_1663480924.jpg)
The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen ‘Breadman’ Edwards tackling topics such as Jermell Charlo vs. Tim Tszyu, the trilogy bout between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin, Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence, and more.
Look, GGG lost to a very good fighter and he was the smaller guy going up to challenge the weight class’ unified champ who younger as well. This has gotten me excited about the Ramirez Bivol fight, a Zurdo win sets up an all-Mexico throw down!!! A fight I think Zurdo wins I’ve always thought he’d be the one to upset canelo since he was the WBO smw, Zurdo best weight IMHO, personally I don’t see much of anyone beating a 168lb Ramirez, outside of SOG. He’s THAT good!! Imo of course. There’s many ppl on that Benavidez train, personally I don’t see it; David who brings volume and pressure which brings out canelos defense and counter punching. IMO David brings out a p4p performance of canelo which puts him Rt bk as the p4p#1. I’m going to play match maker here; if Zurdo wins vs Bivol I think canelo should opt for David who I think is slightly overrated due to canelo-hate. From a stylistic standpoint, I see canelo taking Davids’ reach outta the equation and taking it inside to David, I see canelo stopping him.
Personally, I, look at it, as how AND what would SOG/ward do?? I see a lot of Andre, in canelo, for this particular specific fight. I’m sure u see it too! It’s bn awhile since I’ve wrote in or even logged in but I’ve bn reading as always, I totally respect your insight and expertise and I’m very pleased with how my beloved sport is shaping up so far this year; Usyk defeating Joshua twice, the emergence of Bam Rodriguez, the progress of a potential welterweight unification that personally I don’t think happens because this is BOXING after all. I’d hate to jinx it, like they bn doing for years lol I’m no longer wound up over a hypothetical match up that most likely isn’t gonna happen but that’s fine because we also have an undisputed HEAVYWEIGHT champ on the horizon which is actually realistic.
I’m more excited about that match up , along with the super fight pitting Chocc vs Rodriguez!!! I have Chocc being too much right now and that’ll delay it from actually happening Rt away. Bam is a special, special fighter and I’m trying to imagine how choc’s legacy is enhanced by beating the upcoming champ. If bam were to beat Chocc, that’s a genuine “passing-of-the-torch “ and Roman is no slouch even if he is in the later years of his career. They both NEED the fight for their respective careers. A win by either has HUGE implications. I apologize for being negative, I’m very passionate about my boxing and I’m more excited about realistic fights actually getting made, my intrigue with welterweight ended with Pac. Thurman better get active vs these young guns if he wants a shot at divisional leaders, his name value is diminished by yrs of inactivity; I don’t get it, Thurman wasted his prime. He had those titles and he just sat on em. I think an Ennis fight would cause him a mental “crisis “ by no means am I clowning a very real epidemic, it’s a new way to duck
Bread’s Response: I’m going to respond in reverse order. I don’t know what happened with Keith Thurman but he was on his way to a HOF career. He was undefeated. He beat the leading 2 PBC welterweights besides Spence in Garcia and Porter. But he became INACTIVE during the middle of his prime. Then Lost to Pacquiao and is now sort of on the outside looking in. Not sure exactly what happened but a few years ago he was the GUY.
Bam Rodriguez is one of my favorite fighters right now. But either he had an off night or his opponent is FOR REAL. I saw Sean Gibbons in his opponent’s corner so I knew he would fight. Gibbons is one of the top eyes for talent in boxing. I still would favor Bam over Choc at this point but he would have the fight of his life on his hands. Choc is Choc.
Something else I noticed about Bam…. He was at 108lbs and he jumped up to 115lbs. It’s common in those weight divisions but Bam is not the most physically imposing fighter at 115lbs. He’s not small for the weight but he’s not a linebacker at 115lbs either. So he has to grind and hit his opponents with tons of power shots to get results. That’s something to think about when people mention him vs Inoue. There is a physicality difference at this point.
I would favor Andre Ward to defeat Canelo right now. Ward is the best fighter since Joe Calzaghe around the weight classes of 168-175. The only fighter who can challenge his supremacy is Beterbiev.
