayel at this moment but if Usyk fights three more fights without giving Kabayel his shot, it’s a duck. It may be an excusable duck because of Usyk’s legacy but it’s still a duck. Kabayel is clearly the number contender. He’s earned his status with big conclusive wins. Usyk has time and opportunity to fight him. From my perspective Usyk doesn’t have to fight him next, but he can’t fight multiple challengers and not give the obvious biggest challenger a shot at the throne.


Hello Bread, blessings to you and yours as always. I was having this debate with a couple of friends. Question is, who was more dominant in their era at their peak, Floyd Mayweather or Roy Jones? I think Roy was more dominant. Not saying he had a better career, or has a better resume. At his peak he was untouchable and there was never a fight in doubt until the first Tarver fight. I would say he was past his peak at that point. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.Angel

Bread’s response: Roy Jones Jr was the most dominant fighter ever among his contemporaries. No one was close to beating him from 1989-2003.


Good morning Breadman,
Do you think the sanctioning bodies have a shaky future in boxing? With the TKO Holdings Saudi backed Zuffa promotion emerging out the shadows and slowly building a very respectable roster, I smell a strong shift starting in the way many fighters now negatively perceive the belts and sanctioning bodies as just money hungry crooks who live large off the ridiculous extravagant sanctioning fees they charge fighters to hold their belts. High profile boxers like Crawford and Shakur Stevenson have recently came out and criticised the WBC for this behaviour in playing god with the fighters when it comes to fees and defending belts. The way I see it, a line in the sand was drawn with Jai Opetaia being stripped by the IBF title as Zuffa was going to crown the winner of Opetaia v Brandon Glanton fight their first champ, so I suspect the other three will follow suit and strip any current champion immediately who signs with Zuffa. I don't see this as good for the big four, especially if the Saudis continue to bankroll the big fights as they seem to be firmly in the process of slowly freezing out the big four belts and sanctioning bodies and most of the big promoters as well! And putting all their financial weight and muscle towards the Dana White led Zuffa model which will soon award its own world title belts in eight divisions. Let's not forget, they also own the Ring magazine belt which is a prestigious belt in its own right held in very high esteem in the world of boxing. All in all, I see a bleak future for the big four who I think will always probably survive but their belts just won't be considered as prestigious and glamorous as they used to be as more fighters fed up with the current landscape will defect to Zuffa. PPV fights for the big four’s belts will be on a smaller scale and purses not what they were as promoter TV platform deals are declining and dying. Zuffa has shown their hand early with the one fight $15m Conor Benn deal so it shows they not scared to overpay and create some shockwaves through the industry! 

Elite, popular, and exciting fighters who like to entertain will be highly paid under the Zuffa model and fighters with less popularity and appeal will be paid less but still fairly well compensated overall. Right now in boxing there is too much record padding trying to protect a ‘0’. And too many decisions going the way of the A side fighter when they clearly lose due to corrupt bias judging and it’s been hurting boxing for too long. I believe all of this would change under the Zuffa-Saudi backed boxing model once they establish themselves properly. (Including a strong anti PEDS policy we hope) Look for Zuffa to sign some very big high profile current champions and exciting prospects in the next six months and beyond, Time will tell but in my opinion to quote a line of a famous movie, ‘Build it and they will come!’ Would be interested to hear your opinion about what you think? 

Best regards, Brendan

Bread’s response: There are so many ebbs and flows in boxing it’s really hard to say at this current moment. That’s why I’m in a wait and see mode. I suspect the promoters and the sanctioning bodies are revamping their companies in order to stay relevant against Zuffa. Let’s just wait and see….


Hi Bread,
Long time reader, second time writer. Yesterday I watched William Klein’s 1974 documentary, “Muhammad Ali, the Greatest.” Interesting film, done cinema verite style. When Ali and Liston enter the ring for their second fight, Ali’s hands are wrapped but he isn’t wearing gloves and Liston’s hands aren’t even wrapped. Was this common in the old days? I’ve been watching boxing since about 1980 and I don’t recall ever seeing that. I do remember Robert DeNiro as Jake LaMotta entering the ring once in Raging Bull barehanded and wondered at the time if it was an error.
Thanks,Bruce

Bread’s response: Yes, I’ve seen fights from the 60s, 70s and even early 80s where fighters entered the ring and they weren’t gloved up. Watch Pryor vs Arguello in 1982......


