In his latest mailbag, coach Stephen Edwards looks at matchmaking in the current climate, gives the great George Foreman his props, looks ahead to Canelo-Crawford and also shares why he has watched Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jorge Linares around 10 times.

I know you have most of your fighters with PBC, so don’t take this personal, but the PBC matchmaking is the worst in boxing. Even worse than Matchroom’s, and Matchroom is the worst I had seen. But PBC sets a new low bar. Just look at Tim Tszyu and now Elijah Garcia. What’s even worse is that they blacklist fighters like Erickson Lubin and Kyrone Davis. Lubin has been off for two years coming off of his best career win over Jesus Ramos. Since that time Ramos has fought three times and Lubin has not fought once. Davis comes off his biggest career win over Elijah Garcia last June and Davis has not fought yet and Garcia just got another gift. I say another gift because they gave him a split decision loss against Davis, to create an illusion that he was not dominated in his only career loss. And last night’s gift over Terrell Gausha was one of the worst I have seen in the last few years. Why is this happening and where do fighters like Lubin and Davis go from here?

Bread’s Response: I’m a trainer. I don’t have a contract with a specific promoter. Also, I write a mailbag. So people will write in with all different opinions. It’s literally part of my job to give people a platform to state their opinion. So I don’t take any opinion about boxing personal.

To be totally honest, I don’t even know who makes the matches at PBC. When my fighters were at the earlier stages of their careers, I used to talk to the matchmaker at PBC often. But that was a very long time ago and that matchmaker is no longer around. I say that to say, it’s not possible for me to be offended by an opinion, when I don’t know who exactly the opinion is directed towards.

I can’t speak on Erickson Lubin because I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes in his career. The issues could be contract disputes, or maybe injuries. Who knows… But I can imagine Lubin didn’t want to be off for two years after beating Ramos. Especially considering Lubin was one of our best amateurs a decade ago and he hasn’t won a world title as of yet. 

However, I can speak on Kyrone Davis. Davis, like Lubin was a standout amateur. Kyrone won nationals three times. I bring that up because Davis still has something to fight for because his original goal was to be a world champion. He hasn’t had a title shot yet. And being off basically a year after his best career win has been disappointing to say the least. It’s really nothing else to say because Davis is not injured and he doesn’t have contract issues. 

I don’t like to attempt to mind read. But I do find myself wondering about certain things. I’ve come to the conclusion that in boxing, not just the PBC, but boxing overall…. The people in power value marketability over talent and boxing ability. So fighters who have countries or ethnicities behind them usually get preferential treatment. For example if a quality fighter comes from Puerto Rico or Mexico, they get the preferential treatment in the hope that they can be the next Felix Trinidad or Canelo Alvarez before they even prove that they can sell or fight like Trinidad or Alvarez. 

The best fighters from the UK usually earn millions before they even win a title because of their fan base or presumed fan base. But if you look closely, the UK has never had the P4P best fighter in the world. They rarely have anyone in the P4P top ten… But their fans are arguably the best…

I believe that while Puerto Rico, Mexico and the UK have great fan bases and have produced some superstars, the biggest stars in boxing history for the most part have been Black Americans. I’m sure we have all heard of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather and most recently Gervonta Davis. So while I have no issue with promoters tapping into big money markets, the top American talent is getting overlooked and undervalued by all of the promoters. Basically what I'm saying is the best fighters are being overlooked across the board for the supposedly more marketable fighters.

Lubin and Davis will both most likely fight in the late spring or early summer. And both will need to win to stay in the hunt to ultimately reach their goals of being world champions. Once they do become world champions, they will at least know they earned it.

Personally, I believe in promoting the best talent and everything else will fall into place. For example, the 1996 Olympic Team had both Fernando Vargas and Floyd Mayweather on the team. Vargas was promoted as a bigger star earlier in their careers. But Floyd Mayweather turned out to be the star of stars because of his talent and ability. It just took Mayweather longer because of the perception that Vargas was more marketable because of the link to the Mexican fanbase.

Another example is Terence Crawford, who was not thought of as an uber talent early on. He wasn’t an Olympian. He wasn’t even with a huge promotional company in his initial signing. But he kept getting better and look where he’s at now. Crawford outfought the system of boxing. The major issue is not everyone has Crawford’s ability. So even talented fighters who are overlooked can’t always overcome the odds Crawford overcame. 

Crawford had to go to Ricky Burns’s hometown to win his first world title. And he didn’t get his first superfight until he was 35 years old as the B side to Errol Spence on a PBC card. Crawford is an anomaly in terms of how his career turned out. And that, my friend, is the issue. Fighters like Erickson Lubin and Kyrone Davis shouldn’t have to turn out to be Terence Crawford just to break through. 

