Should Spence Ditch Derrick James And Hire Mayweather For The Crawford Rematch?

Errol Spence’s decision to enact his rematch clause with Terence Crawford has raised question marks over whether he should make major changes to his training set up.

Spence was knocked down on three occasions as he was stopped in the ninth round. The victory made Bud the first undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt era. However, the ease with which Crawford won drew scrutiny on Spence’s preparations. The weight cut for the 147 limit was suggested as a possible reason for Spence not being himself. Meanwhile, his trainer, Derrick James, was also criticized.

Following the third knockdown in the seventh round, many questioned why the fight was not stopped by James. After all, Spence had shown nothing to prove that he could have pulled a victory out of the bag. In addition, James’ instructions in the corner did nothing to inspire Spence. And on top of that, James’ current stable is full of elite fighters. Jermell Charlo, Ryan Garcia, Frank Martin and Anthony Joshua are just some of those big names. As such, can James handle those fighters and give Spence the due attention?

As a result, Floyd Mayweather’s name has been suggested as a new trainer for the rematch. There is no denying that Mayweather’s boxing IQ is one of the best given that he remained undefeated. However, a great fighter does not mean a great trainer. In addition, getting rid of James following a single loss would seem a harsh decision given that he had guided Spence to becoming a unified welterweight champion. Jeff Mayweather, in response, was against the idea of changing trainers.

“I don’t think so. You win all these fights with the same guy, and then after your first loss, you’re looking for someone to blame. I don’t know their relationship to that point, and Errol is the fighter, he has to make the decision on what’s best for him. I hate to see that because they grew up together, and it’s kind of a slap in the face. Still, it’s his [Spence] career, and he may feel like he needs a change. It seemed like, to me, they’re looking for someone to blame,” Jeff Mayweather