The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen "Breadman" Edwards tackling topics such as former two division champion Demetrius Andrade, the Canelo vs. Golovkin trilogy, heavyweight contender Joe Joyce, undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, and much more.

Hey Bread - It's always sad to see your favorite fighters age. Knew that GGG would be up against it in the trilogy vs. Canelo, purely due to age, but what a disappointing performance. Albeit, I'm happy he didn't get knocked out...Canelo probably could've pushed harder for the KO in the middle rounds...though, playing the hypothetical game never gets anyone anywhere. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on GGG's gameplan, specifically. I was listening to a lot of Banks' interviews before the fight and it seemed like he was very confident in their gameplan heading in. From what I could tell, he was preparing GGG to fight off the back foot and let his hands go for 12 rounds.

Obviously that didn't really happen, at least not until much later (too late) in the fight, and its clearly up to the fighter to go out and execute the gameplan...but what was the disconnect? Did nerves take over? Did GGG get in the ring, feel Canelo's power at 168, and go into survival mode? Or was it as simple as GGG could not let his hands go bc his reflexes have slowed too much to survive counters? I saw a lot of "GGG can't pull the trigger anymore" commentary the night of the fight but I left w/ the impression that GGG just didn't WANT to pull the trigger. Like he was too scared of what could come back at him if he did. W/ 2 children back home and his blunt awareness that "one punch can change a man's life," I wonder if GGG prioritized becoming a boxer later on in his career vs. continuing on as a stalker/hunter b/c he felt a responsibility to his family. Admirable, but a possible explanation as to why he looked so timid in this fight? Interested in your thoughts on this.

And, before I forget, for as disappointing as I felt GGG looked in this fight, I believe Canelo may have slipped a step or two, too. The recent trajectory of Canelo reminds me of GGG's path earlier in his career, ironically. Canelo became a killer at 168. Part of that was matchmaking, another part of it was that he just brutalized his opponents. At one point (after moving up to 168), I think the perception around Canelo was that he was invincible...kinda like GGG when he was calling out Martinez, Cotto, and Canelo (when Canelo was still at 155 and such). Then GGG fought Kell Brook and, even tho he broke Kell's eye socket and won that fight, the air of invincibility around GGG disappeared. The Daniel Jacobs fight reaffirmed that notion. And, after that, more and more people lined up to fight GGG because he looked beatable. I get the same feeling here re: Canelo. Bivol punctured the balloon and not finishing GGG (when he likely could've) reaffirmed that Canelo may struggle moving forward. I think he should really be careful with who he fights moving forward. If he chooses a hungry, live dog, he might be in for it. Just what I see. All the best, 

Bread’s Response: Jonathon Banks is a very good a trainer and he was confident in his charge. All game plans are meant to work. I’m sure GGG gave him reason to be confident in camp. But the game plan requires execution on fight night. The issue for GGG v Canelo is Canelo is a bad match up for GGG’s natural style of imposing himself on opponents. Canelo reacts quicker, his hands are faster and he punches in extended combinations. 

So after that is factored in you have two more tangible qualities to assess. Does Canelo have the chin to hold up? Yes. Next you ask does he have the stamina? That’s a tough question but I would say that’s what GGG should attack. Canelo’s stamina.

 So how do you attack a fighter’s stamina. Make him work out of their comfort zone. You see where I’m going? In the 1st fight GGG was able to make Canelo work out of his comfort zone. And it’s why most people thought he won. By the time they got to their 3rd fight, he just couldn’t push Canelo for 12 rounds anymore. Now we have to ask why? Well you have to be willing to push. You have to willing to take punishment. You have to be willing to hit Canelo in the body. You have to be willing throw a high volume of punches. All the while chancing getting ko'd. I don’t believe GGG lacks heart. I believe he lacks tenacity at 40. 

40 yr old fighters who have scored big victories have had laid back, energy efficient styles for the exception of Manny Pacquiao over Keith Thurman. No one has ever had to fight the fight GGG would have had to fight in order to beat Canelo at 40. I don’t want to micro analyze. Because age is a real thing. Sometimes your mind can want to do something and it just can’t. I guess there is always a reason but I’m going to sum it up as age. 