To specifically address Tszyu and Garcia. Tszyu lost two championship fights where he was the favorite to win. Once you get to that level, you need to be available to all contenders and adaptable to all styles. Tszyu is a good fighter but he just didn’t come through. I think losing the Fundora fight was more of a freak accident than anything else. Although he could have secured another opponent after Keith Thurman fell out… I still don’t know what happened with Tszyu vs Bahkram but I expected him to win that fight also. 

With Elijah Garcia I benefited off of his matchmaking, so I definitely won’t criticize it. But I did think that Garcia was being overvalued overall. I never saw the next superstar in Garcia. I never agreed with the number one ranking for a 16-0, 20 year old fighter, who was not an elite amateur and had not defeated anyone in the Ring rankings or any ex world champions. 

I thought of Garcia as more of a talented prospect than actually an elite contender. Adames, Lara and Janibek are the three champions at 160lbs. They would all pick the formerly number one ranked Garcia a part at this moment. So while I thought Garcia was more of a prospect, I was happy Kyrone Davis got the fight. 

All in all, I’m careful with criticizing matchmaking personally because I don’t know how the fights got made, who picked the opponents and most importantly what the intent was behind the fight. I also understand the difference between a matchmaker and a manager. The matchmaker works for the promoter. The manager works for the fighter. They have different functions and it’s not enough space for me to explain the difference. But I will say this one last thing, just because a matchmaker proposes a fight, doesn’t mean the manager has to say yes.

Can you please send a stand-up big George, if anyone is qualified beside his family it is you. And add a story behind it.. I’m sure you got one from your grandpa or just your personal one of the hardest puncher in history

Bread’s Response: Stand up Big George Foreman. I believe Foreman is the hardest puncher and strongest man to ever get into a boxing ring. In 1994, I was attending Temple University. I used to come home mostly every weekend unless something was going on, on campus. When Foreman fought Michael Moorer, I made it my business to come home that weekend because we didn’t have HBO in the dorms. 

I remember watching the fight in anticipation that Foreman could land something big. I would jump up every time Foreman landed something. Then came that moment. Although he was losing, I didn't become discouraged. 

Foreman chopped down with a simple 1-2. No load up. No tell. Just Boom, Boom directly from the shoulders. I wouldn’t be overstating that Foreman’s KO shot of Moorer, may be the greatest punch ever thrown. Foreman won the real heavyweight title in the two greatest eras of heavyweight boxing ever, the 1970s and 1990s, each time against an undefeated HOF fighter that he was the underdog against in Joe Frazier and Michael Moorer. Did I mention he did it 21 years apart? 

George Foreman is a giant amongst giants.

Mr. Breadman, Hopefully all is well with you and your family. You are a dedicated and unbiased coach and stand up man! Congratulations on that first and foremost. I really want your valued opinion on the upcoming fight with Bud and Canelo. I see that Bud is showing 186 on the scales. Is he bulking up first to cut down? I am greatly concerned that this weight jump will affect his speed, agility and stamina. From what I’ve heard he has always liked to spar with bigger guys. Can he take Canelo’s punch over the distance? Or this a case where it looks like Floyd vs Canelo? Where Bud keeps his distance and works the counters to keep Canelo at bay? Thank you for your dedication to the Mailbag! I always look forward to it! Now I look forward to your opinion! Respectfully yours, Jon L.Aka- NC Uppercut

Bread’s Response: You know what. I don’t question Bomac and the rest of Crawford’s training team. They seem to have preparation figured out. All of their fighters come into the ring in peak condition and they usually give a great account of themselves. 

I didn’t think Crawford would put on the amount of mass from his recent photos. And seeing him at 186lbs sort of shocked me because I believe Crawford’s advantages are in his agility and endurance. But again Bomac and his team know what they’re doing. I will assume that a health expert is advising them on what weight Crawford will be best at and how to manage it. Let’s see if it works. 

As of now, I’m staying with my pick. Terence Crawford by close UD, where he pulls out the last three rounds to make it clean. I can’t wait!

Hey Bread, Have you ever gone into a fight with a very low level of confidence only to be surprised with a clear victory?  Share what you’re willing. Jeremy

Bread’s Response: Nope! Not one time in fifteen years as a head trainer have I lacked confidence in a potential win. Call me crazy and delusional but that’s the God’s honest truth. At times I  have been a little apprehensive before the fights get made, but once we agree on them, I don’t care who the opponent is, I’m confident we will win.