I think Gilberto Ramirez is an excellent fighter. But my eyes don’t see what you see in terms of him being better than David Benavidez. Benavidez is the truth and in my opinion he’s more talented and better than Ramirez. But I think Ramirez is live vs Bivol. Bivol is a jabber/prober and he had a huge height advantage over Canelo. Ramirez is a tall, busy southpaw which should neutralize Bivol’s lead hand somewhat. I can see Bivol coming back down to earth after his Canelo performance which can be misleading because Ramirez and Canelo fight nothing alike and they’re built nothing alike. At this point I think Ramirez is also a tough fight for Canelo. But I think Benavidez would be even tougher stylistically.
Benavidez is the only fighter at 168lbs that match Canelo’s hand speed for extended combinations. David throws 5, 6, 7 punch combinations. He has an off beat jab. And he elite stamina. At one point I thought Canelo knew too much for him. But from what I just witnessed, GGG has slipped to a point where Canelo could have stopped him if he was able to step on it but he couldn’t. Canelo has over 60 fights which is rare for this era. He’s had some weight issues in the past. He looks like he could be slipping also. Canelo looks to be where GGG was when he had a tough few rounds vs Kell Brook then everyone decided to fight him.
Canelo is in tough vs Benavidez, Ramirez, Beterbiev, Bivol, Andrade and Charlo. All of those fights are extremely tough on Canelo from what I have seen out of his last 2 performances. He’s come back down to earth after his amazing run. I would not be surprised if he fights Chris Eubank next, if Eubank beats Benn. Eubank is also a good fighter but stylistically he can fight but his boxing skills are not elite. And for the type of money that Canelo demands he needs a big name. So the UK market is one he’s tapped into before multiple times. This is a business…..Ward and Canelo have similarities in terms of their temperaments and ability to rise to the occasion. Not so much their styles in my opinion..
What up Bread,
Much love for the weekly boxing insight. I had to write in because people to need to hear grown folks talking about what is actually going on inside the ring. Canelo and GGG. I thought they each fought a good fight. Not as good as the second, but a good fight nonetheless. GGG’s jab is what’s always gotten him success. Knowing Canelo would gas, he kept it in first gear the first half of the fight and pushed the action in the second half. He did a little body work, but kept it mostly jabs and 1-2s throughout the night. In the later rounds, clinched to avoid counters, yada yada. Not a bad strategy. Canelo did great with jabbing and going high and low with that rear hook, countering, setting up his combos, working the body, using head movement, turning his head with GGG’s punches, etc. This my official scorecard. R1 not much happening but I gave it to GGG for being active with the jabR2 swing round – I said Canelo, my girl said GGG, I let it be R3 – R6 Canelo clearly R7 tough round to score, but GGG started letting his hands go while Canelo started taking his foot off the pedal. When you got stamina issues and win the first half of the fight, you can do that. R8 GGG edged it R9 – 12 GGG hands down. That’s roughly 6-8 rounds for GGG. That’s a victory for GGG, and if not, at the very least a draw. I’m not swayed by biased commentary and judging, unlike some of these fanboys who somehow graduated from boxing academy between the opening and final bells. I know you be trying to keep it diplomatic via boxing politics, but keep it real, my dude. What’s your breakdown of the fight, and how you score this one?
And how DAZN gon buy the rights to Canelo-GGG 2 from HBO, and have DAZN commentators call the fight and mess around with the production to favor the cash grab? Come on, man.
Be safe, my dude. Keep it a stack.
Strat from Queens
Bread’s Response: Some of what you said is true. I watched the replays of Canelo vs GGG to get revved up for their 3rd fight and the commentary was different from what I remember. But bro, I’m a GGG fan. I wanted him to win. I’ve openly said he’s been robbed of a better legacy. But he didn’t win that fight. If you gave GGG between 6-8 rounds, then unfortunately you aren’t informed on how to score a fight. You would have be generous to give GGG 4 rounds. Very generous but that’s the most I could give him without a pen and pad. GGG was just not assertive enough, it’s simple. His jab was good but it would have needed to be great in order to win that fight. He started pumping it late but it was too late.
