Daily Bread Mailbag: Fundora, Canelo-Golovkin, Spence-Ugas, More

The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen “Breadman” Edwards tackling topics such as Sebastian Fundora’s win over Erikson Lubin, the career of Roy Jones, Canelo’s trilogy with Golovkin, Errol Spence vs. Yordenis Ugas, and more.

Man I legit feel bad for Lubin he took one tough fight too many. He earned his way back toward a title shot, just ran into a bad one. Fundora at 6’5 154 is a cheat code, it’s kinda annoying tbh, but hey he makes the weight. I’d love to see Harrison vs Lubin after Lubin takes a year or close to it off to recover. Harrison when switched on is a beautiful boxer to watch. Great fundamentals, him and Lubin actually. Those hooks and jabs Lubin threw when he had space vs Fundora were clean. With that being said who are the most 5 fundamentally sound boxers in the game today and who are the 5 most fundamentally sound boxers of all time?   

Peace 

Bread’s Response: The Vegas oddsmakers knew what they were looking at in Fundora. Although he struggled with Sergio Garcia. Although many thought he lost to Jamontay Clark. He was still listed at even money odds with Erickson Lubin. Lubin was viewed as a phenom 8 years ago when he turned pro.

A good friend of mine asked me should he bet. And I told him don’t bet. I told him to watch the fight and live bet. While I was leaning towards Lubin but it scared me to bet on him if Fundora could take his punches. I thought the fight would look like Margarito vs Cotto or Mosley vs Margarito.

Fundora makes the weight so we can’t complain. One day he won’t make the weight. Sometimes that can be a gift and a curse. No excuses. He’s a monster at 154 and he beat a tremendously talented kid, who was in dog shape and who’s career trajectory was on the line. Lubin really wanted and needed that fight. Fundora still won. Props to both men for putting on a show.

Tony Harrison looked excellent. He’s back in the mix. Harrison vs Lubin is a good fight. But here is the thing. What will Harrison do for the next year while Lubin heals? If you think about the context of your comment you will understand where I’m going. Harrison just got a big win. He can’t wait a year for Lubin. Most likely he’s going to want to fight before the year is out. He deserves it.

The 5 most fundamentally sound fighters currently: 

Monster Inoue

Errol Spence

Bud Crawford

Artur Beterbiev

Vasyl Lomachenko

Oleksandr Usyk

The 5 most of all time:

Joe Louis

Ezzard Charles

Ricardo Lopez

Floyd Mayweather

Salvador Sanchez

I saw on your last mailbag that Pacman was 1-2 fights away from having a legitimate case of being the best fighter ever. My question is does Chavez and Trinidad come close as well? Just think for a minute if Chavez beats Whitaker then takes and beats an up and comer young lion like Oscar or Tito (unfication fight for the IBF and WBC welter belts) then retires around 1994-1995 undefeated!!! Then about Trinidad if he beats Hopkins for all the middleweight belts and moves up to 168 and beats Roy Jones then retires undefeated…thanks

Bread’s Response: I actually did a mailbag many years ago on this exact topic. I named 7 fighters who had a shot if they had 1 or 2 fights. The fighters I named were Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Julio Cesar Chavez, Roy Jones, Manny Pacquioa and Floyd Mayweather. And I gave reasons.

So yes Chavez was on his way. If he beats Pernell Whitaker in September of 1993, he has the best win of the decade vs a legitimate ATG. If he beats Whitaker, does not lose to Frankie Randall in 1994, gets revenge like he did vs Meldrick Taylor in the rematch because of their first controversial fight. Chavez is in the mix. He could’ve vacated the welterweight title. He was always too small for welterweight. He could’ve taken some non title fights and fights vs top 10 level guys until he got to 100-0. And Chavez would be viewed as the best ever. He wouldn’t have even had to tangle with Tito or Oscar. Maybe a young Tzsyu in 1995-96 and that’s it. Think about it. 4 division titles. 100-0. Wins over Whitaker, Camacho, Taylor, Rosario, Maywweather and Tszyu. He’s 100-0 and his chin makes him look invincible. 

