Hope all is well with you and yours.
So, next up for Kell Brook it seems is Devon Alexander with Las Vegas as the likely host for the fight.
I’m a Kell fan and realise Devon is a big step up in class for Kell and with that the very real possibility that all the hype surrounding him can come crashing down.
I am however reasonably confident that Kell has whatever it takes to take the title back to Sheffield, England (assuming he doesn’t get the Pacman / Marquez judges).
How do you see the fight going if / when it is formally announced.
O and finally…there’s only one Ricky Hatton, One Ricky Hatton!!
Cheers
Shane Bread?s Response: I haven?t given this fight a full breakdown yet but here are the questions. I think Brook is the more gifted puncher and I like watching him more. But does he have the mental stamina to beat Devon? Can he concentrate round after round when Devon just basically feints and jabs and controls. Devon has mastered a low contact but effective fighting style. If he Brook can overcome this he can win. If he gets impatient he loses. I have to really research and assess this fight.
What’s good Bread?! I wanted to get your opinion on a debate a buddy and I had recently. Who do u think is more proven at this stage of their careers out of Adrien Broner and Canelo Alvarez? My take is I think Canelo is a good fight but he has only beat 1 style of fighter so he is less proven. He has yet to fight a real threat such as Lara, or Trout. Now Broner is now a 2 division champ and just KO’d the top guy in the division… I respect your knowledge and would love to get your thought on our debate.
JB OKC Bread?s Response: I think with Broner?s last victory he edges Canelo slightly but you guys should stop comparing. It?s way too early and it?s not fair. Canelo won?t be the multi division champ that Broner is. Canelo is a 5?8 superwelterweight. The highest he will be effective at is 160. He?s going to have to line up the best fighters in his division. I expect him to fight Cotto next year and if he beats him then he will be the more accomplished so??..Let?s wait for a while they are just 22 and 23 years old.
What’s good Bread? Aside from waiting for your official fight prediction, whats the deal with Trout?? Im always looking for a slick bet and although I respect Cotto and his place in the sport, he has gotten his brains beat in by Margarito, Pacman, and Floyd. I can see he’s somewhat settled into his own as a true veteran and a “smart opponent” for the P4P greats, but a young, hungry, athletic undefeated prospect who is faster, and possibly stronger should spell disaster for Miquel.
Man o man, Mitchell knows how to do the Wobble Wobble! I never trusted fighters with my $ who are prone to getting weak in the knees when caught flush. This is the same reason I’ve banked $$ by betting against Khan in both the Peterson (subject to debate) and Garcia. What’s your thoughts on fighters with the “weak knees”? Is it something that just never goes away and is the result of a weak chin? Will Khan always be suspect at the high level no matter who’s in his corner? And I make this statement because seeing other guys get knocked down, like JMM, the late Chico, etc..its different. They get dropped, but they hop right back up, alert and ready to battle..DJ from NYC. Bread?s Response: I am picking Cotto to beat Austin Trout. I will break it down next week. But I don?t get into the sexy picks like everybody else. Cotto has an historically underrated jab and I think he will control Trout?s lead hand. More breakdown later.
Fighters short circuit in different ways. But usually when a guy gets hurt it looks the same way each time if you feel what I?m saying. For example when Khan gets hurt he reminds me of a new born horse that is trying to walk everytime. The blood obviously does not flow to his legs when he is hurt. Some other guys don?t have that problem.
You call it weak knees I just think some guys lose control of their lower extremities more than others. I really believe it is a genetic disposition. As for whether they will be suspect at the higher levels, suspect is a good word. But just because a guy suffers a bad ko that doesn?t mean it will always happen. There are many things they can do to prevent it. Technically speaking that is. In Mitchell?s case he can learn to box more and not just wade in and wing punches with no built in defense. Anybody experienced fighter who punches with Mitchell would knock him out at this point and it doesn?t have to be a K bros. Adamek, Chambers and Banks (again) would all KO the Mitchell that was in the ring Saturday night.
You can SEE everything Mitchell is about to do. He doesn?t throw sharp punches he throws wild winging shots with his WHOLE head exposed. Forget about the knockout loss, that can happen. Mitchell needs to learn to box better or he will be the Michael Grant of this era. For the record Grant was better than Mitchell is at this point. However I wish Seth the best, I liked what he said after the fight. He seems like a guy of high character.
