The PBC Mailbag: Tszyu-Fundora, Pitbull Rules, Kyrone Davis

Hello Breadman, Just finished watching Isaac Cruz dominate Rolly Romero. Was disappointed that Elijah Garcia pulled out of the fight with Kyrone Davis. Is Kyrone going to get to fight Garcia on a future PBC card? I’m looking forward to seeing him get his chance at 160. Good luck to you both! I wasn’t surprised Cruz won by stoppage and I immediately started thinking about the potential fights for him at 140. What do you think about Cruz vs. Gary Antuane Russell? Styles make fights and this one seems like a war. I would also be interested in seeing how a fight would play out between Cruz and Teofimo Lopez and also Cruz vs Devin Haney. Cruz vs. Subriel Matias? I would favor Matias but it would be interesting to see who would impose their will and dictate the pace of the fight. Good luck and blessings to you and your family 

Bread’s Response: I honestly couldn’t understand why Cruz was such a big favorite over Romero. But now I do. I thought Rolly’s strength and punching power would make the fight more competitive but Cruz was just too much. Way too much. Props to Isaac Cruz. That was some performance. Romero didn’t win a round in my opinion. 

Cruz vs. Russell would be a war. I would favor Russell. Let’s have it! I like all of the fights you named. Cruz would be the underdog versus everyone but he’s also live versus everyone. Cruz made me a believer. With his performance against Gervonta “Tank” Davis and now his destruction of Romero, he is an elite fighter at 135-140.

Good evening Bread. I’m really sorry to hear the news. I'm sure Kyrone must be devastated. A couple of things I wonder if you could share: How much, roughly, did this camp cost Kyrone? I'm guessing it must've been well over $10k. How many rounds did Kyrone spar? I know all that is 'wear & tear' on a fighter & now sadly wasted. I'm not going to judge Elijah because he might have genuinely got some awful disease that would make it life-threatening for him to fight but, right now, it doesn't look good Also, do you think Nicholas Walters can do anything at 135? He has some ability but it is a stacked division full of talented guys that are, obviously, much younger than him. All the best.

Bread’s Response: I try to keep camp expenses down. Kyrone doesn’t make as much as Julian Williams or Caleb Plant so we don’t go crazy with his expenses. They weren’t quite 10k but it was close.

Kyrone sparred about 160 rounds. He was ready! Sometimes in life things happen for a reason, without us knowing what the reason is right away. I try not to be judgmental or feel the need to comment about everything. That’s where I’m at with the cancellation. Besides it’s out of my control. The only thing I can do is my job and that’s to get my fighter to the fight, safe and in shape. I wish Elijah and his team the best moving forward. 

I thought Joseph Adorno would beat Nicholas Walters. I’m surprised by the result. Let me see Walters in his next fight so I can give you an accurate answer.

Do you think the cut on Tim Tszyu’s head is the main reason he lost, or was Sebastian Fundora’s height and reach too much? I have mixed emotions about it. Also, if you were in Tszyu’s corner, would you have stopped the fight. It was a nasty cut and they let him fight for 10 rounds with blood running in his eyes.

Bread’s Response: Tszyu dominated the first two rounds. I felt like with Tszyu getting through that reach and jab that early that he was going to really tear Fundora up. Then the cut happened and the complexion of the fight changed. It doesn’t mean that Fundora could not have adjusted. So I don’t want to discredit him. He fought smart. But the blood and cut did seem to help him.

I was watching the fight live. I didn’t hear what was happening. I didn’t hear what the corner was saying. I could see the blood, but I didn’t have a close up view. Also, the doctor did not stop the fight. Before I give my opinion I would like to know what the doctor thought of the cut and what kind of treatment did Tszyu need after the fight. So until I do watch it on tv, I will give his corner a break. 

They seem confident in Tszyu—as are most corners regarding their prized possession. Especially if he is their first elite fighter. They most likely believed Tszyu could overcome anything. He almost did. Naked eye, I thought the fight was draw-ish and I definitely felt he won the last round which was a big round in terms of scoring. 

But this sport is humbling. His corner, if they aren’t fired, will be better for it. They will most likely make the humble decision next time. This fight reminded me of when Vasiliy Lomachenko fought Orlando Salido. They let Loma fight Salido with Salido missing weight by over three pounds. Loma took repeated low blows and it just seemed that his corner had unwavering belief in him. He lost the fight but gained immeasurable experience. This could be a similar case for Tszyu. Let's see how he bounces back.

“ [Isaac] Cruz made me a believer. ” Trainer - Stephen "Breadman" Edwards

Errol Spence Jr. called Sebastian Fundora out after Fundora’s win over Tim Tszyu. Do you think it happens next and if so, what chances do you give Spence to beat the giant Fundora?

Bread’s Response: I don’t know if Fundora vs. Spence will happen next. I’m not sure if Tim Tszyu will exercise his rematch clause or not. From what I read he has a verbal agreement but I’m not sure how that will work. Either way 154-pounds just got red hot again!

I feel gutted for you and Kyrone Davis. I saw him fight as an amateur and he has world champion potential if only he was matched differently. Will he get another chance at Elijah Garcia? What were your overall thoughts of the card from top to bottom? Any surprises?

Bread’s Response: From my perspective, I’m not really interested in him fighting Garcia at this point. If we fight him, we fight him. If not, so be it. We weren’t chasing him. He’s not a world champion. It was just a fight that was offered to me a while back and I accepted. It finally came to fruition but unfortunately Garcia got sick. I just want Kyrone to get a big name to earn a title shot. It doesn’t have to be Garcia.

Thoughts on the card…Curmel Moten did well. Anthony Cuba was a tough, undefeated fighter and he was well prepared. That young man deserves another shot also.

Serhii Bohachuk vs. Brian Mendoza was a very good fight. I thought Mendoza had a shot to KO Bohachuk until the very end but Bohachuk fights with more purpose, whereas Mendoza does a lot of cute stuff but his functional production is not where Bohachuk’s is. So while Mendoza is more aesthetically pleasing to look at, Bohachuk is more effective.  That was the difference in my opinion.

Lara just toyed with Zerafa. Lara is not viewed as a KO puncher. But he’s calm. He slows things down and he’s smooth. Lara does not play with his food and if you aren’t on his level, he gets you out of there. Excellent KO by Lara. Call me crazy but I think Lara would give Carlos Adames fits.

Pitbull Cruz can fight! I didn’t expect him to dominate Rolly the way he did. When a fighter does something that I totally didn’t expect I give them more props. I’m giving Cruz his props because I thought that was an even fight going in. Cruz dominated the entire fight—I didn’t think Romero won a round. Big time performance for Cruz, who not only has an exciting style but has a big fanbase.

Fundora vs. Tszyu was a really good fight. It came down to Fundora’s consistent and pesky jab against Tszyu’s flashy big counters. The judges favored Fundora’s jab. I think the cut was a factor but this is boxing. Tszyu showed tremendous chops by going 12 hard rounds under those circumstances. Blood was running in his eye by the time he stood up off the stool to start each round after the second. Gutsy performance by Tszyu. 

Props to Fundora, he’s the Paul Williams of this era and I’m happy for the young man. He’s very humble. He’s flawed but he knows his limitations and you can tell he’s a workhorse in the gym. You have to respect him. He took some big shots from Tszyu and fought through them. Fundora was also more disciplined than he’s shown in his previous fights. Fundora stayed behind his jab and he didn’t overcommit to his other punches. Skill is something you can build through repetition and Fundora looked more skillful. So props to his father/trainer for doing an excellent job.

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