As for Tito again yes. Tito struggled vs Oscar in 1999. He moves up in 2000 and goes on a historic tear. If he beats Bernard Hopkins in 2001. And gets revenge on Oscar and makes it look like he just had a bad night in 1999. And beats Roy Jones he could’ve walked away and been on par as the greatest ever. It’s a long shot for Tito when you think about it because beating Roy Jones in 2001-02 would have been monumental for a fighter as small as Tito. Tito would have had to move to at least 168 and that would’ve been a stretch. But he was one fight away from Jones. He had a hit list and he was x names off of his list. But a perfect fight by Bernard Hopkins stopped it.

Hey Breadman,

Hope you’re good.  Thought I’d get in early with a few questions spurred by last night’s Lubin/Fundora fight. First up, absolute banger of a fight.  It was something in your mailbag that piqued my interest to get up stupidly early for it (UK), and that was Fundora’s height.  He’s listed as 6’6! For a light middle! He certainly towered above Lubin at the weigh in who I think is around 5’11.  But let’s say Castano beats Charlo and then has to defend against Fundora.  Castano is not a big guy, listed as 5’7.  Would that be the biggest height difference you can think of for championship level boxing? Another that comes to mind is Haye Vs Value, but I guess that’s a bit different at heavy with no upper limit.  And secondly, as a trainer, how would you train a fighter for that kind of fight? I remember Haye’s trainer being on stilts and all sorts.  Would it be that or go for the body?  Fundora in particular is a strange one as he doesn’t seem to fight at range, but even so almost a foot in height difference is a bit crazy.

Thank you.

Bread’s Response: I would guess that would be the biggest height differential in division history. But Castano has a tall order vs Jermell Charlo. Let’s see what happens in that one.

Fundora doesn’t fight at range because his mind processes better up close. People want tall guys to fight at range but your talent dictates that more than your physical dimensions. There is a reason why fighters like Willie Pep. Pernell Whitaker and Floyd Mayweather are elite outside boxers. And tall guys like Fundora, Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams fought up close. Fundora doesn’t see well from the outside. I like the kid. He’s a monster and in no way is this as an insult. But he has very thick glasses.  He doesn’t have great reflexes. He doesn’t have good reaction time. And he’s a big target. Lubin’s outside right hook landed over and over. So Fundora gets up and close. He uses his stronger than it looks body to push and manipulate the hands. And his uppercut is directly at head level of his opponents. Fundora has adapted his style to his god given talent. He’s smart and despite his critics, I agree with him. He does what’s best for him to win.

If I were training a fighter to fight Fundora, there are 5 things we would concentrate on. One, would be physical strength. Being pushed around is fatiguing. Being moved off your spot is fatiguing. 

Two, would be endurance. Being able to recover quickly and fight him off of you. Because he’s so tall he’s going to touch you. You have to be prepared for that. He’s also mean with a good chin, so he’s going to come all night. 

Three would be defending the uppercut. He’s not going to stop throwing it. It’s an obvious and natural punch for him. But you have to defend and counter it. It’s a must.

Four, looping shots. He gets hit with big hooks and over hand shots because of his build and poster. Straight punches land on his body but not his face as often. You have to work on looping shots.

Five, lots of speed bag work. The speed bag is overlooked in boxing. But hitting the speed bag not only helps the handspeed but it increases the shoulder endurance as far keeping your hands up. 

He’s not unbeatable but whoever beats him won’t have an easy time. Fighters like Fundora usually have really high peaks before they decline. He’s 24. I expect him to look like this for another 2-3 years. It should be fun. 

Sup Bread, I have to say that the Lubin v Fundora fight was everything I love about Boxing. When you talk about heart and resiliency both showed it in spades. Lubin is still a gun for sure but Fundora is a problem for that division. His volume punching and uppercuts, chin and volume might make him the new boogeyman  You called it as a sure fire shootout and it was Antonio Margarito vs Cotto in the  though Lubin did hurt him.