GGG was taking for ride because these fights with Canelo were spread out over 5 years. GGG didn’t get into the big fights overall until he was 35. His prime was actually in Germany, litigating. But that’s life. 

For context Carlos Monzon and Marvin Hagler are similar to GGG in terms of ability and style. Monzon struggled with Rodrigo Valdes twice then he retired at 35. Now imagine if Monzon would have stuck around and had to fend off a prime emerging killer like Marvin Hagler who was waiting in the wings. 

Marvin Hagler was 32 when he last fought. Now imagine if Hagler sticks around after 1987 and he has to fight Michael Nunn, James Toney, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank or Roy Jones who all emerged by the late 80s or early 90s. Now just think. That’s what GGG did. He took a crazy hard HOF tussle vs a ATG fighter in Canelo who is 8 years younger. 

In defense of Banks he was attempting to do what no other trainer in history has ever done. Win a fight with a non heavyweight, that had to fight a high energy pressure fight at 40. GGG just can’t do it. Often times fighters evolve to more energy efficient styles because they lose VICIOUSNESS. As you age you become less mean. These things are facts. Joe Frazier was done at 33. Marvin Hagler retired at 32. Julio Cesar Chavez was done at 34. Henry Armstrong retired at 33. Rocky Marcinao retired at 32. All of these fighters had GGG qualities. GGG is 40.I have always said and I stand by it. Fighters in this era take TOO long to ascend. We see too many fighters at the elite level past their best days without recognizing it. 

A man usually reaches his physical peak in his early 20s. So in a skill sport like boxing, I would assume that the physical and mental peaks cross at maybe 25-30. Obviously everyone is different. Some have less wear and tear. Some can sustain it longer. Some hide it with tangible and intangible qualities they can count on. Some hide it with matchmaking. But no one is at their best at 40. They may can sustain their high level but no one would rather be 40 than 28. GGG is 40. So if he continues, he has to fight fighters he can lay back and bludgeon with his jab. It’s that simple. Similar to where Big George Foreman was when he came back. George couldn’t really press the issue. But because of his chin, toughness and jab there were guys he could beat. 

So again Team GGG is going to have to do a good job of matchmaking from this point on. And yes you’re correct on Canelo. Everyone will fight Canelo tough from here on out. I expect him to literally be fighting for his life in the ring. I expect controversial decision wins. And possibly 2 or 3 more losses if he continues. All of the top guys from 160-175 are life and death with him right now. Charlo, Andrade, Benavidez, Munguia, Beterbiev, Bivol and Ramirez. Out of those fighters I would pick Munguia. If I had any fighter to pick next for Canelo, it would be Chris Eubank. Not that Eubank is easy but his boxing ability is not on par with those other guys. High level boxers who can win rounds vs Canelo at this point will require him to a push a pace that he can’t at this point.

Short and easy this week bread. Does Joyce beat AJ at this point and how about Usyk with the style he employed vs Parker? Serrano had a come back to earth performance vs Mafoud, I'd thought she knock her out, maybe she should go back up to 135 carry more power. How do you see the following fights Mayer vs Serrano at 130-135? Kell Brook (2016-17) vs Thurman (2016-17)? And lastly Adonis Stevenson vs Kovalev 2013-2014? Peace and God bless. 

Bread’s Response: Joyce is all wrong for Joshua. I hate saying that because I’m a big Joshua fan. But Joyce is a monster. He’s much better than he looks. Only 3 men have a shot at beating him at this point. Fury, Usyk and Wilder and none of those fights are easy. 

Joe Joyce is a mix of Antonio Margarito and George Foreman. His stamina is elite. He’s physically strong and sort of oddly athletic, he does back flips. His punches STICK to the target. He’s mean and crazy. His chin is a CHIN. “They” can say what they want but no one is going to line up to fight him. If you can’t hurt him, he takes you to a place of DARKNESS and you question is it really worth it. The fighter who beats him will not only have to be physically gifted but extremely mentally tough. 

I would take Brook by a razor close decision. I think Kovalev and Stevenson would both take turns ko'ing each other over a series of fights.

Greetings Mr. Breadman, hope you're doing well.

