In this week’s mailbag, trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards reflects on the tremendous performance of Jaron Ennis in unifying two welterweight titles with Eimantis Stanionis, and he has his say on the David Benavidez-Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol triangle at 175lbs.

Oh Breadman, I didn't realise Erron Peterson is 29 already! That’s too bad there’s probably going to be a natural limit on how far you can develop him. It’s a shame HBO isn’t around because he has a story to him. with the alopecia that's like Canelo's unique point of being pale ginger Mexican, they would promote the sh!! out of him like they did with late starting Sergio Martinez and others. I don’t know if Erron is repeating what you or others have told him or if he’s speaking from his own knowledge but he talks well and intelligently on boxing with boxing IQ. He’s funny too. He has some goofy videos on his Youtube page I found. I can see what you were saying a few weeks ago when you said somebody asked you to fast-track him, he is still quite raw; you can tell he has come from another sport or late starter. Can you not get him on Boot's undercards? The fans would love him. The thing I liked about him as a fighter isn't his power, it's that I saw he's comfortable under fire/getting hit. He’s going to be a problem for guys when they can’t deter him. He will break them like the black Ivan Drago minus the hair and PEDs! I had a bit too much caffeine this morning. To follow up on my other idea of an all-Philly show, they could call it Philly vs EVERYBODY and have one hometown fighter vs one outsider in every fight. This would appeal to the Philly mentality, am I right? Eddie is stupid if he doesn't do this!

Bread’s response: You know once I commit to something I don’t worry about the things I can’t control. I can’t control Erron Peterson’s age. I also look at the glass like it’s half full. He turned pro at 26 and he’s now 10-0. He fought five times in 2024 and he’s scheduled to fight this weekend April 19th and this will be his second outing of 2025. Erron is well aware of his age. And he carries it with a sense of maturity. No drinking. No smoking. No partying. He’s very preserved because he’s only had six amateur fights. So I look at him like how colleges look at 24 year old seniors now. Older, more mature athletes have their benefits. I also don’t worry about how far I can take him. I live in the moment and I just enjoy the process. He’s already out-kicked his coverage. He’s already succeeded in life. He’s giving me all he has and that’s all I need from him. How it turns out, doesn’t matter more than his effort. He’s all in and then some. I will try to get him on a big card when the time is right. But until that time I will keep developing him. And yes you’re correct. If you can’t discourage him, you’re not going to beat him. He’s too determined, strong and mean. He won’t stop, you have to stop him. I truly believe a promoter will see what I see. And Erron Peterson will be a star and middleweight champion of the world. 

You have a lot to deal with my brother. I respect and appreciate you. Some of the comments under your mailbag will tell you everything you need to know about some of your audience. I know you can’t say it but I can. I can tell by their names on the forum what they are. Racist Mexicans and conservative white guys who hate the fact that black fighters are successful. They attack with vengeance with no regrets because they can. They live in a place where cowards can feel brave. But every week you keep putting out this mailbag, like clockwork. I can tell you come from a strong background. Props to you! Onto my question. I actually have two. Why do you think Joey Spencer’s dad stopped the fight so soon? Spencer was losing but it was very early. Tszyu was coming off of a bad knockout loss and you never know when those thoughts will resurface. It feels like the corner was a little too hasty. What would you have done in that situation? Do you think they were there for the money or do you think the corner just knows something about Spencer that we don’t? My next question is who is most to blame about Bivol vs Benavidez not happening? Why did the WBC strip Bivol but let Canelo duck Benavidez for several years? I’m a little confused by all of these rules and why some fighters seem to fly above the rules, and why some don’t.

Bread’s response: Thank you. I don’t like to say what I would do in certain situations. Because it’s just not fair to the person who was in that situation. What I can say is it will take a lot for me to stop a fight. I don’t take on a fighter I don’t believe in. And if I believe in you, that means I believe you can push through adversity. 

I wasn’t picking Joey Spencer to beat Tim Tszyu, but I did think he had a chance. I was surprised that Tszyu got to him so early, Joey is a sharp fighter.... Tszyu was really rolling at the time of the stoppage in the fourth round. I will assume that Spencer’s trainer, who happens to be his dad, knows things about Joey that we don’t know. So he made the executive decision to stop the fight. I can’t criticize the decision because his dad knows him better than anyone. Joey also seemed at peace with the decision to stop the fight. He walked to the corner after the towel was thrown in, with no complaints. 

