DAILY BREAD WEDNESDAY EDITION
By Stephen "Breadman" Edwards

Stephen: Interesting you primarily post comments from your diehard fan base. It's not a bad thing to post an opinion from someone who doesn't consistently agree with your predictions, or take on boxing. I listened to your video breakdown and agreed with several points you stated, however I predicted that Amir Khan would lose to Danny Gacia [which he did]. 

I predicted a late round knockout mainly due to the fact his cardiovascular conditioning appears to abandon him. So I'm one for two. My question for you is, can you explain to me why you stated that Khan has a "C" chin? I watched the bout, and was impressed by the way he absorbed flush right hands and left hooks for the majority of two rounds. He was hit in the mastoid process, and the sternocleidomastoid (1st knock down) which is the prime mover of the lateral muscle group. Make no mistake about it, he experience a brief period of unconsciousness. If you don't believe me watch the tape, pay particular attention to his eyes and left arm. For him to get off the canvas from a blow that obviously affected his sciatic nerve (longest nerve in the body, controls leg movement), tells me he takes a tremendous shot. For you or anyone else to make the mental mistake of saying he has a "C" level chin is egregious. I've written in a couple times, and I don't always agree with you, that's probably why you decide not to post my comments. I've watched your bag gain some popularity over the years, please don't be afraid of readers questioning your logic. It creates positive dialog. And another thing, by him getting up after a brief period of unconsciousness suggest he was in supreme cardiovascular conditioning, proving my theory of a low gas tank incorrect. You see, I can admit when I'm wrong. -- Ez, Charleston, SC

Bread’s Response: Take a deep breath Ez. Did you ever stop to think that I may not have post your comments because I received better ones and I didn’t have room to post yours? It makes for better rhetoric when someone can disagree with me. The fans love that…. Stop making yourself out to be the bad big wolf of mailbags.

Now….. Admit I am wrong about what?! Khan having a C- chin. Are you kidding? If you think Amir Khan absorbs a great shot then you are WRONG. He doesn’t. If you think other people will agree with you, start e-mailing other trainers, writers and so called experts, and tell me what responses you get.

Khan didn’t recover from the first shot. You are mistaking his heart for a chin. Khan has pride, heart and fighting spirit. Therefore when he is critically hurt, he keeps fighting like a SOB. Other guys who get hurt lay down and stay down because they don’t have the fighting spirit Amir has. But that’s not a chin!

Also just because Khan got up from a shot in the 3rd round, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have had stamina problems late in the fight. I can see you think you’re a scientist or something but let me let you in on a secret. A fighter who is in fantastic shape can get tired in a fight if he doesn’t relax or steal a rest by pacing himself correctly.

Khan fights so frenetic and impatient he causes himself to get tired at times. Of course he’s in excellent shape. I never dispute his conditioning. It’s his IQ. Did you notice how bad Tim Bradley was huffing and puffing after 4 rounds with Manny Pacquiao. Bradley was in critical shape. But he was so pumped up, he got tired prematurely and it took him some time to settle himself down. For all we know Khan could have done the same thing to himself against Garcia. Peace.


Where does Amir Khan go from hear on out ? his chin will not and has no hold the test of time. should he fire his trainer Freddie Roach for not correcting his mistakes after all this time ? should he re hire conditioner Alex Ariza ? what is next bread? another subject i want to touch on is Danny Garcia. who the hell does he think he is to be saying that victory was for all latinos ? oh really? just latinos? it wasn't for any other race? there goes his fan base including me. another thing is that all latinos do not support this guy because of his racist father. any chance he had to gain a huge fan base went out the door as soon as his scumbag father opened his ignorant pie hole. i know you wont post this bread because boxing is all politics. all corrupt. note to danny: if you want to gain fans, declare a gag order for your racist father because he is pure scum of the worst kind. fans like us need a voice bread, post this so that fighters can see that racism will not be tolerated in sports just like it wasnt when another philly fighter named hopkins called calzaghe a white boy. this is sickening.
joe
Bread’s Response: I didn’t get offended that Danny Garcia dedicated his victory to Latinos. He is Puerto Rican and he’s trying to build a fan base. He also dedicated his victory to Philadelphia and his family. That kind of stuff doesn’t bother me and it is totally different than Hopkins saying a white boy can’t beat me. I’m not saying you’re wrong for being offended; you have your rights to your feelings. But to me it was no biggie. The kid was emotional, he has ethnic pride and he shouted out his people…..

