Stephen 'Breadman' Edwards reveals plenty in this week's mailbag: Exactly what Amanda Serrano failed to do against Katie Taylor; a breakdown of a mythical Terence Crawford-Floyd Mayweather matchup; Jermain Taylor's strengths; and weaknesses and predictions on the weekend's biggest fights
What are your thoughts on this weekend’s battle between David Benavidez and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez? The betting odds indicate “The Monster” is expected to win convincingly. I expect the fight to be closer than expected. What do think?
Bread’s response: I think the fight may be competitive as far as Ramirez’s effort. But I believe Benavidez will win nine or more rounds. I believe that David gets off too fast for Zurdo at the point of attack. Zurdo would need either a Larry Holmes-level jab to make up for the speed disadvantage or Tim Bradley-level stubbornness where his effort sort of evens up the speed disparity. I respect Ramirez but I haven’t seen him show Holmes’ jab or Bradley’s stubbornness.
Look for the variation in David’s right hand. Expect him to loop it, straighten it out, shoot it underneath and probe with it to set up his left hook. I don’t know if David can stop Zurdo but I do believe he can beat him up. So let’s say Benavidez by decision on a safe bet. And maybe a late stoppage if you’re feeling lucky.
Hey Breadman, Hope you're good. I remember you saying that there's something Amanda Serrano needed to adjust to beat Katie Taylor, and that if she made the adjustment, you think she could've won. I know the game is to be sold, not to be told, and while both of them are still active you probably wouldn't say it. But would you consider saying it once they both retire? Just always been curious since you said it.
Also, what are your thoughts on The Transnational Boxing Ranking Board (TBRB)? I've always preferred it to The Ring for some reason, but especially now that The Ring is more biased. Lastly, this might sound a bit weird, but do you ever think about the sound system used at boxing events? Whenever I've been to one live, all the music sounds terrible because I guess it's calibrated for the announcer's voice as opposed to music, but I think it would make such a difference in the atmosphere and especially the walkouts. Having special walkouts is a good way for a fighter to build a brand (Josh Warrington, GGG, etc.), and I think that gets lost a bit when it sounds so bad (although those fighters did it with the same sound systems). Seeing a fight live is also mainly about the atmosphere considering you get a worse view than you do watching from home, and I just think it takes away from that a bit. Thanks for doing this every week, Dean
Bread’s response: Live fights have sound systems and engineers on board. You have to remember that fight venues are the same venues where music concerts are held. I just think the fight venues are so chaotic that you don’t get the same feeling.
I respect the Transnational Rankings as much as I do the Rings. The Transnational Rankings are just not as popular.
As for Taylor and Serrano they’ve already fought three times so it’s fair to say they won’t fight again. Respectfully I never talked about Serrano’s flaw because of the chance they could continue to fight… but I don’t believe they will fight again since Taylor is up 3-0. Ok, here goes…
Serrano stalks Taylor at the same exact rhythm and her legs are NOT bent. Serrano is looking for a BIG left hand to the head. Taylor defends that punch by slipping to her OWN right and coming back with a right hand, left jab, right hand combination. Taylor rinsed and repeated it over and over. Serrano OVER shot her left hand continuously. Taylor made her miss the same way just about every time.
If Serrano would have bent her knees slightly and shot the left hand to where Taylor was going to BE, instead of where Taylor WAS, Serrano would have had more success. Just think about Jermell Charlo vs Erickson Lubin and reverse it. Charlo shot the right hand, where Lubin was going to be instead of where he was. Just reverse the concept because of the stances. Charlo is orthodox. Serrano is southpaw. Lubin is a southpaw. Taylor is orthodox.
Serrano also rarely threw her left hand to the body and the body isn’t as slippery as the head. By attacking Taylor's body it would've confused Taylor because she would've been forced to choose how to defend the attack. But Serrano head hunted. Had Serrano made those two slight adjustments I believe she could’ve not just won but scored a stoppage because her punches had a big impact on Katie and she never really hit Katie with the Sunday punch. But Katie processes faster than Amanda because of the difference in amateur pedigree. So Amanda would have to time her to offset that. And Amanda was always a step behind when it came down to landing that kill shot she was looking for in three fights… Respect to both because they uplifted women’s boxing.