There could be so many things that happened, it wouldn’t be right to speculate. I noticed that the corner was not happy with Joey after the second and third rounds. So maybe something was wrong. Maybe they weren’t seeing what they thought they should see. I have no idea but I can tell they weren’t happy with how he was performing. 

I don’t think Team Spencer was there for a check. They complained about the officials. They wanted a fair playing field. Teams don’t care about who the judges will be if their plan is to take a knee once things get rough. From what I saw, Joey was just overmatched and his dad wasn’t going to allow him to take a sustained beating when Joey wasn’t executing whatever gameplan they worked on in camp. Sometimes the answer is simple and it’s not this intricate click bait type of answer that everyone wants.

I don’t blame Bivol or Benavidez for their fight not happening. Both of those guys are gamers. Again sometimes the answer is simple. Bivol is 1-1 vs Beterbiev and they have unfinished business. Benavidez is tired of not getting his shot so he enforced his mandatory. I actually think both guys are in the right. A simple fix in my opinion is guarantee Benavidez a shot at the winner of Bivol vs Beterbiev III within six months of their rubber match. But boxing never works like that.

You make a good point about Canelo not fighting Benavidez but never getting stripped. Yet Bivol was. I would be interested to know what is the reasoning behind that. Maybe there is something in the by laws that explain it. But you’re asking the wrong person because I don’t know. I also want to say something else. Critics/media/fans need to stop criticizing fighters calling them email champions. It’s such a ridiculous moniker. Neither Bivol or Benavidez deserve criticism for this. But Benavidez surely shouldn’t be called an email champion for enforcing his mandatory. If he took step aside money or was ok with being side stepped people would criticize him. A fighter who enforces their mandatory and doesn’t get his shot, and gets awarded the belt is not at fault. If the rules change then so be it. If a fighter has to fight a fight to get a belt, that’s fine too. But as of now, those are not the rules. 

Fighters get paid more for defending belts. They get more status for having a belt. It’s simply stupid to criticize a fighter for being awarded a belt because the champion chose not to fight them. Even if it wasn’t a duck. Benavidez deserves zero criticism. He just wants to fight the champion and the champion is Bivol. I stand consistent on this. Benavidez deserves no criticism. Devin Haney deserved no criticism. And Jaron Ennis deserved no criticism. It’s not their fault they couldn’t get a shot. It doesn’t matter if it was a duck or not. They wanted smoke and they didn’t get it so they got awarded a belt that they couldn't refuse. 

If you had to pick one fighter for your son to fight like, who would that fighter be? If you had to pick one fighter for your son to have speed like who would it be? If you had to pick one fighter for your son to take a punch like, who would it be? If you had to pick one fighter for your son to have power like, who would it be? I injected children in it, because I know the love a parent has for their children is the ultimate love. And I felt like you give the most authentic answer because I can see how you are with your kids.

Bread’s response: The one fighter I would want my son to fight like is Ricardo Lopez. Lopez is the consummate boxer puncher. He never really had a bad night. He’s fundamentally sound, while being a vicious puncher, and still being defensively responsible. Lopez is so good, he could be the best fighter ever, but we don’t know because he fought at strawweight.

If I could pick one fighter to have speed like it would be Roy Jones. This was a close call for me but Jones could throw smooth power punches from far away and score one punch KOs. There are a few others who had similar speed but I’m just comfortable picking Roy here. 

Taking a punch is something you never want to see your child take too many of. I have seen fighters who take great punches like George Chuvalo. His chin may be the best ever. But his response to punches isn’t the best in my opinion. If my son were to take hard shots, I would want him to respond better than Chuvalo did and I would also want him to take some of the power off of the big shots. So I’m going to pick Marvin Hagler. Hagler was always responsive when tagged with a big shot. He always kept his hands up. And he was always proactive. I thought about picking Duran or Toney. But both had lazy spots because they were so talented defensively. Hagler never had a lazy moment that I saw.

The power questions is easier for me. George Foreman. He’s the most powerful man in history in my opinion.