Bread, Hope all is well with you and the fam sir. I?m intrigued by this Fury vs Johnson fight. I always liked Johnson and think he?s a solid boxer who fought to survive vs Vitali but I?d pick him over a lot of the current heavies. I?m surprised Fury?s team took this fight and it seems Johnson is sitting down on his punches more than earlier in his career. I actually favor Johnson in this fight. What?s your thought on this? Cutting weight. I?ve only had 4 amateur fights and I was a super heavy so cutting weight was never an issue. I remember when I did box our trainers would have guys spit a lot which I get , removing liquids. What I never understood is if you?re for example fighting at 147. Wouldn?t you just drop weight naturally through diet and working out to make weight? I see boxers get close to the weight and then cut it but I never understood what is done to cut weight. And when they rehydrate and gain 5-15 lbs depending on the boxer that just doesn?t seem healthy. How do you cut weight and why instead of just losing the weight and hitting your weight come weigh in? any breakdown of this would be appreciated. Insanity- When I did box it was a lot of HIIT(high intensity intervals) Insanity is basically this. Do you know about it? If so would you or have you implemented any of this in a boxer you work with? I?m not a professional and have a limited amateur career but it seems mixing those type of workouts in wouldn?t hurt. Thoughts? Thank you Jerome Hundley Bread?s Response: I think you are making a bigger deal out of cutting weigh than it is. Most fighters do get within 3 or 4lbs of the weight a couple of days before the fight. But the thing is you don?t want to do strenuous activity close to a fight. For example if you fight Saturday, your last sparring is usually 5 or more days before the fight. Your last run is usually that Wednesday or Thursday. So let?s say you fight at 147lbs. And Thursday you are 150. The weigh in is Friday. A fighter may spit out a pound. He may go to the steam room and take off a pound or two. He will definitely sleep off a pound that night. His food and fluid intake won?t be much leading up to the weigh in.
Personally I like for my guys to eat good. But that Thursday morning is usually the last big meal which is breakfast. Everything after that is small or healthy snacks. As long as you are within a couple of pounds of the weight it?s really no big deal. Now when you have a guy that has to lose 5 or more pounds the day of the weigh in that?s when you can have a drained fighter.
The important thing is in my opinion, is to go hard, peak out and rest well before the fight. I wouldn?t want my guy to be 150lbs Thursday and run 6 miles that Friday morning to lose the weight and then have to fight Saturday night. So a few cutting weight tricks get implemented to shed off the pounds without wearing yourself out.
A fighter doesn?t usually operate at their weigh in weights. Therefore a 147lbs fighter usually trains at maximum level about 8 to 10lbs heavier. Therefore if he intakes the proper foods and liquids gaining 10lbs is a good thing. I won?t get into exactly what they should intake because the game is to be sold not to be told. I have a great system that has worked perfectly these days. Now the problem I feel is when a guy gains 20 or pounds. To me that fighter is fighting at an unnatural weight. Gaining 20lbs in one day is too much in my opinion. So gaining weight is good, too much weight is bad.
Interval training is great. I do it all the time. Going hard at different levels and then slowing down as a rest period and going back up works wonders for a fighter. His heartrate simulates the fight. The clinches, the rest periods, the all out assaults. Interval training is excellent.
Bread what’s going on my man? I must admit that in retrospect I thought Demarco would be a much tougher test for Broner. Call me crazy but after the Ponce Deleon fight I wasn’t too high on Broner because of the way he struggled; going into the Litzau fight I though Litzau actually had a chance to win, boy was I wrong. After that fight I was a believer. I know you’re not quick to rate a up and coming fighters legacy right away but I have to wonder were you feel Adrian Broner legacy will place him among the all time greats if he fought and won the following fights in order; 135 unified against Ricky Burns, defended against Yuriorkis Gamboa, moved up to 140 out fought Brandon Rios, Kell Brook, Danny Garcia, edged Lucas Mattysse, destroyed Marcos Maidana, moved up to 147 and outclassed Timothy Bradley, overcame adversity to beat Devon Alexander (Alexander has one of the toughest styles to beat in boxing), beat Keith Thurman (as a nice tune up at a catch weight of 150) moved up 154 beat Austin Trout and beat Canelo as one of the biggest fights in boxing history. Where would you rank him after those tasks? I know a lot of ppl say that this generation is not better than the past generations but beating those guys with us knowing who they are and what they are capable of then we would have no choice but to rank Broner in the top 10 of all time greats in my opinion. The kid likes to mix it up, not scared and wants to fight the best in whatever division he’s fighting in. Note I left out Hank Lundy due to the fact that his stock has dropped since his last loss, his first loss was understandable but not the second one, I also left out Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, and Miguel Cotto because I think they will be retired by the time Broner makes it to 147-154 and I don’t think Broner nor Mayweather wants to fight each other ever. The reason I write to you is because everyone around my circle doesn’t know about the sweet science as much as you do, and they are only casual fans who only like to watch big fights and probably wont know who Broner is until 2-3 years from now when he’s on Commercials, they would say some dumb stuff like ” I bet Adrian Broner can’t beat Mike Tyson” lol seriously.