Hi Bread, Thanks for responding to my email about glove color. You doubled down on the color examples and your observation is 100 per cent accurate. Red gloves would absolutely work for scoring as they look sharp, fast, and a judge can see them land. I guess it’s a Catch-22 here - if judges can easily see them, then the opponent can. Can you wear matt gloves over gloss? If so these would absorb light and would be stealth - they would just be harder for the judges to pick up on them. The shoe color is also important, and you’re right - great pickup, white shoes do look faster than black. That would be because white fabric looks lighter - look at curtains. Theaters have dark curtains and they look heavy. White gloves don’t look heavy, they just look large like pillows. Other colors for shoes would be neon colors - like yellow or lime. Sprinters generally have these colours. Also, why don’t boxing shoes have thicker soles to give you some extra height? Just strap your ankles like a basketball player would. GK
Bread’s response: Boxing shoes don’t have thicker soles because of the canvas. Thick soles are not ideal for canvas material. Basketball shoes have thicker soles because they play on a hard wood floor and impact is an issue. But on a thinner and softer canvas a thicker sole is not ideal. Boxers aren’t really jumping up and down. Boxing footwork is more stepping, sliding and shuffling. So thinner soles are more ideal for boxers.
Hello, Bread, In anticipation of the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history this week I had a question on Nakatani’s legacy. Inoue is already generally recognised the best fighter in Japanese boxing history - based on what he achieved so far, surpassing even Fighting Harada. But where would you place Nakatani in all-time best Japanese fighters’ rankings? Can we put him third, behind only Inoue and Harada, or is he much lower? Your thoughts? Thanks
Bread’s response: Let’s wait until the outcome to rank Nakatani. I think that’s fair to him and everyone else on the list. For the record I like Inoue by decision.
Good day Bread, Can you clarify what fighters mean when they say their training is finished the Friday before the fight (like a week out from the weigh in)? What happens that next week? Do they just stop sparring/training and just focus on weight loss? Can you explain what Jermain Taylor’s shortcomings were? I came into boxing during the tail end of his career/prime. He lost some fights, like Pavlik and Froch, that I thought he should've won. Outside of SRL-Hearns, RJJ-Toney and Floyd-Zab can you name some athletic boxer matchups where one guy out-dawged or out-finessed the other fighter. Lastly, two underrated fights I'm dying to see is Shakur-Muratalla at 135 or 140 and Shakur vs Russell. I think they're the current best style matchups for him. Although I wouldn't mind O'Shaquie Foster - he's been very vocal. Anyways, be safe. OG.
Bread’s response: Training is not 100 per cent over the week before the fight. But most of the hard work and sparring is done. So, in a fighter’s mind they see the finish line after a hard camp. But to answer you specifically, fighters don’t stop training the week before the fight. The training load and intensity just tapers off somewhat so the fighter is not depleted on fight night.
Jermain Taylor was a tremendous fighter. I was a big fan of his. And while rooting for him, to see him get stopped late on three separate occasions was gut wrenching. I think Jermain had two major issues. One was he was a very hyper dude. He talked fast. He moved fast. Everything he did was fast. And after the adrenaline wears off in a fight his hyper nature cost him because it fatigued him late in fights. And when he became fatigued, he was vulnerable.
His second issue was his IQ. Jermaine was not a dumb fighter but he could be set up with big shots. Especially right hands. And he never really adjusted to it. It just kept happening over and over. Each time he was stopped, the trouble started with a right hand. But make no mistake, despite his flaws, Jermain Taylor could fight! You don’t get two wins over Bernard Hopkins and a draw vs. Winky Wright and not be a real fighter.
Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Wilfred Benitez and Pernell Whitaker vs. Buddy McGirt, fits your bill.
Shakur has the world at his feet. He can actually get big fights in three different divisions and he would be the favorite over just about anyone he fights. I think Gary Antuanne Russell is a great match up for Shakur. Athletic, physical, attackers are historically tough for everyone. Tim Bradley and Shawn Porter were the best ones of the last era. They fought everyone tough. Marvin Hagler and Emile Griffin are the best of these types of the last 60 years. And although Shakur would be the favorite, Russell would be a tough night’s work for him.