Assalaam alaykum Mr Edwards, I hope that this finds you and yours well and that all is wonderful in your neck of the woods. I wanted to write to get your opinion on David Benavidez being awarded the WBC light heavyweight belt, after Mauricio Sulaiman made the indefensible decision to strip Dmitry Bivol. The major sanctioning bodies agreed to a rotation years ago that would have put the IBF mandatory next in line for a shot at Dmitry Bivol (or Artur Beterbiev, after his win in the first fight). Benavidez would be at best third in line as a mandatory. Sulaiman and team Benavidez pushed the purse bid early knowing that Bivol would rightfully proceed with the trilogy fight and vacate the belt. There was never a chance that this would result in a Bivol vs Benavidez matchup.It appears to me that Sulaiman and the WBC either have an under the table agreement with the PBC or with the Benavidez camp. Either way, it's another instance of Sulaiman refusing to even follow his organization's own rules. It's another reason why most boxing fans consider Sulaiman the most corrupt of the people running the sanctioning bodies. The worst part of it is that Benavidez and his manager each admitted that Turki Alalshikh offered Benavidez "a lot of money" to fight the winner of the trilogy next after fighting Callum Smith on the undercard. So team Benavidez would rather accept a belt via email than win it in the ring. He gets the belt earlier, and I'm sure Sulaiman will let him continue to cherry pick his matchups and only fight boxers that have PBC rubber stamps, but it's not a good look.

Thank you for all you do for the sport. Ma salaam ,John

Bread’s Response: The Benavidez WBC title situation is a tricky one. Because more than one thing can be true, even with the things are contrasting. I actually like how Benavidez and his team is putting pressure on Bivol to fight. I like that. It shows ambition. And at the same time, I don’t consider Bivol to be ducking Benavidez just yet. Because he just won the title back and he’s 1-1 with Beterbiev. Bivol and Beterbiev have unfinished business. So I get both sides of this. So you will never hear me use terms like email champion. Because in order to be awarded a belt, it means a champion chose not to defend it. 

However, I don’t understand why the WBC didn’t give Bivol more grace. Bivol just won the title a few months ago. I don’t know if I’ve seen a champion stripped that fast. Maybe someone can explain the WBC bylaws and what happened. Because on the surface level, it looked like Bivol was not given time to defend his belt. So in this case I don’t think Bivol is ducking smoke or Benavidez did anything wrong. Both fighters have reasonable stances. But I think the decision to strip Bivol seemed a little hasty.

Yo Breadman! Two questions. 1) We’re all seeing how Joe Joyce is now. He seemed indomitable until he wasn’t. But truly, how good was he in his prime? How would he have fared against Usyk, Fury, AJ, Wilder, Dubois/Parker (in present form) or any others that come to mind. 2) How important is weightlifting to be elite in boxing? If a guy is incorporating all the other classic training (heavy bag, jump rope, road work, shadow boxing, pad work, etc) is that enough to reach the top level? You the man! Sincerely, Alex S.

Bread’s response: Joe Joyce was very good in his prime. His stoppage victories over Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker were real wins. Joyce just relied too much on his chin and once it started to erode, so did his success. Joyce is the prime example of a fighter who over marinated. He took too many tough non title fights without getting a title shot. If he got a title shot around the time he beat Dubois and Parker he may have won the heavyweight title. But his timing was off and now unfortunately he’s not the same fighter he once was. But don’t get it twisted. Joe Joyce was a big problem. I can tell how you know he was a problem. Dubois and Parker are fighters who take tough fights. Neither of them got revenge on Joyce in a rematch. That should tell you all you need to know about being in the ring with Joyce.

There is more than one way to skin a cat. I know fighters who don’t touch weights and they’re really strong and have great conditioning. I also know guys who do lift weight and they are also very strong and have elite conditioning. It depends on body type, strength coach, genetics and consistency.

Bread, We just witnessed a special talent this evening. Ray Ford. I been watching boxing for a very long time, Bread. Homeboy is the truth. And, it wasn’t just the fighting that made this fight versus Mattice special. We watched two prideful states in Cincinnati Ohio and Camden New Jersey bring their home pride with them. Jersey brought it, and Mattice was embarrassed. Within the first 30 seconds, Mattice knew he was in with a killer and the only thing holding that man up was his Ohio pride. Kudos to Sergio Mora and the rest of the commentators on how they observed and called that fight, too. I’m looking at a No. 1 pound 4 pound in under 5 years. Ray Ford, you da truth my dude. What say you brother? ~NewYoRican

Bread’s response: Ray Ford has definitely improved. I think he has a case for being the best fighter at 130lbs. I like what I’m seeing from him. Hopefully he gets a title shot soon. I think I would favor him over all of the champions except Lamont Roach.