This is one of those bouts  where I feel really bad for the loser because we know he would’ve kept fighting and he was up in the cards at the time of the stoppage. That beating he took will stay with him.

Kevin Cunningham stopping it reminded me of your call with Kyrone Davis vs Benavidez. Great trainers who have a bond with their boxers. Also as a trainer when you see a fighter lay on the ropes and fight against the gameplay inside like Lubin did do you just adjust to the way he’s fighting ?During the post fight interview I was even more impressed with Fundora because of his humility, poise and intelligence. What are your thoughts on this fight and a potential matchup against Charlo or Castano? Finally, GGG Is definitely a different diminished version of himself from the early 2010s and Canelo will stop him unless he finds a way to channel everything left in him for that one night

Take care, Aaron from Cleveland 

Bread’s Response: Kevin Cunningham did an excellent job. Team Lubin had a good gameplan. Cunningham called a good fight. He was telling Lubin the right stuff. It’s a shame that people threw ice at Cunningham after the stoppage. Everyone wants to be a critic but no one wants to walk in the shoes of the DOER. It’s easy to stand on the side and criticize. 

I was very impressed with Fundora. He’s extremely intelligent. Intelligence goes a long way in boxing as long as you’re not an overthinker. Fundora does not over think. When a fighter is intelligent and disciplined then he becomes very hard to beat. Listening to Fundora speak, I know he has it upstairs. For the next 3 years his peak will be fun. 

I was also impressed with GGG. He started out badly. Then he flipped his switch and took it to another level and scored a dramatic ko. GGG is a great fighter. He’s a HOF. He deserves his flowers. But I agree. Canelo is a tough fight for him at this time. 

Bread what’s going on? Do you think what’s going on in Russian and Ukraine could show up in the scorecards of fighters from those countries? I’m thinking maybe it could have an adverse effect on Bivol. Also, I know it’s a boxing mailbag, but do you have any cool stories about Wilt Chamberlain from the old heads around Philly?

Bread’s Response: I would hope that a Russian or Ukrainian fighter would not be penalized for the war in their respective countries. I don’t even want to think about it. My goodness that would be awful.

Wilt Chamberlain went to Overbrook Highschool. My mother and most of her siblings went to Overbrook. It’s a big high school in WEST PHILLY where many of the cities celebrities went to. Will Smith….Recently Julian Williams graduated from there. So a good friend of mines grandmother had a story about Wilt and his womanizing. The story goes that the girls in school used to love Wilt. And even in high school he had his pick. I don’t want to be graphic but according to the story, Wilt was that DUDE even in high school with the ladies.

Hello Breadman,                

I pray you and your family are doing well. I found what you said in your last  mailbag to be interesting. You said that Roy Jones is underrated. You have a very valid point  considering how people use to view him and  how they do now.  I was wondering why his losses seemed to be held  against him  while  Ali, Leonard, Tyson and others aren’t held against them. I think the reasons for that are  when Roy  lost he was at the top of his game.  With Ali ,Leonard and Tyson there was a gradual decline and you could see them becoming more vulnerable as time went on. When Roy beat Ruiz he  seemed invincible but then he had a tough fight with Tarver and then start getting destroyed by people. I mean brutally destroyed after he and the HBO marketing machine had convinced a lot of people he was other worldly   and like no other. The other thing that hurt his legacy is why he was failing badly his two peers who he had defeated start outdoing him. Toney and Hopkins were still going strong while he was declining. Toney beat Ruiz easily so that took some of the shine off of that victory and Hopkins beat Tarver with ease which made Roy’s troubles with Tarver even more perplexing to people.  The other thing is that Tarver and Johnson the two guys who started his decline were his age and not younger then him so he couldn’t blame his losses on Father Time.