Derrick, Twincities Bread?s Response: Derrick you went too far bro. Let?s just say Broner improved a great deal since the Ponce De Leon fight. He obviously has a high upside. He?s a tremendous talent and I enjoy watching his progression. He is one of the best fighters in the world 23 and under.
But no way am I going to go into all of the hypothetical match ups you stated. There is way too much that can happen between now and then. Have you ever heard of Donald Curry. At 24 Curry was the unified welterweight champion. He destroyed an undefeated fighter in 2 rounds on HBO. And he was no worse than the 3rd best fighter in the world. Tell me how Curry is rated today. Please slow down bro.
what’s up Bread,
I saw the Broner vs Demarco fight and thought Broner won the first two rounds, DeMarco the third… and then a Broner whitewash from that point on
all three judges scored the first rd for DeMarco? I’m wondering how it’s possible when the champ barely landed, and the left side of his face had welts from crisp left hooks all round and an occasional straight right. I didn’t see DeMarco land anything of significance. Which fighter did you score the first for? I would seriously like to know what those judges saw in that 1st rd.
I think when we have obvious instances of bizarre scoring (not so much in this fight save for a round), those judges should be forced to sit before the press and answer with a rationale of how they scored each round. I noticed the fighters and promoters are always the ones at the press conferences answering questions about bizarre scoring and robberies etc, while the principals have usually exited stage left after a fight. Bread?s Response: I definitely think judges should have to answer for their bad scoring. I thought Broner won every round but there could have been a comparative round or two. Honestly I wasn?t scoring the fight, I was enjoying it.
You bring up a good point about the first round. That round is usually the hardest round to score for judges. Because there is so much posing, feinting, and filling out the judges are trying to find out who is more effective at what they are trying to do. For example the first round of the De La Hoya/Trinidad fight was scored for Trinidad by a judge. De La Hoya was not yet boxing his draws off yet and that round could have cost him the fight. First round scoring is very pertinent in boxing and it?s usually the swinging round of the fight.
Bread: Trust all is well with you and it’s good to read about Julian Williams’ win. I enjoyed Broner’s performance last night. It was Mayweatherish in some respects. However, he does display more willingness to stand in there and bang. It would be nice to see him stay at lightweight for a year or two in order to unify the titles but the big fight would be him against Yuriorkas Gamboa. I know it’s early but how would you see that fight playing out? If you’re unwilling to say at this point then just discuss some of the elements of the fight if it were to take place. Simba ? DC Bread?s Response: Thanks bro. Broner looked awesome to me. He poise was unreal. He SEES everything that is going on. After each round he walks back to the corner with his mouth closed totally under control. I want to see more of Adrien Broner. I don?t think there are enough big name fighters at 135 for Broner to stay there too long. Lightweight is not where it?s at. I would love to see the Gamboa fight also but Gamboa hasn?t even won a title at 130 yet. We shall see. If they fight I say Broner by ko. Some fights are hard for me to assess between two great talents but this one is not.
Broner is not that tall but he has excellent length. His arms and legs cover great distance and it would be too much for Gamboa. Gamboa is dense in muscle mass but he?s just a small man. In order for him to be able to beat Broner he would have to be an all time level pure boxer like say a Willie Pep vs Sandy Saddler. Or a ferocious fighter like say a Ray Leonard vs Tommy Hearns. I believe he is ferocious but I don?t believe he has the chin to get to Broner. Broner is one of the best punchers to come along in a while. He can really crack.