What's your outlook for 2023 in the following divisions: Lightweight: With Loma back, Shakur moving up and Tank and Garcia running out of tune ups, it'll possibly see the most action. Devin won't likely move to 140 with so many lucrative fights at 135. Do you think we could see any marquee matchup apart from Loma-Haney, which is most likely guaranteed? Super middleweight: Canelo is taking an year off possibly more and even after his return, he'll likely fight Bivol. What do the rest of the division do? Light heavyweight: Bivol, if he wins against Zurdo, could fight once more before fighting Canelo at the end of 2023. But what about the undisputed fight with Beterbiev, the time is ripe for that fight and we don't know how many prime fights Beterbiev has left. How do you see that division? Super Bantamweight: Inoue will be undisputed at 118 when 2023 arrives. Will we see Inoue-Fulton at 122 or an undisputed fight between Fulton and Akhmadaliev. Lastly Heavyweight: The undisputed between Fury and Usyk is the most desired. Joshua vs Fury looks unlikely, Team Warren doesn't look serious about it and Fury will likely take a stay busy with Manuel Charr. We will most likely see an undisputed HW champion in May or June and a rematch in November-December. The interesting part is the contenders, we got Joyce, Wilder, Joshua and Ruiz. Which fights between those four do you see happening?

Regards, Zigishu.

Bread’s Response: At 135, I think we see Tank vs Garcia. Not sure if it will happen in 2022 or 23 but I think it happens. Too much money to not happen. I think Shakur Stevenson will pick off some top guys, just to insure a title shot. Stevenson is a guy who really doesn’t need exquisite matchmaking because you have to adjust to his style. I can see him just picking off contenders until Haney vs Loma is done. I would suppose Loma gets 1st dibs vs Haney. I also think we will see Frank Martin in a big fight at 135lbs. He seems strongly endorsed by Errol Spence which counts for a lot. And let’s not forget Rolly. Rolly is too marketable to not get a big fight. I don’t know if it will be at 135 or 140 but Rolly will get a big fight.

I’m not sure what will happen at 168. But I think the WBC will elevate David Benavidez’s status to full champion. I think Jermall Charlo will move up to 168. I believe Caleb Plant will reemerge. 

I think Beterbiev will fight in an undisputed fight. Not sure against who because Ramirez is live vs Bivol. But Beterbiev is a guy who can fight anyone.

I think we see Fulton vs MK. Not sure of Inoue. He’s small for 118. Moving up to 122lbs will have to be a contemplated decision on his team. Of course we will see huge fights at heavyweight. I’m guessing out of Usyk, Wilder, Fury, AJ and Joyce. We will get 2 fights out of that quintet.

Hi Bread,

Thoughts on Joyce's win vs Parker? I think Big Joe is a tough out for anyone. Granite chin. And his punches don't seem special but thud, a bit Foreman-like. His punch output is also so high for a HW too. How does he fare against Fury, Usyk, Joshua and Wilder? I think he stacks up well against AJ personally and might be too intense. Fury might be too cute for him with his footwork. I think he may overwhelm Usyk with the size difference and busy-ness. And Wilder is a case of whether or not he can withstand the bombs as it's obvious he would connect. Time isn't on his side - I hope he gets a well earned shot next year while he's hot.

Keep up the great work,

Joe from London

Bread’s Response: Joyce hurt Parker bad. That was a beating. Parker showed big heart but he was depleted by the ko. I think the UK heavyweight scene is in a Golden Era. Joyce is a newest member and he needs to be dealt with.5) What’s up bread .long time reader first time writer. I love how you dissect boxing and give fighters their props .I haven’t saw you be bias to anyone and in this day of false narratives that’s refreshing.

My question to you is where would Floyd Mayweather rank all time if he were to come out of retirement and beat the winner of Spence vs Crawford? Would that along with his current resume put him over Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali?

Bread’s Response: Beating the winner of Spence vs Crawford would make Floyd Mayweather the BEST and GREATEST fighter to have ever lived. No welterweight in history has even sniffed coming back at the age of 45 and beating a P4P #1 fighter in his old division. It would be so huge the media wouldn’t be able to quantify it. We would be looking at the greatest WIN in boxing history by an undefeated fighter who is 45 years old and has been retired for 5 years. 