Come on bro, this is what’s wrong with boxing. People come up with their own subjective preference but it’s too far from reality. GGG lost a clear decision. Neither fighter looked great but Canelo looked better and fought better. He landed the better shots, he commanded the ring and he kept GGG tepid as far as attacking. The first 2 fights were hard to score. This fight was NOT.
People are complaining very loudly about the scoring of third Canelo-GGG fight when the judges actually got it right. Canelo Alvarez controlled the first half of the fight. GGG came back late to tighten it up. The announcers seemed to talk over Golovkin’s rally, so maybe that was the issue. I thought 116-112 was the score but I’m not mad at 115-113 either. To be clear, I’m also not mad at someone who thinks 117-111. I just think it’s silly to complain a fight was scored closely when there were a lot of close rounds. I also didn’t like the narrative about GGG not being the same. He just moved up in weight for the first time ever to fight a top five p4p fighter who’s a former champion two weight classes above him. I think that performance at age 40 is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen in a boxing ring, considering his age. He wasn’t fighting some random guy for a vacant title. He was fighting Canelo Alvarez and he almost got a draw. GGG would probably be favored in any unification at 160, it would be a pick ‘em at the worst. He might become undisputed middleweight champion after his 40th birthday. Can we give this guy some love instead of complaining about scorecards and his birthday?
Thank you in advance because I know you will.
Bread’s Response: It’s not silly to complain about judging. The fight was not a 115-113 fight. One more round for GGG and it’s a draw. That’s too much and with the COST of these fights, accurate scoring should be the norm but it’s not. Just because the RIGHT man won, it doesn’t mean the scores were right.
I give GGG loads of love. I’ve been accused of giving him too much love. But that was not an impressive performance. His chin is impressive. But it always is. Overall he looked 40 and descending. He would not be the favorite over the other middleweight champions at this point. And if he was, then those odds would be off. I would not pick GGG to beat Janibek, Charlo or Andrade at this point. Just look at him. He’s not the same! I know Canelo has his number stylistically but he’s still ageing. Another hard camp. More punishment. Fighting guys about a decade younger is serious.
Super Critics like to take shots at Sugar Ray Robinson for winning the middleweight title 5 times. They claim he had to lose it 5 times. But what they don’t get is every single fighter he won the title from was a HOF. They were all younger than him and he was in his 30s for 4 of his 5 title winning fights. He also had over 120 career fights during those times. Middleweight is a tough division. And no middleweight EVER has successfully employed GGG’s style at 40. Ever! Take the emotions out of it. I feel bad for G too. But it is, what it is.
Hey Mr Edwards,
Hope this email finds you in fine nick. The dust has settled on Canelo-GGG III. As fights go, it was a yawn. I hear Jermall Charlo calls it the most expensive sparring session in history. I can’t say I blame him. However, here’s a fact. Canelo can no longer claim to be the best pound for pound fighter in the world. A pound for pound number 1 gets rid of a 40 year old opponent who has slowed down considerably much more impressively than what Canelo did. Imagine Terrence Crawford going up against a 40 year old Jose Napoles or Curtis Cokes? It’s no-contest. No 1 is clearly between TC and the Monster. I have this question. Who is the greatest bantamweight of all-time? For a long time conventional wisdom said Carlos Ortiz. I know bantamweight has had terrific fighters in Jeff Chandler Carlos Zarate, Reuben Olivares and more recently Naoya Inoue, among others. But is the man at the top of that tree really not Orlando Canizales? What is your opinion? Or is it a toss-up between him and the Monster? Who prevails in a fight between the two?
One last question. GGG has over his career thrown a left hook with an arched elbow so that the elbow is above the fist on impact and the punch more often than not lands on top of the head rather than the temple area which appears to be the target. Is this a GGG thing or an Eastern European thing? How prevalent has it been in Philly gyms? Is it even a conventional boxing punch or just an improvisation? How effective is it? In the first fight with Canelo, GGG hit him flush on top of the head with such a punch and Canelo merely shook his head as if to admonish him. Did you see that? How effective are punches to the top of the head, anyway? I’m sorry for the hundreds of questions. MMI think neither were ever champions but were more of intimidating middleweight contenders but how do you see Bennie Briscoe v Mustapha Hamsho?
Keep punching sir.
Katlholo. Johannesburg, South Africa.
