By Allan Fox: Trainer Derrick James says Errol Spence Jr. is physically “breaking” the faces and bodies of his opponents with the power and the high-volume punching that he’s doing.
If WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford is going to be next for Spence, the Ohama, Nebraska native is going to need to be better than he was in his best career performance against Shawn Porter.
James says what he saw from Spence last Saturday night, he’ll beat the best version of Crawford. He won’t be able to handle the firepower from Spence, and that fight could get quickly out of hand.
Spence’s opponent from last Saturday, Yordenis Ugas, suffered a fractured right orbital bone, and broken rib & nose, according to James.
It’s hard to imagine the 34-year-old Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) improving from his last fight against Shawn Porter. Terence is about to turn 35, and he doesn’t look like he’s still improving.
Crawford’s victory over the shopworn 33-year-old Porter came against a fighter that had done nothing since his loss to Spence in 2019.
Crawford has to be better
“The person that they know him to be, he’s not that guy anymore. He’s more vicious,” said Derrick James to Fighthype about Errol Spence Jr. having changed from the fighter he was in the past.
“He’s more determined at being successful and not being deterred from his goal. It’s going to be a good fight because Terence Crawford is going to show up as his best version of himself.
“One thing about fighting good fighters like when he fought Shawn Porter. I think that was his best version of himself,” said James about Crawford. “But he’s going to have to be better than the version of himself that fought Shawn Porter because the guy [Spence] that fought Ugas, was better than [the Crawford that bet Porter].
“These guys are challenging themselves to be better. I can’t even imagine what he’s [Crawford] going to do because I don’t know who beats that guy [Spence] I saw on Saturday,” said James.
Crawford’s game isn’t designed around throwing 1000 punches per fight like Spence, and it would be physically impossible for him to try and make that change at this late stage in his 14-year professional career.
Spence is breaking his opponents
“I’ve never seen somebody in boxing throw so many punches, throw so many hard punches, break somebody’s ribs, break somebody’s nose and break somebody’s orbital bone,” said Derrick about the damage Spence did to Ugas’ face last Saturday night.
“You may knock somebody out, but he’s [Spence] BREAKING them. Ugas may never be able to fight again, unfortunately.
“I think it could happen,” said James when asked if the Spence vs. Crawford fight will happen next.
Spence did a lot of damage to the faces of Ugas and Kell Brook, both suffering fractured orbital bones in their fights with him.