Raymond Muratalla really impressed me vs Andy Cruz. I thought Cruz would be too slick for him. But Muratalla fought a very good fight. He pressed Cruz but he didn’t over commit. At times he pressed Cruz with his presence, not so much his punches. And by pressing him with his presence, he made Cruz punch first and he countered Cruz. That was a brilliant game plan. I wouldn’t pick Muratalla to beat Shakur. But I’m curious to see how the fight plays out.
Hey Bread, Hope all is well. I’ve read your mailbag since Boxingtalk. I respect your opinion on all-time match ups and I think it’s time to hear your opinion on how a Crawford vs Mayweather fight at 147 would go and who would win?
Bread’s response: I’m not going to pick a winner because I don’t know who the winner would be. But I will break the fight down. Floyd is extremely long to be 5’8. He has the length advantage that many don’t realize he always had. But Bud actually has more length than Floyd although they stand the same height. Bud is also more physical. Floyd appears faster. But Crawford has a unique gift where he literally becomes as fast as he has to be in the ring. Crawford has adjustable speed. Crawford also does not give fighters many counter punching opportunities which is something Floyd looks for. Floyd usually gets to a point in the fight, where he sits back and picks his opponents with single shot judge friendly pot shots. I don’t believe he could afford to do that with Crawford.
I think Floyd would have to expose himself more in order to beat Crawford which plays into Crawford’s hands.
Both fighters are deep water sharks. Both have A+ conditioning. But Crawford is more violent and is looking more to inflict harm. Whereas Floyd just wants to win and that works for him because he makes less mistakes than his opponents. This is a very tough fight for both fighters and it would most likely come down to who’s having their night, on that night.
Out of the celebrities (rappers and athletes) who do you think would make the best professional boxers? Also, who would you favor in a boxing match between 50cent and Papoose? Would you train one or the other?
Bread’s response: Sure, I would train 50cent or Papoose if they asked me. This is a business and that fight would do big business. I don’t know who would win between 50 and Papoose but I think both can handle themselves in a boxing ring. 50 has the build and he seems to have the hand eye coordination of a fighter. He’s very confident in himself in terms of physical altercations. Watch how he moves around other rappers. Papoose is also very confident in himself but in a different way. He’s more laid back but I can tell you can’t play with him. He also has good hand eye coordination. I saw him hit the pads with Claressa Shields. But I can’t pick a winner when I haven’t seen either at least spar. Out of the current rappers, 50 cent and Papoose would be at the top of my list. I also believe the Game can scrap. He seems big and athletic and confident. But these last two may surprise you. Chris Brown is crazy athletic. Watch him move. Watch him play basketball. Basketball and boxing have a correlation. Brown also has a temper which can be good for a fighter. I believe he could be a solid fighter. Gillie is also someone I can tell has athleticism. Good athletes can emulate great athletes. I’m assuming Gillie is close to 50 years old. And if you know basketball, you know he can play. He can really play. I’ve watched him mess around in a boxing gym and he has balance, coordination and he knows how to apply his athleticism. If he started fighting as a young teenager, he could’ve been a solid fighter. Damian Lillard is nice with it. He can fight fight. I saw him hit the pads and I was very impressed. Dame was switching seamlessly from southpaw to orthodox on the pads. Leveon Bell could’ve been a cruiserweight world champion if he started boxing early. That dude is gifted. I can tell because he doesn’t close his eyes when someone is punching towards him. He saw everything Adrian Peterson was doing, whereas Peterson was closing his eyes when Bell was punching him. It’s no knock on Peterson because that’s something he can’t control. But the natural fighters can manage that better. Bell is a natural fighter.
Last but not least, Allen Iverson. Iverson is 6ft with arms that look about 80 inches. He walked around at 165lbs. So imagine him being a fighter. He would probably be a welterweight; Iverson is small for a basketball player but boxing has weight divisions. He would be big for a welterweight. Iverson is physically tough. He’s fearless. And basketball athleticism is superior to boxing athleticism in terms of measurables. Imagine a 6ft boxer, who could run a 4.4-second 40 yard dash and could dunk a basketball with two hands with a 40 inch vertical. I can tell you now, there aren’t many.