Good afternoon Mr Edwards, Not so much a question this week, but reading the latest mailbag I was struck by you mentioning that Stanionis has brittle skin. I remember from past mailbags that you have a lot of knowledge of how food affects your body and thus can help athletes perform at the highest level. I thought I'd share that research into eating cocoa powder on a daily basis (1 teaspoon a day) was found to increase blood flow in the skin, and after 3 months improve thickness and elasticity.  This could perhaps be applied to the sweet science! Cheers, Gabriel from Vanada

Bread’s response: I saw Stanionis in person a while back and I noticed he had skin that marks up very easy. I also know that Boots Ennis throws slashing punches and his attack is consistent. So I thought that Stanionis’s skin would be an issue in this fight. Hopefully a young fighter reads the post and tries the cocoa powder.

Sup Breadman, First off, thank you for taking time out of your day to answer our boxing questions and help educate us fans on the sport. It's much appreciated. Given some of the criticism Jaron "Boots" Ennis has received regarding the label of being a “weight bully,” I was hoping to get your perspective on the subject. Personally, I feel that as long as a fighter makes weight within the official limits and does so cleanly—without any shortcuts or manipulation—they should be able to compete in that division without facing undue criticism. From what I understand, the IBF has some of the strictest regulations in boxing, especially with their rehydration clause. That makes me wonder—if a fighter were truly struggling to make weight in a healthy way, why would they pursue a title through that organization? It just doesn’t quite add up to me. Also, if I’m not mistaken, Ennis ended his amateur career at super lightweight and even weighed in as low as 141 lbs early in his pro career when he fought Chris Alexander, which suggests he's not some massive welterweight who's been squeezing down unnaturally – although I do acknowledge that he's grown into the division. Also, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what signs or indicators tell you when a fighter is truly weight-drained? Personally, I look for signs like mood swings or irritability during the final week of camp (mainly if they appear to be lethargic/slurred speech), or that sunken look in the eyes with dark circles under them. Lastly, how do you feel this conversation compares to someone like Ryan Garcia, who has missed weight or fought at multiple catchweights? In my opinion, that seems more in line with what people criticize as “weight bullying” than what we've seen from Boots. Would love to hear your take on it all.~Champagne Relly

Bread’s response: The weight bully stuff only came up because there is a group of people who want to slander Ennis for not moving up and fighting Vergil Ortiz in a non-title fight. So they’re going to micro-critique his entire career in hope that he loses so they can say “I told you so.” Ennis actually weighed less than Stanionis at the official weigh in. He also fought at 141lbs as an amateur. And the last time I checked, I didn’t see unofficial weigh in results on fight night. So people can speculate all they want, none of us know what Boots weighed fight night. I suspect that both fighters were over 160lbs in the ring, which is common for welterweights in this era. 

Someone on (X) who has a big platform, said the fight looked like a Super Middleweight vs  Junior Welterweight. Super Middleweight is 168lbs. and Junior Welterweight is 140lbs. That person was trying to devalue Boots’s win, with a backhanded compliment and exaggeration. Boots and Stanionis didn’t look 28lbs apart. Stanionis is shorter and more dense. Boots is taller and lankier. They’re built different. Boots also rips up more, so their physiques will fill out differently. But I would be willing to bet that Boots is not 28lbs heavier than Stanionis on fight night or any other night. In fact, I think they’re within 5lbs within range of each other on fight night, whatever those weights may be.

The IBF does have a strict rehydration but it’s being stated without context. Here it is. IBF does a second day weigh in and the fighters are not allowed to be over ten pounds of their weight division weight. But that weigh in is the morning of the fight. A fighter can make that specific weigh in extremely early. I once did one at 8am. So although it’s annoying to not be able to put all of your weight back on after the weigh in. The fighters still do have time to put weight back on. I’m not saying I agree or disagree with the IBF rules. I’m just stating the rules in context. The second day weigh in is not something they have to do in the dressing before they walk to the ring..... 

Most fighters in this era are somewhat weight drained a few days before a fight. Most also get very moody because of the restricted diets. So it’s hard to say who’s weight drained as the weight is being cut. One sign I look at is if the weight keeps getting stuck on a particular weight. If a fighter is trying to cut to say 160lbs, and he keeps getting stuck at say 164lbs and the weight won’t budge, that’s usually a telling sign. I also look to see how their voices sound. It takes energy we take for granted to speak in full tone. And when a fighter is weight drained, their voice loses its tone. Another thing I look for after weigh in is how they fill out. If they can’t put weight back on I know they didn’t cut the weight correctly. I won’t get into how to cut weight correctly. 

You’re correct again. Ryan Garcia who has missed weight in big fights and has had huge advantages, is much more of a weight bully than a fighter like Ennis, who has never missed weight, fought under strict IBF guidelines and always has been professional about his weight. I don’t get why the media and fans make these slanted criticisms. Then again, I do get it….

