(Photo: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy Promotions )
Thanks for doing this Mailbag, Bread. I really feel like I learn a lot. When game-planning at the top level, what determines whether a fighter takes away an opponent’s best weapon or instead tries to outdo them in that area? For instance, against a pressure fighter, what makes you choose to stand your ground or fight on the back foot?
Bread’s response: It depends on how your fighter matches up with him. For example, when Kyrone Davis fought Elijah Garcia we decided to counter-punch him and walk away from him. I didn’t feel we needed to push Garcia back because Kyrone could counter-punch him and take less punishment. Whereas when Julian Williams fought Jarrett Hurd we felt that pushing Hurd back was better because Hurd was more of a momentum fighter and if you let him get a head of steam a snowball effect starts to take place. So although Hurd and Garcia are both big pressure guys, I decided to fight them differently because Julian Williams and Kyrone Davis are not only different, they faced different types of pressure.
It’s why sparring is so important in the gym. You get to observe what your fighter can truly do, no matter what the media labels him. There is more than one way to skin a cat. And a common solution to a style may not be the solution you pick for your fighter…
Hey Bread,
Just got done watching the Barrios-Garcia fight. I was pleasantly surprised by Ryan. I saw this fight as a Ferrari versus a Jeep, but I wasn’t sure how much mud there’d be on the course, i.e. inside fighting in trenches, etc. There was no mud on the course and Ryan fought a smart fight, utilizing his speed and picking up on Barrios’ timing from the get-go. I figure if it was a gut-check Ryan would get tested, but just using that speed and jab is perfect for someone like Ryan. What surprised me when I was just thinking about his options is how he suddenly has the best menu in boxing. Just like that, he already has two story-book unification fights with either “Rolly” Romero to unify and revenge, or the same thing with Devin Haney. Both are big money, good fights with real intrigue and a storyline. But just now, looking at the WBC rankings, he has even bigger fights with Conor Benn at number one. That’s a huge fight, especially in Vegas, Riyadh or London. Then Pacquiao is sitting at third in the WBC. That’s an enormous fight and Vegas or Saudi Arabia would…
2026-02-28 15:30:00