If he had fought Benn, Eubank and others before his decline and won in a convincing  manner his legacy would have held up better but because he didn’t fight those guys it now appears  that he might have been leery of the challenges they presented with revisionist history. When Roy was riding high he rode real high but when he fell he fell hard. Kind of like  Humpty Dumpty.  So I agree with you assessment of Roy’s career being underrated but I also feel he bought it on himself by some of his career moves. It is not how you start the race but how you finish and people respect you more and  give you more leeway when they feel you are challenging yourself. The perception of Roy is that he avoided some challenges and whether true or not it has definitely hurt his legacy.                                                                                                                      

God Bless and take care,                                                                                                                    

Blood and Guts from Philly  

Bread’s Response: I agree with everything you said except the Father Time thing. Just because fighters his age started his decline, that doesn’t mean Roy’s decline was not because of Father Time. Roy’s abilities, quickness and punch resistance just failed him. It’s that simple. But everyone ages differently. He was 35 years old. He was good long enough.

I also wish Roy had at least fought 2 of the 3 HOF level Englishmen. Steve Collins and Nigel Benn were available. Especially Collins after he defeated Benn and Eubank. Collins was eager to make the fight. I have never blamed Roy for not traveling to face Darius Michalchewski. No American in history of Roy’s stature has ever been blamed for not traveling to take a such a tough fight. But I feel like the 3 Englishmen are fights that could’ve happened. Again, especially Benn and Collins. 

Benn after he defeated Gerald McClellan. And Collins after his great late career rally. Benn and Collins both fought big fights in the US previously. After Roy lost he started to travel abroad. He fought Lebedev, Maccarinelli and Greene on foreign soil. I believe in Russia or Australia. I never understood that because he didn’t travel during his prime. It’s why it’s so important to take certain fights in your prime.

However I still think Roy is underrated. Not so much from a ranking’s perspective but from a stature perspective. Roy has 9 losses. 8 of them came after he was 35 years old. Most of the greats ended like he did. His fall was drastic and I get that but his losses seem less forgivable than most of the greats. The great Ezzard Charles and Ike Williams had very similar ends. I also think the media waited on Roy to slip to sort of rub it in his face. Nevertheless, I think he’s probably the best fighter since a prime Sugar Ray Leonard of 1981. Only Pernell Whitaker and Floyd Mayweather could argue against it.

Hey Mr Edwards,

I ain’t written in for a while but I haven’t missed a single mailbag. It’s a staple. Firstly, congratulations to the winners over the weekend. Triple G won but I wish there was a way the trilogy could be stopped. With this version of Canelo and this version of Triple G, it’s carnage. Triple G has been too great a champion not to be saved from himself. Sebastian Fundora is for real. I don’t want to say he beats Jermell Charlo just yet, but clearly, Jermell can’t think it’s a walk in the park. But here’s the thing: if Fundora goes for Tony Harrison next, I would bet my house on him. I think Ryan Garcia is still a little bit of a way off the Tank fight. Right now, I have all my money on Tank. On to my real reason for writing in.

Sports, in general, is tough and boxing, in particular, is brutal. As well as being dedicated and disciplined in training camp and in the fight itself, a boxer needs to lead a Spartan life outside the sport. There will be plenty of time to indulge post-retirement because it is invariably a short-term career, unlike Golf for example. And this is where I think Errol Spence jr has lost it. And this is why it may be very foolish to write off Youdernis Ugas. Spence has by far the better resume, no doubt about it. He is by far the busier fighter in the ring, for sure. But that’s where his advantages end.