Bread’s Response: Many were disappointed in Canelo vs GGG III. I take it for what it was. I can remember when Oscar fought Chavez twice…..In terms of style and natural athleticism GGG reminds me most of Hagler and Chavez. Strong punchers. Great chins. Heavy handed technicians. Not overly tall for their weights. Both Chavez and Hagler had many more fights. Both were done way before they were 40. It’s just how boxing works. Especially if you’re a CLEAN fighter.
Canelo vs GGG III reminded me of Oscar vs Chavez I and II without the stoppages of course. GGG just can’t pull the trigger. His reaction time is too slow. And it takes him too long to work himself into the fight. IT’s a very tough ask for a 40 yr old man vs a great champion like Canelo.
I also agree that Canelo is no longer at his physical peak. He’s who I was watching closely because I already knew GGG had slipped with his last few performances. Canelo’s mind is still sharp. But he’s not as sparky as he was just last year. Nagging injuries are creeping up on him. And I agree with you. Canelo does not have to lose again for me to know he’s the not #1 anymore. In my opinion Crawford, Inoue and Usyk are in the top 3. And Spence and Canelo round out the top 5. With Canelo descending.
Canelo is at the same place GGG was when he struggled for a few rounds with Kell Brook and had a close call with Danny Jacobs in 2017. It’s subtle but if you know what you’re looking at you just know. In fact when I hear about fights, I like comparisons to historical fights. Canelo vs David Benavidez reminds me of Alexis Arguello vs Aaron Pryor. With Canelo being Arguello and Pryor being Benavidez. The pace and ferocity will be an issue. That match up comes down to 2 things for me. Can Benavidez speed Canelo up or can Canelo slow Benavidez down. Stylistically that’s a super hard fight for Canelo from what I just saw.
It’s not that Canelo couldn’t stop GGG. GGG has all time whiskers. Canelo couldn’t push the pace late in a fight where the workrate wasn’t high. That was telling. Canelo was fatigued in a fight he was dominating which let GGG get in some work in the last quarter of the fight. Everyone ages.
Carlos Ortiz was a lightweight not a bantamweight. I think you’re speaking of Manuel Ortiz. Ortiz is a top 6 or 7ish bantam. But for my money I would say Eder Jofre is the best ever t 118. But Monster Inoue is making a great run at 118. The issue for this era is no one sticks around in their weight class long enough to get ATG status in one division. Hopefully Inoue does. He’s making a strong case for himself for Fighter of the Decade if he can keep it going for the next 4 or 5 years. He’s a terrific fighter. He’s one of the best fighters I have ever seen 118 on down along with Choc and Lopez. Inoue is every bit as good and consistent.
I like Briscoe to ko Hamsho in a war if their both are on their best nights.
I can’t help but think that Canelo was juicing during his “historic” run of 2019-21. Each fight was announced late with testing that started soon thereafter and he looked great. GGG test him longer than his usual recent testing and he wins but is gassed and can’t stop an old man who’s barely throwing punches. And no one in the media even brings it up. Canelo hasn’t aged the testing window has changed. Bread you have always said in a round about way that you didn’t believe the meat consumption excuse. But it seems that GGG in an indirect way has exposed Canelo again for being a cheater. How do you think Canelo does against Charlo, Benavidez and Beterbiev with the same testing that he had for GGG?
Bread’s Response: When this fight was made and I saw how early the testing started I said to myself that GGG’s chances increased slightly although I couldn’t pick him to win. I don’t want to get into this stuff too much because no one in boxing really cares unless they have a personal interest in the fighter or a financial interest in the fighter. I seem to be standing on an island alone.
But I will say this……Canelo better not fight Beterbiev from what I just saw. And if I’m Team Charlo or Team Benavidez I would ask for the same testing that GGG just got which I believe was considerably more than 8 weeks. But here is the issue. GGG is a bigger star than Charlo or Benavidez and has more negotiating leverage. He just made 20 million. None of those fighters can command 20 million from Canelo. You also have to realize something else. GGG is 40. So Canelo may view those other guys as bigger threats and not give in to their demands.
For the record I’m NOT accusing Canelo of anything. I’m just answering your question how you asked it which was a fair question because of what happened before their rematch.