Breadman,

What can I say about your mailbag that hasn’t already been said for years? Thank you. In your previous mailbag you stated Loma v Linares as one of the fights you might pick if you could only watch one fight for the rest of your life. I am so curious to know what made you pick that fight? Full disclosure: I absolutely love Vasiliy as a fighter (his apex may be the highest that I have seen in the last 15 years).Thanks Ash

Bread’s Response: I picked Loma vs Linares because I love watching boxer-punchers go at it in their primes without too much clinching. Loma and Linares put on a show. People forget how highly-touted Linares was. Linares is a three division champion and was slated to be a P4P level guy. He just didn’t have elite level durability but he had elite level skill. You have already said everything you needed to say about Loma. So their matchup was just a great watch for me. I have seen the fight about ten times. Each time I see something new that I didn’t observe the previous time. I also believe it was the last fight of Loma’s peak. Maybe not his prime but definitely his peak. Loma vs Linares was an underrated classic.

I thought the first fight between William Zepada and Tevin Farmer was incredibly close and I’m torn on who wins this one. What are your thoughts on this fight? Thank you!

Bread’s Response: I thought the first fight was also razor-close. It seems as if Farmer was working rust off, right before our eyes. I think he should be in peak condition for the rematch. My thoughts are simple, Zepeda will have to make better defensive adjustments if he’s going to win the rematch. 

I also want to give props to Zepeda for taking the rematch. He was the A side in their first match up. And oftentimes after close controversial decisions, the A side usually moves on. So Zepeda is showing real character giving Farmer another shot at him.

Hello Breadman, Following on from what the other reader asked you, in the case of currently active fighters who – if anybody – has a chance to make a claim for GOAT status and how would their career need to go to attain it? Also, if it's not too much to spoil us, I can't be the only one who greatly enjoys when you breakdown which past fighters current fighters are a mix of. For example I think I can see a little Jersey Joe Walcott in Terence Crawford, and maybe I don't know Sugar Ray Leonard with the finishing ability and killer instinct to go for it. So I thought it would be fun if you would breakdown who the fighters from your recent P4P list are a mix of, if you would (Crawford, Inoue, Usyk, Bivol, Beterbiev, Bam, Benavidez, Canelo, Nakatani, Boots, Shakur and Tank). I saw some comments criticizing that you are too high on Boots. They should bear in mind that you have seen him behind closed doors since probably a kid, and you also are not the type of person to say something for no reason. Shawn Porter's recent comments after sparring him were eye-opening in that he said Boots’ feet are on another level to anybody else, when Porter was a main sparring partner for Pacquiao and has fought everybody, Usyk included. Thank you on behalf of us all, and in particular the haters.

Bread’s Response: When something gets unwarranted criticism it’s usually because of an ulterior motive. My criticism concerning my opinion of Boots stems from Vergil Ortiz fans, who want Ortiz to be viewed as the better fighter. Vergil may be the better fighter, we won’t know until their careers are over. But as of right now, I rate Boots Ennis higher. And yes you’re correct, one of the reasons I feel this way is because I’ve seen Boots in the gym since 2014. What they don’t get is I thought highly of Boots before I knew who Vergil Ortiz was… I know exactly where “most” of the hate comes from. The rest of it is just pessimists who like to say negative things. It’s all good though.

Through life experience I’ve learned how to assess. I want you to pay close attention to something. Listen to how fighters who have sparred or fought Boots talk about him. Listen to how his contemporaries who were in the amateurs speak of him. I haven’t heard one person say he wasn’t the real deal. That’s telling! Oftentimes even with special all-time great fighters, there will be a small percentage of people who aren’t as high on that fighter as the masses are. No one who knows Boots says Boots isn’t real. There is a reason for that. 

Most fighters are a mixture of fighters from before them. …

Bud Crawford – Floyd Mayweather and Pernell Whitaker, with Ray Leonard’s finishing instincts.

Monster Inoue – Manny Pacquiao, Salvador Sanchez and Nonito Donaire.

Oleksandr Usyk – Muhammad Ali, Michael Nunn and Joe Calzaghe

Dmitry Bivol – Gene Tunney and Sergey Kovalev.

Artur Beterbiev – Kostya Tszyu and GGG

Bam Rodriguez – Orlando Canizalez and Vasiliy Lomachenko

David Benavidez – Canelo Alvarez and Erik Morales

Canelo Alvarez – Marco Antonio Barrera, Julio Cesar Chavez and James Toney

Junto Nakatani – Ricardo Lopez and Adonis Stevenson

Boots Ennis – Mark Too Sharp Johnson, Roy Jones and Terence Crawford.

Shakur Stevenson – Floyd Mayweather, Ivan Calderon and Erislandy Lara

Tank Davis – Naseem Hamed, Zab Judah and Mike Tyson

If someone currently were to attain GOAT status…. Hmmm… Who would it be and what would they have to do? I have about five names.