Mr Edwards, I don’t know if you agree or not but for me, Ugas has been coming while Spence has been going. Physically, Spence remains the same imposing specimen pre and post Kel Brook. However, his sheer physicality in the ring has been dwindling ever since his sensational victory over Brook in hostile territory. Ugas, on the other hand, seems to have gradually begun to figure out the difference between the Cuban amateur system and the dog eat dog mentality of elite level professional boxing which held him back for a long time in his career.If Ugas had not beaten Pacquiao so convincingly, I would say Spence at a canter. There is just such a huge disparity in the quality of opposition faced. But here’s the thing. In both the Shawn Porter and Pacman fights, Ugas stepped up when he had to. People want to say Pacman was finished. Not many welterweights could beat even that version of Pacman. The way I see it, Spence was awfully good at breaking the will of opponents. Until his life outside the ring caught up with him. I believe Porter beat him. I think the two Garcias never even tried. Yet, Spence failed to break their will like he did other opponents besides Porter who, as I say, beat him.And that’s my worry. Ugas may not be busy but he’s strong-willed and very, very accurate with what he throws. His overhand right is sneaky and brutal. I don’t know how Spence’s left eye holds up to it. And Ugas is strong and takes a good shot. I don’t think Spence bullies him like he did other opponents besides Porter and Brook. So, all Spence has going for him is he’s busier and he’s been in with better quality opponents. Maybe that’s enough. Maybe it isn’t. We will see.

So, in a nutshell, I agree with Terrence Crawford. Spence has a slight edge but Ugas has the ability to score the upset. I can’t say the upset would make me sad though because that’s the best chance of seeing an undisputed welterweight champion. I see Ugas more willing to fight Crawford than Spence is. If Spence unexpectedly blows Ugas away, then and only then, does he think he has a chance against Crawford and could then agree to the fight. If he barely scrapes by Ugas, expect him to say he’s struggling to make weight and move up. Then you will see an upwards domino effect. Spence will move to junior middleweight, Jermell to middleweight and Jermall Charlo will move to super middleweight. All so that PBC can protect Spence from Crawford. Remember, you heard it on the mailbag first. Finally, I recently saw a fight on YouTube where a 19 year old Muhammad Ali (then Clay), I think with a record of 7 and all, already fighting 10 rounders, in a fight against one William Daniels in May 1962, in Louisville. The funny thing is that the fight was scored on what I think was a 5 point must system. Was there ever such a system? If so, why did boxing change to the 10 point must system? And has this change been for better or worse? What would a knockdown have been scored in that fight? 5-3?MMAlfredo Escalera v Julio Cesar Chavez sr. I saw Escalera go tit for tat with Alexis Arguello. I think he gives Chavez a hard fight. What do you think?

Keep punching sir.

Katlholo Johannesburg, South Africa.

Bread’s Response: I was thinking to myself the other day. What if GGG spined this on Canelo and said we are really 1-1 in our rivalry and I’m not letting you get the best of me when I’m old. I mean most people think GGG won at least the first fight. I won’t get squeamish about a millionaire making more millions. But I don’t want to see GGG get stopped.

He does seems to labor for some reason with his wind. I wonder if it’s from the long camps in Big Bear….

Jermell is a really hard puncher. In the rock, paper scissors of boxing. Big punchers usually beat pressure fighters. See Foreman vs Frazier. But it would be a huge event and fireworks for sure. 

Fundora would be the favorite over Harrison but Harrison deserves the big fight. He did better vs Garcia than Fundora did. Garcia looked good to me. He’s not a pressure fighter. He’s a stalker and elite level counter puncher. He’s never going to look good chasing down an opponent who runs. The way he lines up for his attack is not conducive to that. It’s a difference in a stalker like say Sergey Kovalev and a pressure fighter like say Artur Beterbiev. It’s not that one is better than the other. But against runners, a pressure fighter traps him better. Where as the stalker just keeps him on the outside and wins every round but he doesn’t trap him because he’s pointing his jab towards him more and the opposing boxer can’t inside on the stalker, so he moves and just gets beaten up from the outside. Where as the pressure fighter TRAPS him, get’s closer and punishes him, like Chavez did to Rosario.

Ryan Garcia did pretty good. I give him a B. I don’t get all of the criticism. He won every round vs a guy who didn’t really try to win.

I think Tank vs Garcia at this point is 60/40 Tank. Garcia didn’t light the world on fire but he would look better vs a more willing opponent. I thought he pitched a 12-0 shut out.