Dear Sir, First a comment then a question. After watching Boots vs. Stanionis (I think that’s who Boots fought, since he was hardly mentioned), can’t DAZN find somebody better than that “homer“ Mora?  That guy never shuts up! I miss Don Dunphy. Why don’t you tryout for that gig? I wouldn’t mute the sound if you were doing the broadcasting. I love how you put fighters in categories. I’m probably reading between the lines here, but it seems your favorite fighters fought “off the bounce” (Leonard, Ali, Robinson). My question is, besides Floyd Patterson, did Ali fight other “bounce” fighters? My personal opinion, Holyfield would have given Ali a lot of trouble because of his “bounce” style. Thank you for what you do! CurtOmaha

Bread’s response: I can’t recall off the top of my head who Ali fought off the bounce. I don’t want to make up an answer. But Holyfield would give every heavyweight in history trouble. He’s an ATG fighter and he’s an ATG heavyweight. So yes I agree he would give Ali trouble and lots of it. Holyfield is no joke and only an inch here and an inch there separates fighters once they get to a certain tier.

Hi, Hope you are well. Just watched Boots win and, listening to some of the post fight commentary, I think he gets unfair nitpicking criticism. People say he gets hit too much. I’ve followed boxing since ‘82, in my lifetime I think the best fighter was SRL and I really loved Hagler. I don’t put Ennis in their class of course but if you watch their old fights even Hagler versus Sibson or Leonard versus Kalule, two of their best prime performances in my opinion, they did occasionally get tagged because they were exciting non-safety first fighters. Of course they had amazing defense but they also took risks and were exciting. To expect to fight such a good fighter as Stanionis and never get touched is unrealistic. And not to take shots but I’d much rather as a fan watch a fighter like Ennis who might finish a career with one or two losses than a ‘perfect’ Mayweather. Take care and continued success. Dave

Bread’s response: Elite offensive fighters usually get hit about as much as Boots does. Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson and Terence Crawford are elite offensive fighters in my opinion. They all get hit because although they can box, they’re killers at heart. Pernell Whitaker and Floyd Mayweather are elite defensive fighters. It doesn’t mean they don’t have elite offensive but they’re defense first fighters. So they don’t seem to get hit as much. I don’t know or refer to the official punch stats but that’s just what I see. 

I think Boots is closer to Leonard and Crawford in style than he is Mayweather or Whitaker. It’s not a knock on either style but I think we have to state a fighter’s style in context. Boots is an offensive machine and he’s mean as heck. He’s trying to hurt his opponents. If he tried to I’m sure he could fight a stick and move fight and limit himself getting touched to less than ten times per round. But his natural instinct is to inflict damage.

I watch Ennis closely to make sure my mind is not playing tricks on me. I notice he doesn’t get hit with combinations. He doesn’t allow his opponents to gain momentum by taking an occasional single shot. And he rarely loses rounds. But in fairness to my observation, I do see him get hit “while he’s out of position” and I hear his dad telling him to stop playing around or keep his hands up. So should it be a concern, yes it should. But is it a huge flaw in his game, no it’s not.

Every fighter has tendencies if not flaws. They just need a tangible quality to overcome the tendency or flaw. With Boots, I see that he has an excellent chin and he’s super mean. So thus far he’s overcome taking hard shots. 

Ali got dropped twice as a prospect and contender. Once to Sonny Banks and once to Henry Cooper. He rose both times and got stoppages. Ali may have the best chin in history. Up to this point, Ali is the only fighter in history that God created, that pulls back and takes shots with his head up in the air that had what is considered an iron chin. Maybe Boots has that type of chin. Let’s see how his career plays out. That’s the only thing I can say. We just have to see if it comes back to haunt him. Right now, I don’t view it as a problem. I view it as something to watch for.

Hey Bread, those haters are really going to be mad at you. The fighter you have been saying for years was the truth, just unified and put on his career best performance. But I saw how they attacked you on twitter. They won’t say you have been right so far about Boots. You were actually talking about him when he was still fighting 6 rounders. So just to predict that he would be at this level was a great analysis. But they will make it about everything except what it was and all it was is that you saw an incredible talent from your hometown. What do you think of the performance and where does he go from here?