Sup breadman! Huge fan of your mailbag! I personally think that yours is the best one out there and the only one that comes close is maybe Doug’s mailbag at ringtv.com. I got several questions for you…. 1. Who do you see currently that can give problems for “The Problem”? 2. Was it just me or was Demarco one-dimensional? 3. Do you see Marquez/Pacquiao going the distance? (I got a strong feeling that it won’t make it…) 4. Who do you feel would be the biggest legacy improvement for Mayweather next assuming that he fights again( for some reason I think that he is “done” due to the fact of the “threats” that are out there lol)? Canelo? Pacquiao? Martinez? 5. Who do you feel can trouble Andre Ward? Keep up the great work! Mike b.-Jacksonville fl Bread?s Response: Thanks. I think Richard Abril would be problematic for Broner. His height and ability to fight off the move would be troublesome. Danny Garcia at 140 would also be a rough fight. You are not going to stand in the pocket against Danny and not get hit. I would be curious to see how Broner would fight him. And Bradon Rios. Will power goes a long way. Rios is something different on the inside.
DeMarco just fought hard and not smart. The harder he fought, the more Broner used his aggression against him. No I think Pac will ko Marquez. I know I?m crazy but that?s just how I feel.
I don?t believe Mayweather will fight any of those guys. I think Tim Bradley will be the choice. I consider all of those guys much bigger threats than Bradley. Oh well, that?s just my gut feeling. Carl Froch with a baseball bat could trouble Ward. No just joking. Every fighter has MAN?S chance to trouble another man. I think a young kid out of the UK named George Groves could be a tough for Andre 2 years from now. But who knows. Ward is already a HOF with 25 fights under his belt. Great fighter.
Bread i know u done heard about Carlos “Boogie Man” Molina calling out Triple G right?!?!?!? I like this fight and I hope HBO give Molina another shot after that travesty in Texas with James Kirkland. What do u think about this matchup? Bread?s Response: I think Carlos Molina is the gun of all guns and I wish every fighter thought like him. He?s short, chubby and a non puncher, but he will fight anybody with two divisions of him. I love the guy. A true throwback fighter.
What’s up Bread? You commented in your last mailbag about Oscar De La Hoya’s legacy so I wanted to get your take on some of his controversial decisions: 1. Who did you have winning De La Hoya-Trinidad? 2. Who did you have winning De La Hoya-Whitaker? 3. Who did you have winning De La Hoya-Mosley II? I happen to think that De La Hoya gets criticized harshly for not winning his biggest fights but here is my humble perspective on his biggest wins: Oscar was 24 when he beat a 33-year old Pernell Whitaker and many people believe he should have lost that fight. Whether you think he won or lost he still more than held his own with a past-prime but still excellent Sweet Pea. By comparison lets say a 24-year old Danny Garcia were to beat a 35-year old Floyd Mayweather in the same fashion. I think people would celebrate his victory whether it was narrow, controversial or whatever. Nobody would say he beat an “old” Mayweather. I just think that Oscar gets piled on a bit when it comes to the “well he lost all his big fights” criticism. He may not be an all-time great but at least he made the megafight of his time with Trinidad by putting his “Money” where his mouth is. I can appreciate De La Hoya’s body of work and he’s definitely a first-ballot hall of famer I hope to get your feedback on this Keep up the good work, William in West Palm Bread?s Response: Oscar De La Hoya is a GREAT fighter. He was a HOF fighter before he ever fought Felix Trinidad. Things ended badly for him but people are too hard on Oscar in my opinion. He made every fight we wanted to see except for Winky Wright and Vernon Forest. We can forgive him for that.
I thought Oscar beat Trinidad. I thought he beat Whitaker. It pains me to say this but Whitaker just couldn?t pull the trigger that fight. And I think even Shane Mosley knows he lost to Oscar in that second fight. That fight ruined Oscar. Oscar was riding high and he should?ve got that decision. Terrible call, he outboxed Mosley.
