Some fighters wow fans with their special effects. You know what I’m talking about right? The mesmerizing footwork, the excellent shot selection, the nontraditional defensive attributes. Mix it all together, along with a few other traits, and you have a fighter that can capture your imagination.
For Floyd Mayweather, it was his ability to adapt to virtually any style. Pernell Whitaker left fans oohing and ahhing after a series of punches whizzed by his unprotected chin. Hector Camacho had one-of-a-kind hand speed, the type that if you blinked, the fight was over with. Errol Spence Jr., however, isn’t viewed as a flashy fighter inside the ring – just one who always wins.
The jab, keeping his hands up high, going down to the body, and did we mention the jab already? Spence has mastered the fundamentals of the sport. What some may consider boring and ordinary, Derrick James has continually drilled into Spence the importance of the mundane.
Throughout the entirety of his career, Spence’s monotonous tendencies have led to a unified reign at 147 pounds. Ultimately, however, while Spence’s technical abilities have allowed him to be recognized as a pound-for-pound star, James knows that his fighter will need to take his game to another level come July 29th.
On the night, Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) will attempt to become an undisputed champion against Terence Crawford. Admittedly, James doesn’t spend most of his off-duty hours watching too much boxing. Instead, he likes to get away from the sport for long stretches. That said, James revealed that he’s been watching Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) from a distance for years now. As he continues to lay out a game plan that will lead Spence to victory, James is confident that Spence will be at his very best. If he isn’t, his undefeated run will come to an end.
“You will see the best technical version of Errol Spence,” said James to a group of reporters recently. “Because he has to be, to be successful.”