Hello Breadman ,                            

I just watched the Nunn Toney fight with the sound off . It looked like Nunn was doing good in the early rounds . But Toney was just relentless. I could not believe how violent this fight was . Probably the best action packed fight I have ever seen. Just viscous punching , just unreal boxing . After watching the Canelo GGG sparring , these two guys would cripple Canelo and GGG . Just two different classes of fighters . The left hook that Toney threw late in the fight was just beautiful , awesome punch . Just admiration for both men .                            

My man Canelo says his left hand was hurt , GGG did not throw his right much . Neither man looked much for wear . GGG looked much worse after the SD fight . For someone looking to KO GGG , Canelo never pressed it. The odd thing I took from this fight , if two of the judges had scored just one more round for GGG we would have had a majority draw . The ninth round, GGG best round, two of the judges scored it for Canelo. It is hard to make sense of this , Canelo won easily . Have you ever looked at a MM fight between Toney and Hagler . James Toney was awesome , But so was Marvelous . Please give us breakdown on this one .  

Thank You                                                                                

J.B.

Bread’s Response: Toney vs Nunn was such a classic fight. Toney did such a great job staying WITH it, while Nunn was scoring points and winning rounds. He never let Nunn get anything easy. Classic fight of boxer punchers. This is the fight that I look at and I see a way Toney could have beaten Joe Calzaghe.

However, I don’t think Toney and Nunn dominate GGG and Canelo. GGG and Canelo are LIVE in any era. Toney and Nunn were great but they weren’t invincible and both lost to fighters, that GGG and Canelo are better than. Best day for best day, those are all tough fights.

Hey Bread.

I messaged back in April (pre Canelo Bivol), regarding Canelo not being p4p no.1, and not having the dominance of previous genuine p4p super middles, Roy Jones, Ward, even Joe Calzaghe. For me Canelo has never been that p4p no.1 guy, as great as he is, he's always seemed beatable, close decisions etc and I sometimes believe people get mixed up with p4p, the p4p guys put real distance between themselves and the pack, they never look like losing, they barely lose rounds. I know its opinions but that's how I've always perceived p4p, the likes of Roy, Floyd, Ward, Loma and currently Crawford. These guys go on years of runs barely losing rounds. At any point have you personally had Canelo your no.1 p4p and what's your personal interpretation of p4p?That brings me to the next one up, Shakur (who I also mentioned in April being the next generation fighter). How do you think fights with Tank, Loma, Devin, Garcia play out/result and who troubles him most? I'm thinking Shakur UD's across the board, clean sweep but Haney (best jab in boxing in my opinion) runs him close. Also, we're all eagerly waiting on your spence Crawford pick. From what I'm reading in your column recently, people are thinking close fight. I don't see it, Spence be competitive first 4, but Bud's adjustments will take over leading to a late stoppage (best finisher in the game) or UD like the TRUE p4p should, in my opinion.

Joe, UK

Bread’s Response: I disagree with your opinion. The P4P #1 fighter doesn’t have to be as dominant as other P4P #1 fighters. He just has to be the best of HIS era. Your opinion is your opinion. But if you think about it, it doesn’t make sense. So you’re saying because Canelo was not as dominant as Roy Jones or Pernell Whitker he couldn’t be P4P #1. Well someone has to be #1.... Rather it be by a large margin or small margin there is a #1.

My definition of the P4P #1 fighter is the fighter who would beat the most people if everyone were the same size. I also factor in their resume and who they did it against. And the eyeball test. It’s simple but fans and media make it complicated.

At his peak I had Canelo and Crawford as a 1a and 1b type of thing. I slightly leaned Crawford if my arm was twisted but I respected Canelo’s status because his resume was better. So that’s why I had it pretty much even. But I thought Crawford would beat him if they were the same size, Crawford didn’t have any controversial outcomes and the positive PED test for Canelo allowed me to give a slight edge to Crawford.

Shakur is going to be tough to beat. But I don’t know if he will be as dominant at 135. This will be his 3rd weight division. The fighters will be bigger and better. Also top coaches will have a chance to observe his style. I am a big Stevenson fan but you have to take into consideration most fighters are not as dominant in their 3rd division as they are in their 1st. Crawford is an anomaly being just as good at 147 as he was at 135.. But Crawford is a better puncher than Stevenson has shown. 