Khan has to go back to drawing board and fight a boxer first. If you notice it is extremely difficult to outbox Amir Khan. With his length, activity and combination punching I have never seen him outboxed. Call me crazy but I think Khan should fight the best fighters around his weight who aren’t big punchers. Say Tim Bradley. Khan could get it all back against Bradley and I’m not so sure he couldn’t beat Bradley. 


After watching the Khan vs. Garcia fight Saturday night it's clear that Khan got caught with a great left hook and 2 things that you have mentioned in mailbags happened. The first is that Khan got caught with his head out in front of his fight which you have spoken about before. The second is that Garcia caught Khan while he was punching which you also mentioned Garcia has great ability to do. First of all everyone knows that getting caught with a big shot while you are punching is devastating and it was disaster for Khan. I really thought Khan would win this fight and for a little while it looked like he was having no problems and on his way to a victory. I'm not writing Khan off because I like Khan, but man where does he go from here? Had he have won he would have been in line for a major fight in the fall. I really thought we'd see a Khan vs. Mayweather fight for the longest, but that seems to be out the window. Rematch with Garcia? I would think Khan's people would want to keep him away from anyone that has KO'd him. Roach needs to do a better job correcting Khan's flaws. Roach has done an amazing job with Manny's flaws, but I don't feel like he has improved Khan very much. Khan still fights in spots from time to time and his style looks like he's constantly doing wind sprints. Khan has super star appeal written all over him, but if his flaws aren't corrected he will be ruined before he's 30. The thing about Khan is that it's not very hard to stop him. Having a bad chin is one thing but Khan is the type of fighter that when he gets hurt it's pretty much over for him. I would be more confident in Khan moving forward if he had the type of toughness that lets say a fighter like Miguel Cotto has. Cotto gets rocked but is not that easy to stop. Antonio Margarito stopped him with loaded gloves but it took almost the entire fight for that to happen. Pacquiao beat him up and stopped him but it also took almost the entire fight to do that. Khan doesn't have the toughness that Cotto does, and it is easy to stop him. He will have to be matched very carefully going forward. Garcia just opened up alot of doors for himself. I wish Josesito Lopez wasn't going up to 154 because that would be a nice fight right there. What moves do you think would be good for Garcia pretty soon? I say he takes an easy title defense and then fights one of the big names at 140. A fight against Zab Judah would get him some nice exposure and I think it's a fight he could definitely win. As for the heavyweight division situation, David Haye can call out Vitali all he wants but he better be careful what he wishes for. Vitali is more of a killer than Wlad is and if he steps into the wring with Vitali he will get his ass handed to him. Other than that Wlad has no real challengers right now. The fighters that he did mention he'd like to fight are nowhere near ready for him. I guess he can chase the record for heavyweight title defenses and unify the titles once his brother retires.
Chris from Chicago
Bread’s Response: Danny Garcia is in the driver’s seat but they shouldn’t put Danny in with movers or stinkers. A consummate boxer who doesn’t engage can bother Danny because Danny is not a hunter, he actually likes for you to lead and punch with you. I would love to see a fight with Danny and Hank Lundy right here in Philly. Philly would be off the hook, with two action fighters going at it. Lundy is a tweener from 35-40 and I assume he would jump at the opportunity.