Hey Bread,
The Canelo GGG bout was quite underwhelming compared to their 1st and 2nd bout. GGG too old now to pull the trigger. If I were him, I would fight Lara next. He is equally shot. If you were his advisor, what would your advise be? Assuming Spence vs Crawford happens this year and we have a clear winner what do you think they will do. Will they move up or continue at 147?
Regards, Saurabh
Bread’s Response: I didn’t think about a Lara fight for GGG. After seeing the fight, I thought he should retire. But fighters don’t like to retire from boxing. Most times boxing needs to retire them.
I like GGG vs Lara. For both guys. Good call. I think if Errol vs Terence is competitive, they will fight twice. If it’s a blow out the winner will most likely move up.
Usyk has expressed interest in fighting Wilder. Who wins that fight and do you think it happens next?
Bread’s Response: Wilder has to get past his fight on October 15th. He was just kod in his last fight. I think you guys take fights for granted. Fights at the world class level are all tough even when they are made to look easy. Helenius is riding high and Deontay just came off of a brutal fight. I think Deontay kos him but he still has to do it. So let’s see how he looks first then I can give a better assessment.
As for Usyk….Usyk is the GUN of this era. That dude doesn’t care who he fights. My goodness. He doesn’t need a matchmaker. All he needs is a pen to sign the contracts. If a Usyk fight doesn’t happen, I always know it was the other guy who didn’t want the work because he doesn’t care.
Now that Spence vs Crawford is basically done. Do you think we also get Tank Davis vs Ryan Garcia? By the way great call on GGG being too old. I heard your comments on the Showtime Podcast. Who’s your picks on both fights?
Bread’s Response: Um I don’t have a pick on Spence vs Crawford yet. I wish the fight were 15 rounds. Let me study both a little more. It’s that close to me.
I do think we get Tank vs Garcia. Obviously if Spence vs Crawford is in November, I think we get it in December. Probably the last big PPV of the year. I favor Tank in that one 60-40. I’m very high on Garcia. I think he’s supremely talented. I love his offensive arsenal. But my eyes just tell me that Tank is more durable. I know neither has never been stopped but it’s just something I see. In a shootout I lean Tank because of that. I could be wrong but that’s just what I see. And I don’t know if Garcia can overcome that defensively. It’s not that his defense is bad because it’s not. But his defense is in his counter punching ability and his unreal hand speed and range. It’s not in actual slipping, parrying, blocking, rolling, ducking etc. I’m not saying he can’t do those things but in real fights, he sort of discourages his opponents from punching with his superior arsenal. Tank also has a big arsenal so it may take more vs Tank. But make no mistake this is a fight Garcia CAN win. He’s not over his head. We just have to see if he can put it all together.
When it comes to peak vs longevity, which way do you lean? It seems from some past mailbags like you lean more towards higher peaks, but is that true? Is there something to be said about the candle that lasts half as long but burns twice as bright?
Bread’s Response: If you ask me to choose between higher peak or longer relevance I will choose higher peak. For example George Foreman lasted longer than Ali. But Ali’s peak was higher in my opinion. Archie Moore lasted longer than Sugar Ray Robinson but Robinson’s peak was higher. But the PEAK has to have value. It can’t be hollow. Another example Hector Camacho. I think he’s a great fighter. But I think he’s slightly overvalued. Some act as if he’s the best 130lber ever. His peak doesn’t have enough substance at 130 for those claims. As time went on Camacho proved to be great but not near where some have him.
Now a peak that I do think that is on the level is Salvador Sanchez. Sanchez’s peak is as good as any over a 2year stretch in the modern era. He won 10 title fights. 4 vs HOFs in Lopez, Gomez and Nelson. All by ko. Plus he turned back tough contender after contender. That was REAL. Now the thing about longevity is it shows it wasn’t LUCK or a just a hot run. Or a great night. It separates the level of greatness. Consistency goes hand in hand with greatness. You have to have a scale. So if the peak is super high the longevity doesn’t have to be as long As say a guy like Daniel Zarragoza who was an excellent fighter but his peak wasn’t as long as say Sanchez’s. So Zarragoza has to have a very long career because he wasn’t really the best, he was just among the very best. So if you’re peak is lower you need more longevity to attain greatness.