Stylistically Shakur would give Loma and Tank fits. It doesn’t mean Tank and Loma can’t beat him. But because they fight at a closer range, and Shakur pulls out of range as good as anyone in history, it would be a tough task. Haney and Garcia are tougher fights stylistically because they can score at range. Both have elite hand speed and elite jabs. They may even force Shakur to press them. Again this is NOT a pick, I’m just talking styles.

So I've noticed when someone asks you about Golovkin, you mention he has stamina issues due to years of training camps in high altitudes. This has struck my curiosity and I've been meaning to ask... how does that work? I thought high altitude training was supposed to be beneficial for stamina. Does it have to do with wear and tear? Could you explain it to me? I'm curious to understand more about this. Greg K.

Bread’s Response: From my research training in high altitude is fine. It’s where you sleep. Sleeping at sea level AFTER high altitude training is ideal. So yes you will have benefits from the high altitude training but after a while sleeping there will screw up the recovery. 3 fighters come to mind who had compromised breathing patterns in certain fights. All 3 trained in Big Bear. All 3 were great fighters. Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and now GGG. I don't believe it was a coincidence.

God bless Bread,                              

Hope you and the family are all doing well. Wanted to discuss and ask you your opinion on the Shakur Stevenson controversies this week. First on not making weight and him declaring his Puerto Rican roots. On the weight issue Shakur has been declaring over a year now that he wont be around the Jr light weight division for very Long . He is a 25 year old man now and the body just couldn't make the weight anymore.  I can't understand how some boxing so called fans or trolls just cant comprehend. Also he received a lot of hate and vitriol due to wanting to honor his father and Puerto Rican roots. Some people seem to forget most Puerto Ricans have African ethnicity in our blood and we are proud of it! Puerto Rican boxing fans embrace their fighters with love and respect and we will do the same for Shakur. Also who do you think would be his best match at Light weight? Thanks for the mailbag and many blessings. 

Bread’s Response: Maybe Shakur just couldn’t make 130lbs anymore. I don’t know him well enough to say what happened. He used to fight at 126lbs, he moved up to 130lbs and now he will most likely move up to 135lbs. Maybe he’s growing. I can’t say. I don’t want to call him unprofessional because sometimes you just can’t make the weight and that was his 1st time doing it. So let’s just see how his career plays out. I do wish he could’ve stayed at 130lbs a little longer to establish his legacy there because I think he had the ability to challenged Floyd, Chavez and Arguello as the best ever at 130lbs had he been able to rack up a few more defenses but there is BIG money at 135lbs. Haney, Garcia, Loma, Tank, Cruz, Rolly, Martin, Zepeda etc etc are all at 135lbs. Hopefully they mix and match and we get the fights.

It seems that Spence vs Crawford is off. If the fight is supposed to be November 19th, there is no way they wouldn’t have made an official announcement by now. Mike Coppinger got it wrong, yet again. What do you make of this? You seemed confident that the fight would get done. Who’s at fault and where do both go?

Bread’s Response: I really don’t know if Coppinger got it wrong or not. I assume he has a credible source and he reported what he was told. Maybe it was a GO when he reported it and things changed. Coppinger is an influential boxing figure and I know he didn’t want to get it wrong. So let’s just be patient.

I agree with you that something is holding up the OFFICIAL announcement. But what and who, I don’t know. We all have to be patient and let them figure it out. The last thing I will say is it’s not about FAULT. It’s about RESPONSIBILITY. It’s Errol and Terence and their team members responsibility to figure it out and get the fight done. I still believe they will.

Hello Bread, I trust this reaches you in swell spirits. I'll kick off with the famous - "you're blowing it son?" and the statement by Virg to Andre Ward against Kovalev "you went down but you're gonna stop him", "we need this 3 rounds, we can't get another one". The context I want you to help me answer this question is to what degree does a trainer decide a boxer's defining fight/career and with the Mike Tyson comeuppance, somewhat, after the death of Cus, do you see this playing a deciding role in the much anticipated EJ v Bud match up? I feel like both guys are gonna be the true test of the other's greatness when all is said and done, unless one or both of them go ahead to do stellar stuff afterwards. What/How do you see their respective trainers influencing their man on fight night? God bless you chief. 