 
It was another exciting weekend of boxing this week because of Danny Garcia upsetting Amir Khan, and David Haye absolutely chinning Dereck Chisora. After a long and meritorious career, "The road warrior" Glen Johnson called it a day.
The results of this past weekend has inspired me to ask you some questions and draw some parallels\Analogies.
1: Great victory for Garcia over the better Khan, where do they both go from here? It is easy to be critical of Khan, but in my mind he is a true fighter who consistently has seeked the tougher challenges, and should be given a chance to atone for this loss. He being from Philly, you know more about him (Garcia) then me, and you know more about the sport in general, I didn't see a prediction from you this time, was it deliberate?
This fight reminded me so much of Bute vs Froch, where I felt the Bute clan was guilty of gross arrogance and were going about it the wrong way. On the other hand the Bute vs Froch situation reminded me of the Barrera vs Hamed situation of the early 2000's. Breadman, you got that one right, but I have to admit that that fight was one of my worst pick ever. Right there with me picking Chico over Floyd. (Thought Chico would be too big, which he was coming in @ 147 for a 130lbs bout on fight night but Floyd used it against him. Genius!)
Let me explain, I had watched Barrera's struggles vs Junior Jones where it seemed he couldn't slip a right hand to save his life. Then I see him officially lose a barnburner to El Terrible in the 1st fight of their trilogy ( I had Barrera slightly ahead, no complaints), then in the buildup Barrera promises to raise hell on Hamed and go after him. Honestly, I thought Hamed would catch him clean with a straight right like in the 4th round and that would be all she wrote, but no! Barrera comes out boxing and jabbing and totally throwing Hamed off who could never adjust and in the process shuts him out. Don't forget that @ the time, Barrera had been campaigning @ 122, and came up to 126 for the fight, and looking bigger than The Prince.
My plan for Bute after the Froch debacle, was that since he had pretty much cleaned out all the best second tier fighters and was criticised for it. He should have looked to fight an A. Abraham or R. Stieglitz in Germany for the WBO belt, and then if he wished go after Froch, although if I managed him I would have sent him after The Matrix.
An Abraham or Stieglitz fight would have restored him in the sense that those fights are absolutely winnable for him. With Abraham, he gains more credibility as he was a Super Six contestant. With Stieglitz, he becomes a titleholder again, and in both cases he wins on the road exorcising those demons.
Now the plan is a tune up, before a rematch with The Cobra. I believe that too be his desire, only I don't think his promoter will allow it, I know their history and the only way it happens is if Bute forces them into it somehow. Don't forget they never gave Andrade the direct rematch, he had to fight an eliminator vs Tsypko to get it. But since we're talking tune up how about your boy A. Green? Tall, lanky type, heavy handed, top level experience. Exactly what they claim to be looking for. If he was good enough for Kessler, why not Bute? Or K. Pavlik, that's right The Ghost?
If he wins those, or that, I think he should look to complete his Showtime deal vs The Matrix in a 50\50 affair. Then if he pulls it out, he is right back at the top and a rematch with Cobra or a meeting with SOG for all the marbles or M. Kessler wouldn't seem so farfetched. Especially if Ward takes care of business vs C. Dawson, which he should @ 168lbs. No disrespect to Dawson who is a fine fighter but style makes fight. Don't forget, Ward won a light heavy Gold medal in Athens in 2004. He has the strenght, skills, toughness. The Showtime deal completed he can sell any of those super fights to HBO and its new head K. Hersmann formally of Showtime and which they've had a working relationship, as he gave him that deal.
2: These boxing questions have led me to an NBA question for you. Too me, the LA Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been perenially bad, but I feel the Portland Trailblazers are just cursed.
Think about this, as I did in light of the recently completed NBA finals.
1972: With the 1st pick of a weak draft, The Blazers select Larue Martin ahead of B. Mc Adoo and Julius Erving (That's right). Martin never amounts to nothing and is out of the league within 5 years.
1974: 1st pick: They select Bill Walton, great pick and he leads them to a title in 1977, while becoming an HOF, and being selected as one of the 50 greatest players.
But before all those accolades, he gets the ring, the next year 1978, they are on their way to another title @ 50-10 when disaster strikes. He injures his ankle which was a reccuring theme for him for the rest of his career. Sues the team for medical malpractice as he claims he was pressured into a hasty comeback. Later traded to the Clippers.
1984: Probably the strongest draft ever, Portland's got the 2nd pick. Houston selects Akeem Olajuwon (Later added the H to his surname) with the 1st pick. Great pick. Portland goes with conventional thinking and elects to go big as they already drafted C. Drexler the year before. They pick S. Bowie directly ahead of M. Jordan and passing other greats like C. Barkley and J. Stockton. Worst ever, hands down! As Bowie has a long career mostly as a backup and is perenially injured while MJ becomes the GOAT.
Early 1990's: Portland is led by C.Drexler and is a perenial contender, never get over the hump, lose 1992 finals to the Chicago Bulls led by ... Air Jordan.
2000: Portland is well on it's way to the NBA finals, witha 15 point lead over the Lakers going into the 4th quarter. They collapse, and the Lakers go on to win it all. Great team defense by the Lakers.
2006: Solid pick, as they draft Brandon Roy who becomes an all star for them but has career cut short by bone on bone condition. retires shorltly after signing lucrative extension, then plots a comeback in 2012 with the... Minnesota Timberwolves.
2007: More conventional thinking as they think big and draft Greg Oden ahead of Kevin Durant. Evidently, G. Oden's career to date is marred by injuries while Durant flourishes as one of the best scorers ever.

Breadman, please let me know what you think? I know you have that B-Ball background. I value your opinion. Don't forget my mock matchmaking and your impression of my analogies? Is the Road Warrior HOF marerial now that the body of work is complete?

Thanks!
Bread’s Response: I made a pick in my video mailbag. Khan by decision, check it out.


Yes Portland is cursed. They have the worst luck ever. The Clippers more or less just suck but Portland seems to be more hexed.


