Former trainer Derrick James has disputed Errol Spence Jr.’s account of his loss to Terence Crawford, stating a rib injury prevented proper sparring. James claims the final decision to halt sparring was made by Spence’s father, not by the coaching team.
The disagreement follows comments from Spence, who recently described his training camp for the July 2023 bout as “trash,” citing weeks without sparring as a key reason for his performance. Crawford dominated the undisputed welterweight title fight, knocking Spence down three times before a ninth-round stoppage. It remains the only loss on Spence’s record.
James offered a different version of events, insisting the camp was compromised by an injury early on. “The only thing that was really different was that he didn’t have the ability to spar because he was injured,” James said. He explained that after Spence suffered a rib injury in the second week of sparring, the fighter’s father intervened directly.
According to James, the instruction to stop came from Errol Spence Sr. “His father did. His father said he not sparring. He gonna save it to the fight. His father is the one that said no sparring.”
To compensate for the lack of live partners, James said he adapted his mitt sessions to simulate a fight, working 14 to 16 rounds and throwing punches back. He specifically rejected the idea that Spence was unprepared for Crawford’s southpaw stance. “Watch the media day. I’m throwing punches at him left-handed because he couldn’t spar,” James stated. “I’m the one throwing shots at him.”
Perhaps most significantly, James revealed that Spence had the option to delay the fight but chose not to. “He had something within the contract that said they could move the fight back three months, but he didn’t want to do that,” the trainer said. This new information suggests Spence made a conscious decision to proceed with the fight despite the physical limitations.
The conflicting accounts ensure the narrative surrounding Spence’s sole professional defeat continues to be debated. While Spence seeks to explain the uncharacteristic performance, James is defending his professional reputation against criticism from his former fighter.