I have watched about 20 of Errol Spence’s career fights. When he was coming up I noticed he was a destroyer. It literally took a lot to go the distance with him. He was constant to the head and body. Ram rod jab, right hook to the body, left hand underneath to the solar plexus. Rinse and repeat. But after he got to the top level he started to box more. I don’t think that means he has slipped. It could mean lots of things. 

Maybe he wants to win first and impress second. Maybe it’s easier for him to use his jab and just outbox guys instead of exposing himself to punishment. I don’t know but I have observed a change in his style. But here is the thing. Just because he has evolved it doesn’t mean he’s not a killer anymore. He didn’t need to be a killer vs Danny Garcia and Mikey Garcia. He needed to be a winner and he was. 

Against Shawn Porter when he needed that knockdown he got it. So before you write him off, let’s see if he can call upon the killer Spence when he needs him. Just because he doesn’t impose himself as much doesn’t mean he can’t. It could just mean he chooses not too. It could possible mean he wants to win in an easier fashion and he won’t put in full throttle gear unless he has too.

Pride is one heck of a tool. And I think Spence is tired of people bothering him. I think he wants to put on a show. And I expect another great fight this Saturday. I think it will be a FOY candidate. I think Spence has a 60/40 edge with Ugas being very live. Spence’s jab has not been stopped yet. It’s a great southpaw jab. One of the best I have seen. If Ugas can stop it or slow it down we have a serious BUMP. Other keys are body punching. Ugas counters to the body really well and I noticed Spence was not catching Danny Garcia’s body punches, he was sort of moving his entire body out of the way to avoid them. Ugas has a variety to his right hand. He loops it. He throws it straight. And he throws it underneath. I am curious to Spence’s defense of Ugas’s right hand. I wonder if he will catch and counter it or simply try to make him miss it completely. That matters because when you catch Ugas’s right hand he changes the contact point. He’s clever. He punches with a slight pause to his shots. His timing is really good. They look defensible but he hits everyone. Ugas does bust up and Spence has been a notorious late round grinder. I wonder if Spence will go into beast mode late in the fight like he did vs Kell Brook. This is very intriguing.

I don’t know when the scoring system changed. I have to do some research on it and get back to you. Escalera is a very good fighter. He would’ve given Chavez a tough fight but he would have suffered the same fate he did vs Arguello. He would’ve been knocked out in a war of attrition.

Bread! Woke up early to watch this GGG fight and I’m torn on what I saw. My heart says that I don’t want to see GGG-Canelo 3 b/c GGG looked old, slow, and vulnerable to the body. He was backed up and hit way too often for my liking. However, my brain says that he was inactive for 400 days, his internal clock was probably in shambles going from Cali -> Japan, and this was probably how we should’ve expected most fighters (even ones in their prime and not 40 years of age) to look in that exact scenario. Not to mention, you’ve talked extensively about slow-twitch fighters starting slow (GGG is slow twitch and it took him 3-4 rounds to get warmed up) and the fact that at 40, cutting down to 160 is probably zapping some of his energy. He looked gaunt on the weigh in scales. People’s bodies change as they get older. It’s impressive he’s remained at the same weight class for like 15 years now but it has to be getting tougher w each weight cut, no?

What are your thoughts on the GGG we saw against Murata with all of this in mind? To me, he doesn’t/didn’t look much different than the GGG we saw in the Canelo rematch. That is to say… the engine is not what it was in his prime, slow start, looking vulnerable in the first 4 rounds, and then flipping a switch in round 5. Seems like that’s been his gameplan since switching to Banks? Am I crazy in thinking that if Canelo DOESNT stop GGG early, and he TRIES to stop him early, that he’ll exhaust himself in the process and the trilogy fight goes nearly identically to the rematch? Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

As always, all the best. Ken

Bread’s Response: Traveling is real. It’s a big deal. Your body goes through a change if you travel for over 3 hours. I think that was a factor. GGG is one of the more determined fighters I have seen. If anyone does not get stopped it’s him. But I feel like the punishment will be too great. I don’t know if he will go flat on his back, but there is more than one way to get a stoppage.