So longevity is more important if you don’t have that Ray Leonard, Salvador Sanchez peak. If you have both the peak and the longevity then you have Sugar Ray Robinson. Get what I’m saying.
After peak victories are also important. You shouldn’t have to be at your best every single fight in order to get BIG wins. Duran winning the middleweight title in 1989, 10 years after his peak is HUGE. So…How a fighter responds after a peak is a big deal. As much as loved Donald Curry, he didn’t respond after his peak to reach the next level of greatness.
Jermell Charlo vs Tim Tszyu has been under the radar. No one is talking about the fight. I want your thoughts on it. Does Tszyu have a chance?
Bread’s Response: The fight is under the radar because it’s not until January of 2023. It’s only September of 2022 right now. But that’s a big fight. I like Jermell by ko at this point. Sure Tszyu has a chance. He’s a fighter. He’s world class. He’s going to train hard and try his best. But from what I saw he’s a little green for Jermell. He gets hit too clean to fight a puncher like Jermell. Tszyu has time to improve but they’re going to have to have a great CAMP in order for him to win. A great camp!
Tszyu’s best chance is timing in my opinion. Jermell is coming off of a career best win and winning all 4 belts. Sometimes fighters have “let down” fights after career best performances. The fight is also at the end of January. So that means Jermell will have to train through the holidays. That matters when you’re rich. I think about all of these things when I look at a fight. But other than that I just think Jermell is too clean of a puncher. Maybe Tszyu can carry him too fast and outwork him. But I don’t know if his chin will hold up. I don’t know if the knockdown he suffered vs Gausha was because he was rushing, cold or does he have chin issues. I haven’t seen enough of him to say anything about his chin. But I have seen enough to see the openings that Gausha had.
Gausha is a reactive fighter. He’s solid but he’s reactive. He allows opponents to dictate to him then he responds. Jermell is an ALPHA. He’s a killer. He walks in a room or a boxing ring and commands it. Where as Gausha does not. This is no criticism of Gausha, I like him. But there is a difference in the way Jermell and Gausha fight and their personalities. Those things matter, whether you guys know it or not. So watching Tszyu vs Gausha I saw several spots where Gausha could’ve opened up and did damage and he shelled up and waited on Tszyu. I don’t think Jermell will do that. I think the fight will be exciting. It’s going to be violent. But right now, again I like Jermell.
Greetings Breadman!
Hope you’re doing well. It’s not official yet, but I’m thrilled to be wrong about Spence-Crawford. I wrote in a couple of years ago giving up on the fight. Before Canelo-GGG III, I decided to watch II and keep score. I had it 115-113 Canelo. Fight night, I didn’t score it, but thought it looked like a draw, so I didn’t have a bias either way. The first fight, I thought GGG won, like everybody else. Watching II, what I kept thinking of is how loud Canelo’s punches sounded vs GGG’s. With his ability to throw eye-catching shots, I was able to count his clean punches much easier than GGG’s. The judges don’t have the commentary and they only have one angle. I think that the sound and sonic quality to the punches could have a bigger impact on the scoring than we think. What do you think? Is this something you notice in the corner, or am I out to lunch? Last thing – the same bad take after Teofimo-Loma is being said about this. GGG “gave” Canelo the first 6-7 round. Or “he didn’t start the fight early enough.” That’s because Canelo had way too much for him in the early round. And at this point, GGG only has 3-5 good rounds it seems. Sports fans never give the opposition credit, it’s always someone does something wrong.