Bread’s response: Yes they are mad and I can’t understand why. I don’t make negative predictions. Meaning I won’t say it out loud if I don’t think much of a fighter. And trust me, there are plenty of fighters that I don’t think much of. But I never give them a public disrespectful critique because you never know if a fighter will improve. I only make positive predictions and I don’t go out of my way to make them. Meaning I won’t stamp my name on something that I don’t believe in. So yes I have been right so far about Boots. But this isn’t a competition and race to be right. I just stated what I saw and that’s that. Whatever his career turns out to be, it turns out to be. I don’t have skin in the game.

I thought his performance was excellent. On a scale of 1-10, I give him a strong 9. His jab was pumping. His body shots were excellent. And his counter punching was on point. He did his thing and he was getting stronger as the fight went on. I assume he wants to unify at 147lbs but I think he’s going to have to pay Barrios or Norman huge money to fight him. When I say huge money, I’m saying over $2m after his last performance. Hopefully he can make the fights but I am not optimistic he will be able to fight both Barrios and Norman. 

I think Boots may be able to fight one of the other champions at 147 but two will be tough. In an ideal world, Barrios and Norman would fight each, so the winner could fight Boots with their two belts. I also see there are some good junior welterweights who have their sights on 147lbs. Like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez. I can see Boots sticking around at 147 for one of those level guys. 

I’m also curious to see if Eddie Hearn will serve up Conor Benn to Boots. Benn is a big name and the UK supports its fighters. That’s a big fight with plenty of national angles to take. Other than those fights, I see Boots moving up to 154lbs and challenging for a title right away. My biggest curiosity is if he will fight again in 2025. I can sort of tell which way he’s going to go by how soon his next date is announced.

Hey Breadman, Long time reader for several years, first time sending an email. There was a thread on FB asking who would win a fight between Aaron Pryor and JCC at 140. I replied that I felt Prime Pryor was a natural 140 with a better chin, more power and comparable speed to Meldrick Taylor, and I believe he wins a decision at 140! I got destroyed by Chavez fans saying he was the best 140 ever, and a bunch of derogatory comments that came straight from the HBO Legendary Nights show. No facts of their own other than what a half hour documentary said. Can you do a deep dive on this matchup? I may be wrong with the Taylor comparison, however, I don't see Chavez running roughshod over Pryor like he was a nobody. I got so much hate from JCC fans it was amazing. Tell these guys something they don't know from Legendary Nights! I have thousands of fights on dvd and tape including several Pryor and JCC fights. I'm also about your age and didn't just watch a show. Let me know if you agree, and don't let the haters get to you. Dan from Brookhaven, Pa

Bread’s response: I don’t know why anyone would be mad at you picking Pryor over Chavez. In reality it’s a 50/50 fight and it’s reasonable to pick Pryor. I feel like both fighters have tendencies that the other can exploit. 

Pryor always gave the impression he’s going to get clipped but it never really happened. Pryor is a little careless and he can be counter punched. Pryor was open for a body attack and Chavez is one of the best body punchers ever. Arguello had plenty of success going to Pryor’s body.

Chavez starts somewhat slow and speed gives him issues. Fighters who can challenge him as he engages and don’t discourage gave Chavez issues. While he was in or close to his prime, Chavez had life and death with Rocky Lockridge, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker and Frankie Randall. That’s no coincidence. 

Pryor had a great chin but it was a vulnerable type of chin, where he could be dropped and hurt but extremely hard to stop. I feel like Chavez has to hurt Pryor in order to win. Chavez doesn’t have to stop him to win, but he has to visibly hurt Pryor. Pryor is too good at scoring points for Chavez to out point him without hurting him. Pryor is pretty much impossible to discourage….so again Chavez has to visibly hurt him.

In a 12 round fight which I’m going to assume you’re talking about, this is a really hard fight for Chavez. He simply may not have enough time to get to Pryor. On top of that Pryor has a great gas tank, as does Chavez. On top of that his work rate is more frenetic. After I process all of the scenarios, I think this is the type of match up that would generate a rematch or trilogy. I believe Pryor would win the first fight. I believe Chavez would have his moments and it would appear he was going to stop Pryor but it wouldn’t happen. And while Chavez is marching on, he’s also taking his share of punishment which would slow him down just enough for Pryor to pull out a decision.

I can see the rematches going either way. When I analyze this match up, I look more at the Frankie Randall fights as a reference point than I do Meldrick Taylor. Taylor was a flurry shoe-shine puncher. Frankie Randall throws hard fast straight punches more like Pryor. Pryor had better feet than both Randall and Taylor. I think Pryor's feet would get him out of whatever trouble that Chavez caused. For one night, I would take the Hawk in a thriller.

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