 

Just wanted to comment on your mailbag and a quote you made.
"I would never say I thought a fighter was taking steroids if they haven’t failed a test or some concrete proof was out. But there are some strange circumstances surrounding Chavez Jr. Emanuel Steward even spoke on his last test and how no one saw Chavez, piss in a cup. I don’t know why Steward is not making a BIGGER stink out of this. There are also some whispers out about Chavez not really making weight in Texas. I don’t know what to believe but I hope VADA is involved in his fight with Martinez and I hope Vegas keeps a close eye on things. Let’s just hope for the best without accusing anybody of anything."
I just wanted to point out that the evidence is there that the guy is a steroid user. He's already been busted for using diuretics. As I am sure you know there are several things boxers or athletes use diuretics for; cutting weight, and or as a masking agent for steroids and to help flush steroids from their system. Also this obvious weight gain he has for fights and the ability to still be strong after the weight gain. Also remember 5 years ago how his body looked? No muscle definition, very lanky no real power or mobility. All of a sudden now he looks so physically strong, and athletic to boot. I think it's very suspicious that he's always fighting in Texas who has one of the most questionable commissions in the country; the dad the commissioner assigns his son to every major event as a referee and his sons company provides insurance for the bouts as well. A total conflict of interest. The fact that Chavez Jr wasn't tested in one of his bouts there(can't remember the opponent) and he already has a red flag for testing positive once(they only tested Vanes Martorosyan on the undercard), the commission and the WBC says he doesn't have to take a test etc. This guy is ONE BIG RED FLAG. I believe the evidence is there, and I am not one to accuse anyone of anything, and I feel you are the same way and an honorable person, I am just surprised you overlooked the fact that the guy already got busted.
Take Care,
KP
Bread’s Response: You know I stand corrected. Chavez Jr. did use a banned substance in the past. I actually forgot about that issue. And I agree about the questionable integrity down there in Texas. I hope Lou Dibella went ALL in protecting Sergio Martinez as far as testing goes in this fight.


 

What’s up Breadman! Just wanted to touch on a few issues and as always get your take:
First, I won’t say much about the Khan/Garcia fight. Except that your prediction of how the fight would play out was spot on. Also, I disagree with the stoppage only in that I would’ve like to see Bayless allow Khan to continue. Khan was conscious, and answering all of Bayless’s questions. To me, Bayless sort of “predicted” the outcome and called the fight. I do believe that Garcia would eventually knock him out but you never know. True, Khan’s legs were unsteady and it’s the referee’s job to protect the fighters. I get it, but normally the referee allows the fight to continue if the fighter is responsive and answering his questions. I e-mailed you before about this and you take the “high”, “professional” road in your responses but you should be on a big stage. From a legitimate business perspective, if I’m a top trainer, I’d make you an offer to serve as an advisor, co-trainer or in some capacity in order to aid my fighter. Your predictions are spot on for the most part and it amazes me when the fights play out EXACTLY how you predicted they would. That’s not luck, that’s skill and a trained eye.
Second, me and a buddy of mine saw Glenn Johnson’s last fight LIVE at the UIC Pavilion. I made the drive up from Ohio and my buddy who is from Chicago met me there and we went to the fight. 2nd row seats to see Glenn’s last fight!! It was a great atmosphere and a pleasure to see Glenn stand toe to toe with a young strong fighter 20 years younger! Glenn who is always classy and respectful said he still knows what to do in order to win, but doesn’t have the physical ability to sustain it. My question to you is: Is Glenn Johnson a 1st ballot Hall of Famer? Hall of Famer at all? Are his wins against RJJ and Tarver enough to put him in? I hear 8/9 of his first 11 losses were clear robberies. He’s earned the respect from fighters and the media alike. Do you think that will play a role in his inclusion/non-inclusion?
Been meaning to write in to you about Nonito. In his last fight, he looked “heavy” (as heavy as one can be at 122 pounds!). He’s talking about moving up to 126 and I’m not sure he can handle the weight much less the bigger, top-notch guys at 126. Currently, do you buy into him ducking Rigondeaux? It doesn’t appear as if Nonito is in a rush to fight Rigondeaux or Mares. What say you? Finally, I’m super excited about the Ward/Dawson fight. I considered buying the fight before I realized it’s being televised on HBO. On paper, it’s the best fight of the year thus far. Right now, it’s a 50/50 fight to me but if my arm were twisted I’d pick Dawson. I reserve the right to change my mind several times before the fight and I know you’ll wait until right before the fight to make your official prediction. However, under the guise of the mythical matchups you often predict, who do you favor as of today and why?
Always appreciate reading your work. Take care.
Micah
Bread’s Response: Thanks Micah I appreciate the kind words. I actually landed two jobs working with top fighters after my prediction. Hopefully things blow up for me.


