Comments Thread For: Derrick James Hints at Rift With Errol Spence Jr., Focuses on Other Charges

[Gary Coleman]

time and time? but spence took his first L against TC...

But he didn't look great against Porter or Ugas.

A good trainer would try to clean up some of the mistakes from previous fights.

[crisantonio917]

James is a TRASH trainer, period.....

[crimsonfalcon07]

Main reason to switch trainers is if you need to learn a new skill that they don't do a good job with. Although I'd rather bring in someone to help than burn bridges. Think there's likely some other stuff (financial) behind the scenes.

Ultimately the fighter is the one stepping in the ring, and there's a lot of fighters that aren't willing or ready to learn new things, no matter what the trainer says. Deontay Wilder and Ryan Garcia are prime examples.

The way to assess from the outside, IMO, is to look at a particular missing skill and see if any of the other fighters have that skill, or have learned it while with that trainer. If not, that's on the trainer with respect to that skill. If there's other fighters in the stable who do have the skill, of it's probably the fighter.

Also, are they good at giving instructions mid fight? Often the fighter can't execute changes, but do they offer good instructions? If not, is that fighter good at following instructions or do they mostly just do the same thing no matter what? There's a lot of fighters that you can give them instructions, but they won't follow them for a variety of reasons. Does the trainer give better instructions to other fighters in their gym? Are they good at tailoring instructions to the individual? I've also seen that Eddy Reynoso had nothing for Canelo in the Bivol fight. Teofimo Lopez Sr rarely has anything intelligent to say in the corner.

These are all different skills though. That's why I think a really successful team might have coaches that specialize in different things. Boxers would benefit from having a specialist in fight strategy, just as they bring in nutritionists, strength and conditioning coaches, etc. Right now all that comes down to the head coach usually, but the way that the coach gets paid can make it harder to bring in help.

[IceTrayDaGang]

But he didn't look great against Porter or Ugas.

A good trainer would try to clean up some of the mistakes from previous fights.

stop it!!! he didnt look great? what was the mistakes that spence was showing in the porter/ugas fight that he showed against TC?

and there was no mention of this after the porter or ugas fight.... in fact, when the fight got annouce of spence vs TC, lots of fans on was picking spence to win... now all of a sudden, spence has been making the same mistakes since the porter/ugas fight?

[Oregonian]

Agree with you but if the fighter and his management feel the trainer didn’t have him ready for the biggest fight of his career, you can see why the fighter would choose to move on.

Or some top guys, like Fishnets, move through trainers at different stages of their careers.

———-
Perhaps so but how does an undefeated pro boxer in the biggest fight of his career claim that his coach didn’t get him ready. He was ready in the other 28 fights. This is just one of those ludicrous excuses we hear all the time.
It’s one of the reasons I respected Cotto. He never gave a reason for any of his losses. Even when speaking of the turd Margarito, Cotto was always classy and gracious in defeat.

Spence can find another coach but to blame Derrick for his loss is asinine. Also, Spence could be trained by Jesus himself, he will never beat Bud at any weight.
As much as I dislike Oscar today, Oscar was also a classy boxer and took his losses (except a few) so him changing trainers I don’t believe made him any more better.

[Gamboal00]

Winner of Worst Trainer of 2023 will soon be front runner for the 2024 award as Garcia and Martin about to get battered senseless.

[Eff Pandas]

The first L casualty is often the trainer so not surprised. Since it's so late in Errol's career it usually less likely but not unheard of.

[BlackRobb]

James’ ego is getting in the way I think. During the Crawford-Spence build up you could see he craved the limelight, BoMac even called him out on it.

Also, I think Spence is struggling to accept what happened July 29th last year, it’s hard to accept somebody is that much better than you, especially when you were seen as equals prior to the fight.

No sane person with at least fourteen brain cells saw Crawford-Spence as a 50/50 fight.

[BlackRobb]

The trainers have everything to do with getting fighters ready. Spence didn't look ready. He definitely should have given Crawford a better fight, especially since Porter was winning his fight with TC late. It may be time for a change. Some of the greatest fighters in history have made this change at trainer.

Porter was not winning the Crawford fight. He was in the fight for sure and kept it competitive, but when Bud stopped him, Crawford was up 6-3 in rounds. This lie that Porter was ahead needs to stop.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

No sane person with at least fourteen brain cells saw Crawford-Spence as a 50/50 fight.

Nearly every major bookmaker and sports book did.

I picked Crawford personally, but the general consensus was 50/50 fight.