Trainer Brian McIntyre doesn’t buy the notion that Errol Spence Jr. lost to Terence Crawford because of his weight cut. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
But if Spence was in fact truly diminished from the weight that he needed to drop to make the 147-pound limit, McIntyre says the blame should be directed at his own trainer, Derrick James.
McIntyre’s charge, Crawford, of Omaha, Nebraska, became the fully unified welterweight champion in July, when he stopped Spence, Desoto, Texas, by ninth-round stoppage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
While Spence refused to provide any alibis for his performance, whispers have abounded in the aftermath of the fight suggesting that the longtime 147-pounder was weight drained. A rematch is now in the works, after Spence invoked his rematch clause. Spence has stated that his preference is for the rematch to take place at 154.
Recently, James, Spence’ trainer, fueled the weight-drain theory when he told an outlet that a rematch at 154 would produce an entirely different outcome.
“I would say that is [an excuse],” McIntyre said of James’ comment in an interview with RingIQ TV. “Again, you know, he had to weigh in the same weight as Bud. He knew about the fight months before, so, I mean, if he was weight drained, that’s just bad coaching on Derrick James’ part.
“We all had the right amount of time to prepare for this fight. I’m not looking for no excuses or anything of that nature. Errol had no excuses; everybody else did.”
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs), who holds the power to decide the contract weight for the rematch, has stated he would be open to fighting Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) at the 154-pound limit.
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.