The IBF needed undisputed heavyweight champion Larry Holmes to publicly declare his allegiance to them over everyone else for boxing fans to accept that title. The WBO needed Bernard Hopkins to declare himself not actually undisputed until he beat Oscar De La Hoya for boxing fans to accept that title. How is the Zuffa Boxing Championship going to get one of those moments? I don’t think it’s going to be Jai Opetaia choosing that title over the IBF. How do you see this happening? Is it through Oleksandr Usyk as other titles continue to strip him? Is it through a young superstar like Ryan Garcia? Or does it not happen for them at all like it hasn’t happened for the IBO? Thank you for your thoughts!

Bread’s response: I don’t think Usyk will be the guy to legitimize Zuffa. It's going to have to be a younger fighter who is still ascending to stardom. Who that is, remains to be seen.

Bread,
What all-time great boxers had their first 50/50 (even-money) fight in their 30s? Jaron Ennis is getting dangerously close to this dubious achievement, whether he is to blame or not. Jeremy

Bread’s response: There have been a few. Demetrius Andrade didn’t get one until he was well into his 30s against David Benavidez. Terence Crawford was 35 when he fought Errol Spence, Crawford was a slight favorite but that was considered a 50/50 fight. I’m sure there are a few others but I can’t think of their names right now.
I agree Ennis needs a big fight. For not only his legacy but just to progress in terms of his career. Crawford was very patient when the big names avoided him. Crawford stayed sharp and he kept getting better and he seized the moment. Whereas Andrade was overwhelmed against Benavidez. You never know how it will go when your moment takes so long. Let’s see how this plays out for Ennis, he's just 28.

Peace and blessings as always sir. Quick question regarding some of the issues that might come up during a camp. As a trainer how do you work around situations like illness and injuries? I would imagine that if a fighter is cutting weight, they are more vulnerable to getting sick during a camp or that nagging injuries can pose an issue to sparring and other workouts. Is this something that you can plan out in advance or do you deal with it as it happens? I am guessing these things happen more than we know. Thank you for your time. Jack in Minneapolis

Bread’s response: I have had so many different things happen in camp. I’ve had fighters get clipped in the gym. I’ve had fighters get cuts. I’ve had fighters injure their hands. I’ve had fighters injure their shoulders. And I’ve had fighters get sick. The worst was getting sick with the flu. Each time we still fought. We won some and we lost some. I handled each situation accordingly.

When one of my fighters gets clipped or hurt bad with a punch in the gym, I took off sparring for two weeks so they can heal physically and mentally. We stepped up the other things such as running and floor work and we fought.

When one of my fighters got cut in sparring, I covered his cut with a clear substance so it could heal without everyone knowing he was cut. We didn’t spar anymore until the fight. And we went out and won the fight.

When one of my fighters injured his hand, luckily it was his right hand and he was orthodox. We stopped sparring. We hit the Styrofoam noodles to go easy on his hand. We ran more. And we fought with one hand. No one knew. He won the fight with a jab and the cool part was he was sharp because there was no decision anxiety as far as what punch to throw. He knew to just throw a left jab or left hook.

When one of my fighters injured his shoulder, he fought anyone. We got a toradol shot and he went out and won the fight.

Fighters often get the sniffles when they cut weight but I actually had a fighter get the flu about three weeks before a big fight. I thought about cancelling the fight. But the fighter thought he would be ok once he rehydrated. So I stopped talking about it and I told him to seclude himself from people until the fight. He wasn’t ok and he lost the fight bad.

So I just gave each scenario that I have had to overcome. Sometimes we fought and won. Others we lost. Each time I tried to figure it out.

Sup Breadman, I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of guys known as “street fighters” from the tough Philly streets walk into boxing gyms and quickly get humbled. But have you ever seen the opposite happen—someone with that street reputation actually translate well once they step into a real boxing gym? Do you think being a talented boxer is fundamentally different from being a good fighter, or is there real overlap between the two? And when you evaluate someone like that in the gym, what traits tend to translate the best from the street to the ring? Is it toughness, instincts, composure under pressure, or something else entirely? Appreciate the insight.

Bread’s response: Good question. A few years back I saw a guy who did several years in prison. He had an amateur career but no pro fights. The day he got released he walked in the gym and beat the breaks off of an active solid pro. I mean he beat him up. The pro wasn’t a world champion but he was solid for where he was in his career.

Then I’ve seen the opposite. I had people reach out to me and lie about their fighter's background. And one of my fighters knocked the young man out who's handlers lied about him. I told the handler there is no way your guy was as accomplished as you stated. He never came back to the gym.