What are your thoughts on fighters going away to camp vs staying at home in their comfort zones? I’ve seen mixed results and is there a benefit?

Bread’s Response: Great question. First off camp is in the MIND. Being in a camp mindset is the most important thing WHILE in camp. No late night partying. No drinking. No womanizing. Going to bed early. No junk food. Are you telling me an athlete needs to go away to do those things? I can do them and I’m 46 years old and I love some of the finer things in life. Every fighter needs a camp but going away is different. I don’t believe a fighter has to GO AWAY in order to perform well in camp and in a fight. I have a large body of proof that says so. 

Often times fighters have to go away in order to be with their trainers. I get that and I agree. Freddie Roach for example does not believe in camps. He likes for fighters to come to his gym at the Wild Card. So for that fighter who doesn’t live in LA I guess he’s away in camp but I know what Roach means. 

Andre Ward and Floyd Mayweather. The top 2 American fighters of the last decade did their camps in their respective hometowns. The Charlo Bros train in their city. Errol Spence trains in his city. I can go on all day about that. Boots Ennis is in the gym every single day in his own city currently. He’s a gym rat and he doesn’t need to be in a Vegas Hotel to be disciplined.

Traveling can help but a disciplined fighter shouldn’t have to travel a 5 hour plane ride away to focus and be disciplined. Social Media will still be Social Media. His phone will still be his phone. Often times traveling can create an unnecessary expense. Food, Lodge and sparring is a serious resource. And running a camp in a city you don’t live in is a lot of work. I know fighters who do it and it’s not easy. What I will say is a fighter has to remove the distractions out of his life. 

If his home life is not productive to him focusing, he may want to leave his house. He may want to rent a training house or apartment. He may want to turn his phone off at night. He may want to tell his significant other to hold down the family until after the fight. Camp is exhausting and RECOVERY is just as important as training. He may want a private gym time. But he doesn’t have to go 1,500 miles for that. I have never believed that and I never will. 

Both methods work but the most important thing you need to have a successful camp is, is a focused, organized and resourceful camp. If a fighter is focused. If the training schedule is organized daily as far as workout times, conditioning times and sparring. And the resources are in order. Recovery. IVs. Massages. Nutrition. Food. The fighter will be fine. 

Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward are the most focused and consistent fighters of the last decade and again both did their camps in their home cities. It’s a myth that a fighter needs to go away for camp. He needs to go away from the distractions, that’s it.

Breadman what’s up my man .. Had the extreme pleasure of meeting you at a Fight Card in Bethlehem, PA. weeks ago ( Pic attached ) and am an avid reader of your column since being enlightened to it by my Boxing Head partner Donald Tyler (shout out) years ago .. we love your column and wait anxiously for it to hit on Saturday mornings lol .. NOW .. after watching the Fonfara fight this weekend I’m hitting you up to ask of your opinion on one of my favorite fights that NONONE talks about .. IMO a Stylistical NIGHTMARE for one of mines and your favorite Fighters .. Roy Jones Jr … Glen Johnson STYLE ( with his Size & Skill ) Outboxed AND Outfought Jones that night .. JUMPED on him from the opening bell to ESTABLISH the Rules of Engagement for the Night .. Jones on the other hand MET him with some HELLACIOUS Body Shots that I’m sure hurt Glenn but he PRESSED ON until the BRUTAL KO finally  .. Roy hasn’t to my knowledge ever named him AGAIN as far as one of his toughest opponents .. he NEVER PRESSED for a Rematch like he done others ( Tarver, Griffin ) nor mention the fight at all in Interviews but I look at that fight once in awhile and from what I’ve seen .. Glenn HAD his Number STYLE Wise 9 out of 10 times ( his STRONG Straight Jabs & Rights gave Roy too much to avoid and he KEPT his Right planted on his face to TAKE AWAY Roy’s Left ) .. I loved Jarred Hurds STYLE ( Height, Size, Power, Pressure) and Fonfara looks to have picked up the ball and is RUNNING with it for presumably a FEW more years until someone with POWER & TIMING can GET TO him .. I believe he throws a BIG Monkey Wrench on Bud & Errol’s PLANS for JMW Dominance.. what’s your opinion on THAT RJJ fight that night ( could he have done anything?) AND how do you think Bud & ESJ will fair against the Towering Inferno?  All the Best Bro ..