As for the Ward/Dawson fight let’s get closer to the fight and I will do a full video breakdown. You will be interested to hear my take on the fight. But I have too much respect for Andre Ward and Chad Dawson and Virgil Hunter and John Scully to predict this early. I want to see the fighters closer to the fights and find out how the camps are going. As you know every camp is not the same.


 

 

Props to you on your latest mailbag about the Khan/Garcia fight. You had some excellent points. Namely talking about the footwork and stance of Khan or someone who is flawed in their attack, versus PBF or a Lopez type. Spot on my man. I though Khan started well but I was watching the fight with a buddy of mine and I told him in the 2nd half of the 2nd round that Khan better be careful because Garcia is loading up during exchanges. But truth be told, I was very surprised Khan wasn't leading to the body, especially when he had Garcia flinching at times early on. Oh well, like you said, nobody is perfect. Believe it or not, I'd still pick Khan over Bradley. Again my man, great mailbag.
Peace to you and yours,
Steve
Twin Cities, MN
Bread’s Response: I am going to shut up about Khan and Bradley. People may call me crazy. But if I was Khan that’s exactly who I would fight.

 

 

Hey bread really enjoy your excellent work. Keep holding it down.  I just got my ticket to A Ward vs C Dawson.  I'm torn between the Two I really like both Guys. Especially Ward & Escobedo, I've followed there career since turning Pro. I've meet Dawson and he's truly the people champion, very humble type dude. Being from Sacramento. 
would be rooting for my home town fighters.  Why is there not much talk of Escobedo vs Broner ? Are people really thinking Escobedo is being fed to the lion ? Just wondering what your set of eyes sees. I do not see much room for him. Broner is just that good.  I actually work with his bro, he and I are always talking boxing. Thanks for your time brother B.
 
I'll take your response anyway u want.
Bread’s Response: At one time people were making a big deal out of Escobedo. He’s a solid fighter but he doesn’t have the genetics to beat Broner. I’m not sure Broner stops him but he’s too fast and accurate to lose to Escobedo. The key to a stoppage would be if Broner commits to the body, if he tries to just pot shot Esobedo is tough enough to survive. Sorry I know that’s not what you want to hear but…..

 

Hey what's good Breadman.. Just wanted your opinion on this.. Does the Bernard Hopkins of the late 1990's / early 2000's beat the current day Sergio Martinez?
Bread’s Response: Yes. Hopkins is too dirty and smart.


 

Hey Bread,
You think Philly (and DC) produces the most quality pros of any city (not counting Vegas)…? How can your city or any US city compete with the volume and quality of Los Angeles? I would think LA’s got it hands down! Admittedly, like Vegas, there are a lot of transplants. I went by Wild Card once to peep the scene and thought I was back at Gleason’s in BK on a good day: Peter Quillen, Malignaggi, Sechew Powell, Ronson Frank, Danny Jacobs and a bantam named Khabir Suleymanov were all there. And there were at least 20 Latino/Mexican pros who probably slip back and forth between LA and MX. But I literally watched dozens of name fighters in a three hour time span train that day and about 15 current or former titlists. And this excluded Pacman, Khan and Chavez Jr, all of whom were floating around.
And that was just Wild Card. I made my way over to Maywood Boxing Club later than day and they had Ponce De Leon, Alfredo Angulo, Abner Mares, Charles Huerta, Freddie Hernandez and the list goes on. Drove about three miles to an adjacent town called Bell, where the Azteca Boxing Club is and watched Miguel Vazquez and Giovani Segura and a bunch of other serious cats train. Even though it was like boxing Candyland, as a NYer who would love to see the scene be stronger in my beloved city, it was a little depressing. The gym I go to in Manhattan, is so crowded for hours you can barely find room to shadow box, but not one top shelf pro. And it’s an actual boxing gym, not some Bally’s with a heavy bag.
ZL
Bread’s Response: Zach you proved my point. LA is the hotbed of boxing because of the weather, fights shows and location. But 80% of the fighters you named were not born or bred there, they go there to train. That’s the difference. Name me the guys who are actually FROM LA. Then I will name you 50 guys of the last 30 years from Philly and DC that are top fighters. Once you write the names down I’m telling you it’s not even close.

Send questions and comments to: dabreadman25@hotmail.com