Then I had a case where someone found me on social media and told me how good they could fight. Because I had previous experience with the guy who couldn’t fight, I asked him to get in the ring and shadowbox. He had no idea what he was doing. It never got to sparring because I didn’t want to be responsible for someone getting hurt or killed. At this point in my career as a trainer, I don’t even acknowledge these things anymore with people off the street.

I think a talented boxer does have some similarities to a good street fighter. Often times the only difference is when boxing was introduced to them. Let me explain. Often times the talented boxer gets introduced to boxing in their formative years. So working and supporting themselves is not an issue yet. Once they get out high school, they know their future lies in boxing. But the street fighter doesn’t get into boxing until he’s already grown. Therefore he doesn’t have the resources to concentrate on boxing because he has to financially take care of himself. Both have talent but the introduction to boxing came at a different time.

The obvious traits are courage. You have to have the courage to simply step in a ring and spar. After you get past that. I look for something distinct. Who can get punched in the face and not become squeamish. Most people can’t do that. Most people close their eyes and/or turn their head when they’re about to get punched in the face. The one who can naturally handle that the best is usually the most natural in terms of combat. Then you look at obvious physical ability. Rhythm, balance, speed, power, physique and the ability to listen. But again the first thing I look at is who can compartmentalize being hit the best. Some people simply can’t accept being hit.

Sup Breadman, We hear a lot about the Mexican greats like Chavez, Sanchez, and Canelo. But one guy I feel sometimes gets overlooked in those conversations is Ruben Olivares. Have you ever really studied him? I know he was probably a little before your time, but when you look back at that bantamweight era it was absolutely loaded, and Olivares fought—and beat—a lot of the best fighters around; 89-13 with 79 KOs. Crazy knockout ratio at bantamweight and from what I’ve seen he had serious punching power for such a small guy. Some people even say he’s one of the greatest bantamweights ever. From a trainer’s perspective, what stood out about Olivares technically? And how do you think a prime Ruben Olivares would stack up against the top bantamweights of the last 20–30 years?

Bread’s response: Ruben Olivares is an ATG fighter. And an even higher ATG bantamweight. He’s also one of the greatest punchers ever. His left hook is on par with Joe Frazier’s and Felix Trinidad’s. He’s also a top 10 Mexican fighter ever along with being a top 5ish bantamweight ever. At one point he had over 60 wins with over 60 kos without a loss. I think Olivares stacks up well historically at bantamweight. But I don’t think he stacks up well with Monster Inoue and Nonito Donaire. On film Olivares may be a little slow for them. I am not sure about this but I suspect it. Fighting Harada and Eder Jofre show up better on film than Olivares does. But Lupe Pintor was built like Olivares and he doesn’t show up on film well either, yet he was able to give an ATG Wilfredo Gomez a life and death struggle at 122lbs. So I don’t rule Olivares out in terms of competing with modern greats…


What’s up Bread? I hope all is well and let’s get to it. I agree wholeheartedly with your take on “weight bullying” (“If you can make the weight (legally), then you can fight at the weight”). With that said, how would you feel about a standard 15lbs rehydration limit across the board on the morning of the fight? Would that make a difference at all? I know there is no perfect solution but I think it would address any potential concerns about excessive rehydration. I also remember when weigh ins were 24 hours before the fight instead of 36 hours or more. Which one of those options do you think would be best? Or do you prefer how things are currently? I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

William in West Palm


Bread’s response: I don’t like a weight limit on rehydration. Fighters shouldn’t have to monitor their intake after they professionally made the weight. I think the solution should be simple and not complicated. The weigh in of each fight should start exactly 24 hours before the first bell of the opening bout the next day. So for example if the first bout is at 6pm. Then the weigh in starts at 6pm sharp the day before. Very simple. No next day weigh ins. No weight caps. Just 24 hours of rehydration across the board. Currently, we have weigh ins that start at 11am when the opening bout starts the next day at 6pm. That’s too long. Because the main event may not start until 10pm or later. That’s the issue. The time between the weigh in and the main event is too long.

However, this suggestion would require everyone to be prompt. The fighters would have to be ready and on time. I went to a weigh in last year where the main event fighter showed up over three hours late. No one said anything to him. He should’ve been fined. I’ve also attended weigh ins where the commissioner showed up several hours late. The same commissioner had the audacity to fine fighters and their teams for medical paperwork. But someone should have fined him. The fighters were starving and irritable. So all parties involved would have to show integrity and hold themselves responsible.

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