Errol Spence Jr’s trainer Derrick James believes he’ll defeat Terence Crawford in their rematch to avenge his ninth round TKO defeat last month on July 29th in Las Vegas.
Derrick feels that it’ll be a different fight, with the rematch taking place at 154 lbs, which will see a bigger, stronger & better prepared Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) than in their first fight.
Unfortunately, 154 might not be the answer for Spence to be in 100% condition to defeat Crawford. Ideally, Spence should be fighting at middleweight or super middleweight, but Crawford won’t agree to fight him beyond 154, which gives him the advantage because he’s smaller.
With Crawford taking a long victory lap, being interviewed everywhere, and glorified about his win over Spence, there’s a real possibility that he might not train as hard as in the first fight.
Crawford has become a mini-celebrity, and he’s basking in the glow of his 15 minutes of fame.
Spence’s coach predicts victory
“I know he’ll be,” said coach Derrick James to Insidefighting about his belief that Errol Spence Jr. will defeat Terence Crawford in their rematch.
“Different situation, different weight, everything,” said James on why he thinks Spence will defeat Crawford in the rematch.
“I think my guy’s [Spence] a better fighter altogether [than Crawford].
“He’s doing good. He’s OK, man. Things happen. Life happens,” Derrick said about Errol. “Everybody wants to win all the time, some days are not your day, and that wasn’t his day. [Errol] looked very off to me,” said James.
If Spence only cares about money, he should go ahead and fight Crawford in a partially drained state at 154 and hope that he’s got enough strength to do the job.
For Errol to have a shot at winning in December or 2024, he’s got to continue training and not let his weight get out of control. If the reports are true that Spence started training camp at 190+ lbs for the Crawford fight, it’s not surprising that he lose.
Taking off that much weight is physically impossible without weakening a person. The average boxing fan, who has likely never attempted to take off 40+ lbs, they wouldn’t have a clue what it’s like and how it leaves a person weak.
Spence was asking for trouble beginning training camp at that weight. Two things were clear for the boxing fans that remember how emaciated Spence looked, making weight for his previous fight against Yordenis Ugas fifteen months earlier in April 2022.
Spence put too much weight between fights and had outgrown the 147-lb division. He needed to be fighting at 160 or 168.
