In this week’s mailbag, top trainer Stephen Edwards ponders what happened to Charles Conwell, looks at the summer fight between Edgar Berlanga and Hamzah Sheeraz, the return of Manny Pacquiao, Tim Tszyu fighting Sebastian Fundora in a rematch, the return of Manny Pacquiao, and boxing as an outlaw sport.

Hey Bread what’s up? Sheeraz-Berlanga? Interesting. Who you got? Do you think Stanionis will be back? Ortiz vs Boots; do you think Boots would fight him like Stanionis? Or would he play it more careful to get the job done? Probably one of the most violent fights. I’d get Boots by late stoppage but he would probably leave a piece of him because they would both go all in and Ortiz, albeit a bit more vulnerable, is a mean dog. What happened with Charles Conwell? Thought he was top three talent at 154. Fluke? You still got him over Ortiz? Can Tzsyu be back and what would be his ceiling say he gets past Thurman? Cheers, Diego

Bread’s Response: I was pleasantly surprised that Sheeraz vs Berlanga was made. I’m interested to see if one of them pulls out. It’s a great match up, but I feel like it’s one of those fights where someone behind the scenes says it’s too early. If they do fight, it’s a tough pick for me. But I’m going to slightly favor Berlanga. Something tells me his braintrust saw something in Sheeraz when he fought Carlos Adames and they’re confident that Berlanga can beat him at 168lbs. I’m really flipping a coin but that’s my guess. Berlanga is well managed and I’m just going to ride with that assumption. 

In terms of Xs and Os, it’s a tough call. But I feel like Berlanga actually has the better feet. I also think he may be quicker. Sheeraz is not as fluid as I thought he would be after watching him close. With his body type he needs to be a little smoother with his movements. Sheeraz is a big target for super middleweights… I think Berlanga is the better athlete. If a fighter faces a fighter who is a better athlete, he will have to make up for it with skill, technique and toughness. I don’t think Sheeraz has a decided advantage in those areas or at least he didn’t display it vs Adames. I also didn’t like what happened vs Adames. It may have been the weight. It may have been the moment. It may have been Adames’ punching power that made him act like that down the stretch. Whatever the case may be, it happened. I know Berlanga didn’t sell out vs Canelo but Canelo is better than Adames. So my guess is Berlanga wins but draw is not out of the question.

Stanionis fought well. He should be back. But today’s climate is a factor. If he has to wait two years to fight again, then he won’t be back. But if he can get on a regular schedule and build momentum he could surely be back.

I can’t say how Boots would fight Ortiz. I think Boots is one of those guys that follows his instincts then he applies his tactics with whatever his instincts feel.

I don’t know what happened with Conwell. Him losing caught me by surprise. I didn’t know much about his opponent but after watching the fight, I could see that Jorge Garcia can fight. He had a little Emanuel Navarrete in his game. He wasn’t afraid of Conwell and he went to the pressure fighter’s body. Garcia was whipping a nasty left hook to Conwell’s flank area. Sometimes the other guy just fights a good fight and you have to give him props. This was Conwell’s first twelve round fight and you could see early he was pacing himself. Conwell is a come forward, pressure technician and maybe his style is wearing him down. Maybe he had an off night. Maybe he got a little stale waiting for a big fight and being at the same level for the last year or so. Or just maybe Jorge Garcia was the better man that night. We need more time to and more fights to factor in what really happened. 

I don’t think Conwell is a fluke. But I can’t say he’s top three at junior middleweight right now after he just lost to a guy who wasn’t in the top three. Conwell will have to rebound and prove himself. I think he can but he has to do it. Conwell only lost a split decision. He wasn’t dominated, he just lost a close tough fight that could’ve gone either way. So he should have his confidence moving forward. I can’t call Conwell over Ortiz right now. It’s very close but let’s evaluate in context. Ortiz just had the same fight vs Bohachuk but he got the decision. The official decision is the only reason why Ortiz is not on the rebound. But the performance level both displayed was just about even.

Sure Tim Tszyu can get back. Fighters who generate money can often times pick who they want to fight. So it’s simply easier to come back if you can fight who you want to fight, instead of who you’re made to fight. 

Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Daniel Dubois was just announced. I have to ask, will Usyk’s legacy be hurt by his repeated rematches? Before you dismiss the question, hear me out. We’re discussing how people in the future will perceive Usyk. Usyk has only fought five heavyweights and two of those opponents were not high level. He’s 38 years old, which means he probably has a maximum of four fights left after his rematch with Dubois. None of his mandatory contenders, or the immediate threats to replace them, would produce an eye-opening victory for Usyk’s resume. Usyk is a great boxer. I’m all for enjoying the moment. I just don’t expect him to be held in the same regard as other heavyweight legends. Right now, his resume is essentially built on three names. There isn’t enough time left in his career to change that. I think it will hurt how he’s remembered. What do you think?