Thanks, Nick
Bread’s Response: You’re not out to lunch. You’re onto something that I have always said. A fight is like a courtroom presentation. In court it’s not always guilt or innocence. It’s the presentation that’s put on. Same thing with a fight. I said before the fight it Canelo and GGG land the same exact amount of punches, Canelo will get more credit for them because his punches are more dynamic. Some fighters just have that. Canelo has an electricity to his hard slashing punches. Even though I think the judges in the 3rd fight were a little kind to GGG, it’s always a hard fight for GGG. In a round about way Canelo vs GGG remind me of Taylor vs Chavez. People can say all they want how beat up Taylor was. But Chavez will always have a hard time winning rounds vs Taylor. Taylor won 10 of 11 rounds going into the 12th. Because he’s just dynamic in terms of the way the punches look. Now the issue for GGG is that Canelo is more durable than Taylor, so……
What’s good Breadman It’s been awhile since I last wrote to the mailbag but I follow your mailbag religiously. Hands down the best—respect! My question relates to fighter flaws and weaknesses and to a specific fighter—the great Floyd Mayweather. You often mention every fighter has flaws and weaknesses. Now that Floyd is retired, in your opinion, what were Floyd’s flaws and weaknesses? At what stage in Floyd’s career did you identify his flaws and weaknesses? Did you identity a pattern and if so, did Floyd ever correct or improve the flaws and weaknesses? What fighter was the most successful at exploiting the flaws and weaknesses you identified? Keep dropping the knowledge!
-Micah
Bread’s Response: If I said every fighter has flaws, let me state what I meant properly. No fighter is unbeatable. Every fighter has tendencies that can be taken advantage of. Floyd Mayweather really didn’t have flaws. He had tendencies, he had things he didn’t like at times but Floyd is as good as an all around fighter as you will see. He could go inside, mid range and outside. As he got older he didn’t throw as many punches but he still didn’t get outworked. His defense was all around. He could use his legs to avoid shots completely. He could block and parry. He could slip. And most importantly he was physically tough and he could take a punch when he had too. And if you hurt him, he had a mean streak.
Offensively he wasn’t a huge heavy handed puncher but he punched hard enough. He was sharp, precise and consistent. He had a world class jab. He had a scoring lead hook and counter hook. His right hand is his hardest punch and it disciplined fighters. It wasn’t a Hearns right hand but again it was hard enough. Not being a huge puncher is not a flaw by the way.
Floyd was physically strong and he had great physical and mental stamina. He could concentrate all night long which got him through tough spots. There are a couple of tendencies he had and things he didn’t like. But again they weren’t flaws. Physical strength and determination seemed to give him issues. Jose Luis Castillo and Marcos Maidana had both. Floyd is much physically stronger than people realize but he couldn’t out physical neither of them. Often times your physical strength lies in your stamina. Staying strong, long.
Castillo and Maidana had high volumes, physical strength and they didn’t try to outthink Floyd. They fought instinctively. Floyd’s mind is so quick if you stop to think it’s already too late because he’s a gifted PROCESSOR. Maidana tried to think in the rematch. And it showed. Castillo actually gave Floyd hell in both fights. Floyd’s clutch gene pulled away in the rematch. But nevertheless Castillo was determined, he was instinctive, he had the volume and he was willing to hit anything. He didn’t try to be a perfectionist and hit Floyd right on the chin. He was an animal just trying to bite a chunk of meat anywhere he could. Maidana the same way in the 1st fight.
I also observed that if a fighter is super sharp with an elite jab, Floyd will give up a few of rounds in light of the sharpness. Especially if you can hit him at range. If Judah and Oscar had Floyd’s mental stamina and ability to concentrate down the stretch both had chances to win. Oscar’s jab and size threw Floyd off somewhat. But Oscar wasn’t consistent and then he became frustrated and started flailing. Instead of pumping that hard jab and feinting…. Oscar flailed.. The difference between Floyd and Oscar is mental.
Against Judah, Floyd was hit early, clean and sharp. Those first 4 rounds were real. Judah is ELITE offensively. But Floyd is just a meaner human than Judah and against resistance he behaves more appropriately. He can also concentrate longer. Where as Judah loses form during the middle of fights. …During the interview after the fight, Floyd literally called Judah a front runner. It was almost as if he knew he could come on down the stretch after Judah’s sharpness left a little. He was composed under FIRE.
So these things aren’t really weaknesses because Floyd’s character pulled him through. But if you ask me for an observation. That’s what I saw. Sharp boxers with elite jabs who can score from long range can trouble him. And instinctive pressure fighters, who are physically strong, that don’t try to hit him clean, but just hit him can also trouble him with their volume. The funny thing is, is that those styles trouble 99% of fighters. It’s boxing. So again they aren’t really flaws.
Send questions to [email protected]