No one knows Errol Spence Jr. quite like Derrick James. The world-renowned trainer has been there from the very beginning. From teaching Spence how to throw the jab to showing him how to work on the inside, to successfully guiding him to three world titles in the welterweight division – the constant has been James.
In essence, James knows his fighter like the back of his hand. But, since James is incredibly familiar with him, he found it hard to believe what he was watching on July 29th. On the night, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) was thoroughly dominated against Terence Crawford. For years fans salivated over their matchup but once the two officially got it on, it was one-way traffic.
Normally sturdy and powerful, Spence was none of the above as Crawford dropped him multiple times before eventually stopping him in the ninth. It was a tough pill to swallow for the duo. Although he was given a bit of time to think about his next move, Spence, only minutes after his defeat, revealed that he plans on activating his immediate rematch clause.
Running things back is number one on Spence’s to-do list but he’s hoping that Crawford, who has full autonomy, will allow their showdown to take place at 154 pounds. James is also waiting on Crawford’s decision. If the pound-for-pound star agrees to allow their rematch to take place in the junior middleweight division, James is convinced that fans will see a completely different fighter.
“He won’t be so drained,” James told a group of reporters. “He won’t be so depleted.”
Before fans of Crawford jump out of their seats and begin to scream and shout in the direction of James, he isn’t putting too much stock on Spence’s 147-pound weight issues. The former Trainer of the Year knows Spence wasn’t his normal self during their first clash. But, with that said, he isn’t taking away from Crawford’s greatness. From his point of view, Crawford fought an unbelievable fight.
“That wasn’t the issue. Crawford fought a good fight. He was the better guy that day.”