Bread’s response: I think you’re being overly critical. Usyk left crusierweight in 2018. It took him almost a year to fight at heavyweight vs Chazz Witherspoon. Then it took him almost another year to fight Derek Chisora. Then almost another year to fight Anthony Joshua as an underdog. He ran that back in the next calendar year. He then fought Dubois. Then two fights with Fury. Usyk has only fought twice in the same year once since 2018 and that was in 2024. So it’s not like he’s cherry picking easy fights. Each time he’s fighting the best available opponent besides his two tune ups. 

Heavyweight boxing is huge. And often times the big fights, warrant rematches. Holyfield fought Tyson, Bowe, Lewis, Moorer and Steward multiple times. Ali fought Liston, Patterson, Frazier, Norton, Cooper and Spinks multiple times. I can go on about that. This is a business. 

Dubois has rejuvenated his career with some nice wins recently. He also has a huge KO of Joshua. There are many people who think he deserved to get a KO of Usyk because of the controversial low blow. So Usyk is fighting him again to prove his superiority. I am not one of those people. I thought Usyk dominated Dubois and made him capitulate and take a knee. But Usyk is leaving the fans with no excuses. There is nothing to criticize.

Dubois is the leading contender to Usyk’s supremacy at this moment. I have zero issues with Usyk or his resume. Most of his big fights have been in the opponent’s backyard, which should give him extra credit in legacy evaluation. Usyk has established himself as the best cruiserweight of his era and he’s no worse than number two all time in the division. He also has established himself as the best heavyweight of his era. And I believe he’s in the top twenty all time at heavyweight and ascending. I really don’t get how you or anyone else can have an issue with Usyk’s legacy. 

Mr. Edwards, I apologize if you have answered this question before.  But do you think Liston took a dive in Lewiston, Maine?  With your acumen in boxing, what do you see/think happened?  And how was Liston “counted out” since Walcott never even counted? Why was Nat Fleischer allowed to end the fight from press row? I personally think the Liston that beat Cleveland Williams beats “Clay”, but the Ali that beat Cleveland Williams beats Liston. Thoughts? Thank you, Sir Curt, Omaha

Bread’s response: I think Ali hit Liston with a real punch. You can see Liston’s body gyrate and jaw snap from the counter right hand. I also believe Liston could’ve gotten up. He was not unconscious. It was the first round so he wasn’t fatigued. So I believe he could’ve gotten up. But just because he could’ve gotten up, doesn’t mean he took a dive. 

I know there is some evidence that Liston was connected to the mob. But there is also evidence that Ali was the superior fighter. So I don’t know if he took a dive. I haven’t heard enough solid evidence to prove that he took a dive. I will say, Jersey Joe Walcott did a terrible job that night as a referee. He lost total control. But there is a timekeeper that also keeps count and if my recollection is correct, the timekeeper said Liston was down way past the ten count. 

You have your opinion about who would win if Liston fought Ali at another time. But I think you’re overthinking this. I run into this often... It’s like a warped reality to what we know about both. I love Liston as a fighter. I think he’s severely underrated and was a great champion. But he wasn’t better than Ali. Nor could he have beaten him at their best. You’re doing a lot with switching names, scenarios etc. Too much mental gymnastics to get Liston a win over Ali. I think Liston beating Ali is what you want to happen... but it didn't.

Ali beat Liston when he was an experienced fighter at 22 years old. He was a 7 to 1 underdog when he beat him. Ali was a floater. Liston was a plodder who led with a jab. So if you lead with your shoulder bladed like Liston did, it’s hard to cut the ring off. You can stalk an opponent but cutting the ring off is different. Floaters can beat plodders stylistically. But a fighter like Joe Frazier, who cuts the ring off and is not plodding but swarming can give Ali a tougher fight than Liston.

Ali also had too much character for Liston. Ali was chasing the fight with Liston and Liston was not used to chasing fighters for fights. He certainly wasn’t used to fighters calling him names and taunting him. Liston genuinely thought Ali was crazy. Liston and his team tried to cheat in the first fight with whatever the substance was that got into Ali’s eyes and Ali still stopped Liston. 

I say that to say, your time exchange of Ali/Clay and picking Liston to beat him, is just asinine in my opinion. I would suppose that the best version of Liston could beat an old Ali or a very young Ali before he peaked. But Liston is not beating the Ali that he met or any Ali that was close to that form. Ali had too much talent and more importantly too much character.