Bread’s Response: Angelo Dundee inspired Ray Leonard to that win vs Hearns. Virgil Hunter was marvelous in exalting Andre Ward to that victory ovr Kovalev. I spoke with Virgil the day after the fight and he was fatigued himself. Trainers matter. They have peaks where their minds are the sharpest and their creativity is at the highest. You think they don’t……Why do you think fighters statistically change trainers more after a loss than they do wins. 

I’ve been around many types of trainers. I’ve been around trainers who are knowledgeable but they can’t get you in shape. I have been around trainers who can get you in shape but they aren’t knowledgeable. I have been around everything in between. I have seen trainers who don’t make you worse but they don’t make you better. I have seen trainers who can only train one style. I have been around trainers who get the most out of every fighter. As a trainer it’s insulting when someone says trainers don’t matter. I’ve even heard fighters say it, and I wonder why those fighters don’t just train themselves.

Dundee and Hunter were big parts of their charges wins and they deserved credit.

I think Derrick and Bomac have huge influence on Errol and Terence. I can’t say who will have the most influence because it depends on how the fight is going. 

I’m a big Demetrius Andrade fan. I feel he is the Winky Wright of this generation. He is avoided at all costs. So it bothers me to see his name dragged through the mud for doing something any fighter of his caliber would do. In case you missed it, Andrade pulled out of the Zach Parker fight again. This is, of course, after the second purse bid only guaranteed him $183,000 to fight. The purse bid for the same exact fight last year (prior to Andrade being injured) would have guaranteed him $1,192,132.50.There is no one who would do the exact same job they signed up to do previously for 15-percent of what they were previously offered. His paycheck dropped by over a million dollars to less than $200k.I would advise him to not take that fight. I would tell him he was stupid if he decided to fight Parker for $180k. Yet all I see is constant criticism. People really expected Andrade to take a million dollar pay cut. Please tell everyone that Andrade did the right thing. I think it’s obvious but apparently I’m wrong. Or at least tell me why I’m wrong lol.

Thanks as always, I appreciate all you do!

Bread’s Response: I think Demetrius Andrade has HOF level talent. And he’s a super cool dude. But he’s not the Winky Wright of this generation. Wright fought Julio Cesar Vasquez, Harry Simon, Fernando Vargas, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey, Jermaine Taylor,Paul Williams and Peter Quillin. That’s 10 world champions. Andrade has not fought 1 in 14 years as a pro.  The closest fight he had towards that was against Jack Culcay who was a regular WBA champion. Again I don’t like to get into fault. But someone really messed up the public perception of Andrade. Who, I have no idea but he’s too good of a fighter for his career to have taken this sort of turn. It’s really a shame. How can this happen? Either he has had the WORST advice in boxing history or the WORST luck. 

For the record, I don’t believe every negative thing that has happened to him was on him and his team. He got screwed when Billy Joe Saunders tested positive for PEDS. But he also screwed himself when he didn’t fight Jermell Charlo who was his mandatory and he pulled out of the fight. Jermell has went on to have a better career than Andrade in terms of his accomplishments etc. But back in 2014 Andrade was more advanced than Jermell. He was older, he was a better amateur and Jermell had not come into his own like he is now. Andrade would have most likely defeated him in 2014. But we will never know because he pulled out. Whoever advised him, made a mistake. Andrade would have been the favorite. 

So now because Andrade is a dangerous opponent with ZERO big wins, guys like Canelo, GGG and Munguia get to avoid him on DAZN with ZERO persecution. Then Andrade vacates his WBO title at 160 with still no fights on the books at 168lbs. I don’t get that. I still say he should’ve fought his mandatory vs Janibek and made a deal with Top Rank. When a fighter is a difficult style and he’s a champion. It’s hard to force unifications. But you can appeal to other sanctioning body’s to be their mandatories like GGG once did when he was being avoided. I think Andrade should have done that with the WBC, WBA and IBF. If he even partially unifies he increases his appeal. But that didn’t happen either. 