Here is the rumor. Oscar lost all of his big fights. In actuality the truth is, he lost most of his latest big fights but his earlier big fights he won. His first PPV big fight against Rafael Rules he crushed him. Then he fought an undefeated Genaro Hernandez, crushed him. Then Julio Cesar Chavez. Like or not he crushed him. Go on to an undefeated Miguel Angel Gonzalez, shut him out. Then Whitaker, then Camacho, then Quartey. If you throw Vargas in there Oscar won quite a few big fights. The problem is the haters only bring up Pacquiao, Mayweather, Hopkins and Mosley1. The truth is Oscar won as many big fights as he lost. The problem is Oscar doesn?t have a conclusive performance against a great fighter in his prime. Nevertheless I think he?s a great fighter.
Hey bro, What do you think of future rival of julian williams such as errol spence,chris pearson,demitrius andrade ?? Do you think Jessie Hart is getting better ? I thnk he needs to improve his jab Bread?s Response: Superwelterweight will be the best division in boxing in 2 years. I think all of these young men are excellent fighters. Andrade is a little more advanced than the other guys, he has been a pro longer. I actually think they are slowing him down too much.
There are more guys you forgot to name, like Tony Harrison, Dominique Dolton, Glen Tapia, Michael Zewski, Daquan Arnett and Eddie Gomez. I honestly think Julian rates well with any of the guys. I actually accepted a few of the names for him as opponents but the fights fell through. I?m not going to go into detail about any of the fighters because we are going to have to fight a few them in the future, but the landscape looks bright.
Jesse Hart is a tremendous young fighter. I see him in the gym quite often. He?s huge to be a supermiddlweight. He looks at me eye to eye and I?m exactly 6?3. He has long arms, a dense upper body and he can move. I think he has a future. I?m not saying he will beat Andre Ward in a year or two or anything like that. Boxing has levels. But right now I see a tremendous young fighter with lots of potential who will be 10-0 in no time.
I like the way you stick up for RJ. I feel that RJ started getting bad press when another guy from a certain website (maxboxing) started calling RJ reluctant Roy. I don?t even read that site anymore because of it. All because RJ wouldn?t give him an interview. He started all that stuff. A guy who doesn?t box started calling one of the greatest boxers of all time scary really pissed me off. Now we all have to defend a guy who we should be praising. Instead most dumb fans & writers want to give the most over rated fighter of our generation (DLH) all kinds of praise for fights he lost. I miss his prime. Man was he something else or what? Keep up the good articles. Help bring boxing back. Have a good Day! Jeremy Lee Bread?s Response: I saw Roy Jones this weekend sitting ringside for my fighters fight. I didn?t get a chance to talk to him to pick his brain on what he thought. I wish I could have. Roy is one of the few people in boxing who?s eye I respect . I don?t mind defending Roy because I have integrity. When people see something in someone else that they don?t see in themselves they usually get envious and hate. It happens to me all the time and I?m nowhere near as successful as the great Roy Jones.
Some of the things that are said about him are just repeated ignorant rhetoric. My man John Scully text me a few days ago and also gave me props on taking up Jones?s legacy. The worst part about this witch hunt to detract from Roy?s legacy is that he wasn?t good technically. Yet when he faced the 4 best technical fighters of his career, Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, Mike McCallum and Reggie Johnson, they won like 10 rounds combined against him. If he was so poor technically how come their great technical skills didn?t trump his athleticism and weak chin?
Not one person can answer that for me. PSA. Roy Jones was excellent technically. He was just unconventional in his approach. For example Naseem Hamed was poor technically. Roy wasn?t like that. Roy?s balance was perfect. His ring generalship was amazing.
His left hook was like a jab for everybody else. He controlled your aggression with a check hook. Then he became the aggressor with a leaping hook. He found it more effective than a jab so that?s what he used. His body punching was incredible. Ask Virgil Hill and Bryant Brannon. And his footwork was sick. Ask the technical marvel James Toney.
Jones ended up behind Toney all night. He went behind his left lead shoulder and nullified the shoulder roll. Jones also never loaded up on a right hand against Toney because he knew Toney would roll and counter. So he threw the right hand away, stepped behind Toney and hooked him to death. Watch the fight and you will see a boxing exhibition. Jones was as smart as they come. Jones dominated Toney so thoroughly Toney was humbled after the fight and admitted a Jones victory. Jones beat Toney into a 9 year slump that he didn?t fully recover from until 2003, they fought in 1994.
Stand up RJ. The Breadman knows better. I still say that Ray Leonard, Pernell Whitaker and Roy Jones are the best fighters of my lifetime and last 30 years.