Peace and blessings as always sir. The top 10 pound for pound discussion in boxing is an ongoing subjective debate topic. I’m interested to know if there are maybe another 5-10 fighters who you would consider for the second team. Similar to how the NBA has a second team all NBA, great players just not at the top yet. Where would guys like Jai Opetaia, Scooter Fulton, Teofimo Lopez and similar elite world class guys fall in on a secondary list? Thank you for your time. Jack in Minneapolis. 

Bread’s response: This is a great question. So my top ten P4P is…

Crawford

Usyk

Inoue

Bivol

Berterbiev

Bam

Benavidez

Canelo

Junto 

Boots.

So my next ten or second team would be…

Tank

Shakur

Teraji

Opetaia

Haney

Teofimo Lopez

Antuanne Russell

Fulton 

Vergil Ortiz

Janibek

Obviously there are always moving parts.

My question is boxing related but it involves other sports. What do you think of Saquon Barkley visiting the White House? He’s receiving backlash because it doesn’t seem to be the cool thing to do. And many other Eagles did not go, most notably Jalen Hurts. I’ve seen some black fighters get backlash when they don’t take harsh stances, like Tim Bradley per se. I also wanted your thoughts on Shedeur Sanders dropping in the draft. Boxing seems to be a sport where arrogant fighters get put on a pedestal but for some reason, Shedeur’s arrogance hurt his draft stock

Bread’s response: I like how you grouped all of that together. Okay, personally I’m not a big political guy. I follow current events and the news but I never get too emotional about politicians. Machiavelli once said, “politics have no relation to morals”. I feel the same way about promoters by the way. So I don’t love or loathe either. I just understand human nature and I understand their nature.

I personally could care less if Saquon Barkley visited the White House. I also could care less if Jalen Hurts chose not to visit. Everyone has their own opinion of President Trump and as long as that opinion/stance is respectful then I don’t see why anyone would care enough to make this an issue. I don’t respect anyone who tries to shame Barkley or Hurts for their stances. We live in a world now where people ridicule you if you support someone they don’t support. I don’t get that. If someone is into something that I’m not into, it doesn’t bother me one bit. And if my feelings are super strong on a topic, I will just distance myself from them. 

Quick story, then back to your question. I had a childhood friend who was killed when were 19 years old. We weren’t best friends but we grew up playing baseball together as youths and whenever we saw each other, we were always happy to see each other. We were neighborhood friends. The person who killed him was also from my neighborhood but he wasn’t a friend of mine. He was just someone we all grew up with. From what I heard, my friend was killed by mistake, so the person who killed him was only charged with Manslaughter. I don’t know all of the details. Nevertheless, thirty years later, I see people from my old neighborhood associating themselves with the person, who killed my baseball teammate. I don’t tell them to not be friends with him. I don’t even tell them my stance on it. I just distance myself from them also. I can’t be friends with this person. But I don’t stand on a roof yelling about it. I just go about my business and I keep my distance from anyone who associates with the person who killed my friend thirty years ago. 

Back to your question. If Saquon Barkley wants to go to the White House, that’s his choice. It’s a tradition in this country for the champions in the NBA and NFL. If people don’t want to support him for that, without knowing his political stance, then that’s their right. And vice versa, if anyone is upset that other players didn’t want to visit the White House, then that’s foolish too. They have a right to respectfully decline the offer to visit for whatever reasons.

The Shedeur Sanders situation is deep in my opinion. I don’t have a problem with parents who oversee their children’s professional careers. Often times the parents are the ones who invested in their children’s career. So it’s hard to tell a parent to turn that on and off after they were the main reason why their child has made it to a prominent position in sports in the first place. 

I don’t know if there was collusion against Shedeur. I’m not going to say it wasn’t but I don’t know for sure if it was. I’m inclined to think that a few things happened at once and it had a negative impact. I think Shedeur is assessed as more of a solid starter or back up than a franchise quarterback. And when I say that I don’t mean it, in a negative way. Back-up quarterbacks in the NFL make about $10m per year. Their importance is invaluable. The Eagles, my team, won a Super Bowl with a backup in Nick Foles. 

I also think that the reports of Shedeur "tanking" the interviews also had a counter-productive impact on his draft status. Teams talk to each other !Shedeur is already rich because of NIL, and he’s very popular. If you observe closely, popular backup quarterbacks cause lots of controversy on teams because there is always a divided locker room as to who should start. Again, my Eagles had a tough decision to make between Carson Wentz and Nick Foles. The current Eagles QB Jalen Hurts had a similar situation at Alabama University when he had to transfer because of a popular back up QB. 

So teams don’t want to draft controversy. And I’m assuming that with Shedeur there would be pressure to start him because of his popularity and pressure from his popular father, who is amongst the greatest players in NFL history. Cleveland is actually a good spot for him because he can compete for the starting job.