Thanks, Jason  J.B. Bennerman 

Bread’s Response: What’s up bro? I remember you, thanks for writing in. 

In terms of styles Glen Johnson is tough on Roy Jones. But Jones was just 4 months removed from a devastating 1 punch knockout so I will strongly disagree that Johnson would beat him 9 out of 10 times. I respect Johnson. I think he’s tremendously underrated. But Glen Johnson would not beat Roy Jones 9 out of 10 times on their best days. I do think he would be a rough nights work for him. I do think he would most likely take him the distance. But I would not pick him to beat Jones on his best night. I will give you this however. Roy didn’t ask for a rematch. But I think that was a dark time for Roy. Two back to back 1 punch ko defeats for someone of his stature is devastating at 35 years old. That’s why he’s underrated because no one remembers the circumstances surrounding his losses.

Fundora does remind me of Jarrett Hurd when Hurd is in walk down mode. With a mix of Margarito and P. Williams. Hurd is not as tall as Fundora but Hurd had extremely long arms and if you moved away from them, they would sort of engulf you. I think you have more success with Fundora from the outside than you do Hurd though. For some reason you can’t miss Fundora from the outside. Hurd didn’t have great D but I think he’s a better athlete than Fundora. Fundora doesn’t really counter, Hurd can counter punch.

Pressure fighters who fight with their violent styles and frenetic pace, usually have short peaks but their peaks are really high. Really high. Fundora will be fun and brutal for the next 2-4 years. I don’t know if he can beat Spence or Crawford at 154 but I would like to see it. He would make them both earn it. 

In the rock, paper, scissors of boxing elite level pressure fighters are the hardest style to deal with if they have elite chins. There aren’t many these days but when you get a true one they are a rough nights work. It’s simple math. They throw more punches than their opponents by a considerable amount and if their chins are elite which most of them have elite chins, then you usually can’t hurt them enough to discourage them or slow them down. Pure boxers hate elite pressure fighters. Joe Frazier gave Ali a tougher fight than Foreman did. Foreman stalks you but he doesn’t have the volume Frazier does. Frazier’s style is kryptonite for Ali. The advantage Ali has over most “boxers” is, Ali is very physically strong and he can grapple and tie Frazier up. Most boxers aren’t as strong as Ali in a P4P sense.

Speaking of Hurd. Julian Williams was able to grapple Hurd and tie him up. Where as Trout, Lara and Harrison didn’t grapple him. They didn’t wrestle him. They outboxed him and long spots but they didn’t fatigue him.

Shane Mosley was very strong for the Margarito fight. He grappled him and beat on him. Mosley was a very good wrestler.

Lubin is a super talent. But he didn’t grapple Fundora. Grappling a man fatigues them when they’re objective is to fatigue you. 

Watch how Jeff Fenech pressured Steve McCrory. True Volume pressure makes a fighter feel like he has a pillow over his face. Look at Ricky Hatton vs Kostya Tszyu. Hatton had elite pressure in his prime. 

Aaron Pryor vs Alexis Arguello.

Rocky Marciano vs Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore and Jersey Joe Walcott.

Sandy Saddler vs Willie Pep

It’s just not something that elite boxers want to deal with but the style is rare these days because fighters just can’t get into that type of shape anymore. Most are too heavy for the weight and they can’t keep the style up. So they may put pressure on but it’s not the same volume. Fundora is rare and he’s going to be a tough, tough out.

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