Again, I think some of his criticism is warranted. Some of it is not. However, There has been an injustice towards him. The media attacks Andrade but Jaime Munguia could have fought him at 160 and Munguia just looked the other way. Munguia could’ve easily fought Andrade at 160lbs because the WBO installs their champion who has moved up as the #1 contender. That was an easy fight to make. They were both on DAZN. Munguia has been at 160 for almost 3 years, he’s still undefeated and yet still has decided to NOT for a title and you don’t hear a peep. He’s just beating non descript opponent after opponent. He has more fights than Andrade. He was also a champion at 154 but he’s basically ducked Andrade although Andrade was the champion. If the shoe were on the other foot and Munguia was looking to fight Andrade and Andrade avoided him, there would be outrage over it. Andrade vs Munguia is a big fight that would help propel both of their careers and there is no way Andrade would have been ALLOWED to not fight Andrade, if Munguia WANTED the fight. If Andrade has to EARN a Canelo fight, he could earn it by beating Munguia. Right……

On the other hand, GGG and Canelo are superstars. So they’re making Andrade sweat it out. Demetrius has to EARN the big fight like Winky Wright was willing to do and not play the victim no matter what happens, just fight if not Munguia find someone credible and don't stop until you find them. 

Winky fought killer fights his whole career, then on the back end of his prime he made huge money in PPV fights vs Tito Trinidad and Bernard Hopkins. Winky took some tough losses at the end of his career vs Paul Williams and Peter Quillin but he made huge money in his mid to late 30s. Demetrius has not made the money Winky did, because he didn’t take the fights Winky did in order to get to the money.  Some fighters are forced to EARN it a little more than others. Demetrius can’t worry about what other fighter did to get the BIG fights. He has to walk in his shoes and understand what he is. He’s a southpaw. He’s long. He has some pop. He has pedigree. He’s still undefeated. He can’t expect for anyone to just lay out the Golden Plate of Food for him. 

Again, recently his chance came back around that he didn’t take vs Charlo in Janibek. Janibek is with Top Rank and this could have been huge leverage for Andrade. He didn’t take it for whatever reasons. The difference is he’s older now, he less time to make up for his decisions.

I know people think Andrade would lose to Janibek. But I don’t believe that. I think Demetrius would beat him and shut up his critics. Janibek is a good boxer. But he’s no life taker. He’s not GGG of 2012. He’s not Loma of 2017. He’s also not a super power puncher, he’s actually more slick boxer than he is puncher. I think Andrade would confuse him and beat him by decision but we won’t know now. Hopefully Demetrius pulls it together because I like him. He’s a nice kid and an excellent fighter.

Bread long time no talk. Hope all is well with you and yours.  I want to talk Puerto Rican boxing for a moment. Us Ricans have been waiting for the next big star since the Trinidad and Cotto days. I had high hopes for Felix Verdejo, but after his motorcycle accident he wasn't the same and obviously now he is in prison. I'm not a big believer in Edgar Berlanga. His punches have always looked sloppy to me and his hands and feet are slow. He gets hit way to easy and I think he gets clipped eventually. This brings me to Xander Zayas. I think he could possibly be the next big one. What's your assessment of the kid so far? Do you think he's being brought along at the correct pace? He seems to have great skills in terms of combination punching, punch selection, and timing. I see a skill that is similar to Tito in that Tito would carry opponents fast. I feel like Zayas does the same. I do get concerned with his defense. He has a tendency to get complacent when he is having his way with an opponent. He's very young so he definitely has time to develop. Top Rank has a good reputation for developing Puerto Rican fighters, but how far away do you think he is from going from prospect status to contender status? - Chris from Chicago

Bread’s Response: I think Xander Zayas is very good. He has not blown me away just yet but I think he has a future. As long as he gets individual time with his coach so they can improve together and as long as he has those GREAT matchmakers at Top Rank with him I think he has a shot to win a world title. He’s 20 years old and he’s 14-0. He’s in a good place. With most of the top 154lbs over 30, Zayas can sort of wait it out and get better as they get older. 

