By Chris Williams: Errol Spence Jr’s trainer Derrick James says Terence Crawford has too much self-belief and that it’s warped his thinking to the point where he’s unaware of his own limitations.
WBO welterweight champion Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) has become smug, seeming to think he’s better than everyone at 147 and 154, and it’s a product of the match-making he’s had for the last 15 years.
Derrick feels that Crawford’s inflated ego is leading him into a doomed mission on July 29th when he takes on IBF, WBA & WBC welterweight champion Spence Jr (28-0, 22 KOs) on Showtime PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
One could understand Crawford being as confident as he is if he’d been facing the murderer’s row killers over the last ten years, but that hasn’t happened. He never fought talents:
- Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
- Jermell Charlo
- Keith Thurman
- Manny Pacquiao
- Vergil Ortiz Jr
- Tim Tszyu
- Eimantas Stanionis
- Brian Medoza
“Everybody is happy that opportunity to show improvement; everybody meaning Terence Crawford and Bomac, Errol, and myself, to show who we really are as fighters, trainers, whatever the case may be, and I’m ready for it,” said Derrick James to Fighthype.
“You can look at that and say that, but the reality is that’s what it is. It’s cool,” said Derrick when asked if it’s a team vs. Team for the Spence vs. Crawford fight.
“He [Crrawford] fought recently. Errol only fought once last year because of what happened with the Crawford deal. He’ll fight again this year.
“He’s an amazing fighter. He’s very athletic. The most important part of his game is he believes in himself,” said James about Crawford. “He believes in himself too much. You can be so high on yourself that you’re unaware of this and that.
“They respect each other, but at the same time, these are two guys. These guys have the fire to fight each other. They just keep it under control. They’re going to save it for July.
“The more they see each other, the more the fire builds. So you think it builds within the fan base, but it really builds within those fighters. So that’s what it’s about.
“Porter’s father stopped the fight. I didn’t even watch the fight,” said James about Crawford’s fight against Shawn Porter in 20021.
“I saw the fight live, and I was watching as a fan of boxing. So, I haven’t really watched it like.
“I’ll just be focused on being successful. I’m fighting for everything that I’ve been building. What Errol is doing what he’s doing, I’m doing the same thing also. So, we’re keeping this train rolling.
“I guess he called Errol, and Errol gave him my information. He texted me and flew to Dallas. That’s kind of how it happened,” said Derrick when asked how he hooked up with Ryan Garcia to begin training him.
“It’s been good. He’s a good, nice young man. He’s a very hard-working young guy. I’m very thankful to be considered one of the best trainers in the game.
“I think that being very focused on being successful. Doing what I was hired to do to get Errol Spence and help him become the undisputed champion of the world,” said Derrick.