If Oleksandr Usyk were to return back to cruiserweight and unify again for a second time and retire undefeated, I think there would be a significant push for him to be the GOAT.

If Monster Inoue cleans out a few more names at 122lbs, unifies and becomes undisputed and Ring champion at 126lbs and gets a huge name fighter at 130lbs like say a Tank Davis and wins, he would have a serious GOAT claim.

If Terence Crawford dominates Canelo Alvarez at 168lbs, then goes back down and unifies at 154 or 160, his GOAT case would have substance.

If David Benavidez beats Bivol. Then goes after the best cruiserweights and beats them. Then somehow fights and beats Usyk at cruiserweight or heavyweight. Wowzers!!!

Fighters like Bam are on the right road. But he’s just too young and early in his career to start the GOAT claims.

Greetings. Every once in a long while, I draw a blank on a possible match up that could have maybe become a reality and wonder what if that fight transpired who would have won. I always come to a conclusion/settle the debate in my own mind, except on this one.(Carl Froch vs Kelly Pavlik) Just for fun, can you share your thoughts ? Shawn, from Michigan.

Bread’s Response: Froch and Pavlik were very similar fighters, it’s just that Froch had more longevity. You can hold their fights vs Jermain Taylor side by side. They’re the same level of fighter. If you make me pick, I would pick Froch. I think he has the slight edge in adaptability. But it’s a very even fight.

I'm sure you'll be getting a lot of messages about George Foreman in the wake of his passing this past Friday. I had some questions to put to you as some kind of way to pay my respects to him. Where do you rank Big George among the great heavyweights? Where do you rank him in general? I know you've talked about a fighter's best night vs their most important night... What do you think was Foreman's best night (I'm thinking either his fight with Frazier or Norton)? What was his most important night (I'm thinking either his fight with Moorer or Lyle)? Also, where do you rank Foreman's comeback among other comebacks? I feel like it has to be the greatest of them all. What else can compare? He was 45-2 when he walked away from the ring (I don't believe he ever officially retired), and then returns after a decade and goes on a 24-fight win streak before giving Holyfield about all he could handle (I know not all those opponents were the best of the best, but that's still impressive). Then, after coming up short against Holyfield and Tommy Morrison, he faces off against Michael Moorer, who was almost 20 years his junior. And he lays out a fantastic gameplan to take back the title he'd lost 20 years before at the age of 45. I feel like sometimes we hear inspirational stories like this so often that they lose their power, but it's really insane when you step back and look at it again. So again I ask, what else can compare? Also, last thing, I feel like more people should be talking about the entertaining battle of wills that was his slugfest with Ron Lyle. If ever there was a fight that exemplified ‘Who wants it more?’ that has to be at or near the top. I mean, I rewatched that fight after hearing of Foreman's passing. I watched those punches that folded Lyle and I could just imagine Foreman thinking to himself, “Just go down already!” Greg K.

Bread’s Response: You know I always thought George Foreman was the greatest living heavyweight. Some people gave it to Larry Holmes. But I gave Foreman a slight edge. The Moorer win separated them for me. I think Holmes matches up well with Foreman head to head and he may have been able to beat him. But overall I think Foreman was a more dominant fighter, had better wins and he could beat more elite heavyweight overall in history. 

Ali and Louis are one and two for me. Then, after them, some have Jack Johnson. I don’t argue hard against Johnson but the styles were not modernized in Johnson’s era so it’s hard to assess. After that there is a roadblock. Personally I have Foreman in the slot. So Foreman is either the third or fourth best heavyweight ever for me. I have Foreman over everyone not named Ali or Louis with Johnson up in the air.

Foreman’s best night was either Frazier or Norton. Take your pick, but when you watch the video, you know you’re watching the most destructive fighter in history. Deontay Wilder has a great step in from long range right hand. 

George Foreman has a jab that can KO you, and uppercut with either hand that can lift you off the canvas, a sweeping hook that can give you whiplash, a right hand that knocks you out cold, and his whipping body shots are gut-bubbling. Watch the Norton fight closely. Before the KO barrage, Foreman was paralyzing Norton with body shots.

Foreman’s most important night was the Moorer fight. That fight took him from an ATG fighter, to an immortal. 

When we talk about great comebacks, names like Ali, Leonard and Pep get mentioned. But we really don’t have anything to compare to a man who left boxing for a decade and won his titles twenty one years apart. What also makes his comeback so special was it took him seven years to win the title after he came back. As I type this, I think Foreman’s comeback may be the greatest comeback in the history of all sports. I’m trying to think of something that can compare and I really can’t. Considering the amount of time and the difficulty of the eras he competed in, Foreman's success is unparalleled in history.

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