I don’t think he will be fast tracked like Tito. Tito was special and a much bigger puncher at the same age. Remember Tito was a world champion at 20. This era is a little weird because fighters take longer to develop, yet they have LESS fights when they get to the top. Tito was already 20-0 and a world champion at the same exact age. So it’s just a different time. Cotto turned pro at 20 but he was fighting killer fights very early as a prospect. Olympic Gold Medalist etc etc. Again just a different scenario. Cotto and Tito were HOF and Tito is an ATG with Cotto being very close. Let’s just let Xander have his career and see where it goes. 

I can remember watching Verdejo and not seeing what everyone else saw. I honestly thought he was a front runner after he reached a certain level. Verdejo would panic if he couldn’t score an early ko and fall apart. Once fighters reach a certain level, the ring always tells the truth. It seems like Zayas is well grounded with a nice family. So he may be mature in his Come Too Moment. I don’t know, but I want to see. 

I also believe in Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler. I have only seen them miss with one prospect and that was Yordenas Ugas. All of the other ones they hit the nail on the head or the fighter didn’t pan out. I feel like if you don’t develop under Top Rank, with the exception of Ugas, you just weren’t good enough. They’re proven. 

Physically I think Zayas has long arms, good height and solid pop for his weight. He’s not a life taking puncher but he’s not feather fisted. He’s not a speedster but he’s fast enough. His defense needs developing but that’s the usually the last thing that develops so it’s not a big deal. I don’t know what type of chin he has but a chin is only good until it’s not anymore. He seems to be a good finisher. His jab is decent but he could use it more. He seems like he loves to fight and his conditioning seems to be on point for where he is. The issue I see is he’s outgrowing weight divisions very early. So it’s hard to get a gauge on where he ends up. Out of the top prospects near his weight division and age I think he’s close to the top but I rate Jesus Ramos over him and I have him about even with Joey Spencer. Xander has a future and I’m definitely looking forward to see his progression.

What do you think of Devin Haney’s claim that he is being slighted by the RING for not being in their P4P top 10? Do you think Haney is within his rights? Is he in your P4P top 10?

Bread’s Response: If I were a 4 belt champion at 23 years old in boxing’s best division I would feel as though I should be in the P4P top 10 also. There are about 15 fighters who have real cases to be in the P4P top 10. With 3 being in a class of their own Inoue, Crawford and Usyk. After them Haney is with the next group. Some are young. Some are older. But Haney has a real case. I don’t have an issue with anyone who has Haney in the top 10. I don’t have an issue with anyone who says he just missed it. My issue is with Lomachenko being rated so highly. Loma is 35 years old. He lost to Teofimo Lopez. He has not redeemed that loss. He hasn’t won a title since. 

I am a big Loma defender. I hate when people bring up he has 2 losses or he lost his 2nd fight. It’s ridiculous, he’s 13-2 title fights through 3 weight classes and he rarely took tune ups. But I honestly would favor Haney and Stevenson to beat Loma right now. I think Loma has been slipping every since he poured his heart and soul out vs Linares at 135lbs. Most of his fights since then have been grinding tough affairs and no one has seemed to notice he’s slipped. I didn’t have an issue with him being P4P #1 until he lost but he’s lost since to Teofimo Lopez.

I know that Haney beating Kambosos doesn’t mean he can beat Loma. But in terms of a ranking system it has validity. Haney is the #1 lightweight in the world. He beat the man, who beat the man. Him and Loma are in the same division. Haney has been asking for the fight since forever. If neither Loma or Haney was in the P4P ranking, I wouldn’t have an issue. But when I look at the list, Loma is the one fighter I see that I say he hasn’t regained his status in the ring to be ranked #6. Beating his last 2 opponents does not elevate him over Haney in my opinion. If he would have beaten Kambosos or avenged the Lopez loss then it would have.  But he didn’t.

So as of now, I have no issue with Haney’s stance. He’s a fighter and he has a right to feel how he feels. While we are on the topic, I think Shakur Stevenson, Tank Davis, Chocolatito, Stephen Fulton, Bam Rodriguez and Boots Ennis all have arguments to be on the P4P list and they aren't. I’m not saying all SHOULD be on the list. But they have cases. I like P4P overall. It quantifies greatness. But I think the voters wait too long to recognize new talent. Stevenson and Haney would both be even money or favorites to beat this version of Loma.

Send Questions to dabreadman25@hotmail.com