You also have to factor in when you get blackballed or humbled, it doesn’t come with a public announcement. It’s done covertly. I don’t rule that out either. Maybe some of the owners just didn't like him or want to deal with him... That’s possible.

Overall, I think Shedeur Sanders was an excellent college player that should have been drafted within the first two rounds. But he’s not viewed as a can’t miss, John Elway-type of player and it wasn’t worth it to some teams to draft him because of that. It doesn’t mean they’re right. No prediction system on projection for an athlete is perfect. But they still refer to that system to make choices. 

In boxing no one cares about character or anything of the sort. If people will tune in to watch a fighter, that fighter will get favorable treatment from the promoters no matter what he’s done. Boxing is an outlaw sport, with the lowest moral compass of all of the sports. That’s why I always say that boxing is the hardest sport to discipline an athlete in. Because in boxing the trainer, who has the least secure job, is the person who has to discipline a fighter and the fighter pays them. But in team sports like football, the owner pays everybody and the owner and coach can discipline a player without fear of losing their jobs at a moment’s notice. The dynamics are different.

Who do you like in the match ups this weekend? Too many match ups to name but there are about 6 or 7 big fights this weekend with Canelo leading the way.

Bread’s response: Aw man you’re putting me to work. So you’re asking me to look up all of the fights and tell you who I think will win. Ok….

Let’s see I like Canelo big over Scull. Canelo doesn’t chase anyone anymore, so if Skull over moves he may get to the finish line but I don’t think he will win many rounds. 

I like Inoue by brutal KO within six rounds.

I like Devin Haney to beat Ramirez. I’m tempted to pick Devin by ko but the safe pick is Devin by decision.

I like Ryan Garcia to KO Rolly within three rounds. But Ryan has to be very careful. I wouldn’t be surprised if Garcia has to get off the canvas to get the ko. But I’m confident he stops Rolly.

Lopez vs Barboza is a very tough fight for me to call. Lopez is the more talented blue chippy type of talent but there is something about Barboza. He has very high IQ. He knows how to win. He has good balance. Good fundamentals. He’s clutch. He’s well-conditioned. He’s very tall for the weight. And he’s motivated. He’s very live in this fight. I was the only one I knew picking Lopez to beat Josh Taylor. And he put on one of the best performances in years to beat Taylor. So I know and respect his talent. But there is something about this fight that tells me Barboza will scrap and claw and make it close. At this moment, I’m going to say DRAW.

There are some strong PBC rumors that Mario Barrios will fight Manny Pacquaio and Sebastian Fundora will fight Tim Tszyu. I thought Fundora would have beaten Xander Zayas. Why would he vacate a title to fight Tszyu when he could’ve fought Zayas then Tszyu? I don’t get that but I’m looking from the outside. I do get why Barrios would fight Pacquaio. He gets to fight an old man and get a huge pay day. That’s common sense but I can’t help but think how fortunate Barrios is. He gets some huge breaks. Who do you like in these fights?

Bread’s response: I thought Fundora would have beaten Zayas also. I’m actually shocked that he vacated a title to not fight Zayas. But there is a method to moving a fighter. And something could be going on behind the scenes that we are not privy to. 

I also thought Tszyu would take his time more on his comeback. His fight with Joey Spencer didn’t offer much resistance. So now he’s jumping back in with Fundora. It’s a risky move. I thought Tszyu was winning vs Fundora and I thought if the cut didn’t happen, he would’ve won going away. But the cut did happen. Then Bakhram happened. Tszyu’s career is on the line if he loses to Fundora. I love the gamble. Tim Tszyu is a real fighter at core. But nevertheless if he loses then his ceiling will be limited as far as how he’s rated from here on out. I’m going to say Tszyu wins a close fight. I’m not strong on that opinion but that’s my pick. 

I think Mario Barrios should beat Manny Pacquiao at this moment. Pacquiao is 46 years old. He looked shot a few years ago against Ugas. So I don’t expect him to be un-shot, four years after losing to Ugas. I could be wrong but this is a dangerous fight for Pacquiao’s health in my opinion. I also want to add, that Barrios’s Achilles’ heel is speed. And if Pacquiao still has some speed, he can make this competitive. I’m curious about many things involving this fight, but let’s see if get announced first before we dig too deep.

Give me a list of best in boxing currently? Best feet, best defense, best jab, best rear hand, best hook, best uppercut, best body puncher, best IQ?

Bread’s response: 

Best feet – Bam Rodriguez. 

Best defense – Canelo Alvarez. 

Best rear hand – Inoue. 

Best hook – Ryan Garcia. 

Best jab – Boots. 

Best uppercut – Tank 

Best body puncher – Bud 

Best IQ – Bud.

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