"I think he's the type of guy to bring out the best in Errol Spence Jr. and it's going to take the best Errol Spence Jr. to beat him. We know that he has a great trainer, so they will be strategizing and working on certain things, but we will be prepared for whatever he has to bring to the table...Errol can get out there and showcase his skills and showcase his talents and show that he is definitely a better boxer and technician than Pacquiao and Khan," stated Derrick James, world-class trainer of welterweight contender Errol Spence Jr., who talked about their upcoming clash with former world champion Chris Algieri. Check it out!
PC: Errol Spence will be facing Chris Algieri on April 16th. What are your thoughts on the fight being made?
DJ: I think that it's going to be a really good fight. I think that Chris Algieri is a strong, tough, and rugged guy and he is very determined. He can weather the storm so to speak. He did it with Provodnikov and Pacquiao. I think he's the type of guy to bring out the best in Errol Spence Jr. and it's going to take the best Errol Spence Jr. to beat him. We know that he has a great trainer, so they will be strategizing and working on certain things, but we will be prepared for whatever he has to bring to the table.
PC: Being that Errol is a southpaw, can you take anything away from what Manny Pacquiao was able to do to him or being that Errol's style is totally different from Pacquiao's, you can't really grab anything from that?
DJ: I didn't even look at the Pacquiao fight. I just looked at the last two fights he had because he could be a totally different guy with a different trainer. That fight had nothing to do with this particular trainer. It had nothing to do with John David Jackson. It's about John David Jackson and not the guys before that because he won't fight that type of fight in this fight.
PC: I think this is the right fight, the right name for Errol at this point in his career. Was this the type of name you guys were looking for as well?
DJ: Yeah, we were happy. He is a tough guy. It took everything that Amir Khan had to beat him. Pacquiao hit him with everything and beat him soundly and he still wouldn't go away, so I think that this is a situation where Errol can get out there and showcase his skills and showcase his talents and show that he is definitely a better boxer and technician than Pacquiao and Khan, technically. We are more technically sound than those guys, so this will be a different fight and it will be a good fight.
PC: How do you slow down or control the movement of a Chris Algieri, who uses his legs as his defense?
DJ: You don't give him any options. You take all of his options away. There are different ways to take all of those options away. At the same time, you have to fight the fight that's available. If his fight is to move around, then we will have to fight him with a style suited for that. If he wants to stand there and fight, then we will have to move around and box him. I've been watching him and watching the punches he likes to throw on a consistent basis. I don't recall him before because I only seen the Provodnikov fight. I didn't see the Pacquiao fight, but he's sneaky. He does a lot of good, sneaky things in there, so it's up to me to keep Errol mindful of what he is doing and what he does all the time.
PC: Has Errol been in the gym consistently or has it been more of waiting on a date?
DJ: He's been in the gym. He really didn't take much of a break. He took two weeks off after his last fight. We sparred with Robert [Brant] about a month ago. He did rounds then. Right now, he's about 154, so that lets you know what kind of conditioning he's in. He's really above target. He's never had any weight problems. He's right where he needs to be.
PC: You are starting to become a busy guy. Errol, Brant, Jermell Charlo, and now you have Semajay Thomas. Is this your limit on fighters because you always stress not letting it get too crowded in your stable?
DJ: I think I'm at my limit because when you get so deep into it, you start to lose yourself in your situation. You lose your time that you have to yourself and your family. This is it right here. I don't want to take so much from my personal self and time, so I think I'm at my number. I didn't know what my number was, but I'm at my number now.
PC: You've only worked with Semajay for a couple of days. What have you seen in the early stages from him?
DJ: He's a young, strong guy and he has a great disposition. He is a hard worker and he's listening very well right now. So what I have to do is work on a style that works for him. I don't want to take too much away from what he originally was, but clean it up a lot. It's going to take a little time, but my understanding is it's not today or tomorrow or next week. It could be 2 or 3 months. We are not rushing it.
PC: When I look at your stable of fighters and their body of work, it's a reflection on you and your teachings as well as their talents. Do you think this could be the year you finally get your just due as a trainer?
DJ: I think so. It's funny that you say that. I see a lot of reporters and they see me and they just walk right by, but they know who I am because they are talking about Errol (laughing). So it's like now they have to acknowledge the situation more. I work hard. I work 7 days a week and we train very hard and I think that's what my guys like; and the cohesiveness. I'm not a yelling guy. I'm a teacher. I enjoy teaching and that's what inspires me the most is to be able to teach and have great students. It's like with Errol, who I have been with for 8 years; we are always working on something. We're always looking for that perfect day and we can have that perfect day in this fight or some other fight, but we're always looking for that perfect day in each fight for him. So we always work.
PC: I'm looking forward to seeing your guys in there and I think this will be a breakout year for you as a trainer as well. Best of luck and we will be keeping in touch throughout camp as always. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?
DJ: I'm always thankful for the love and support I get from everybody and from you guys at FightHype. It's always a great thing to see how people receive you and it's great to be received well. We've worked hard. Errol and I have worked long and hard for this and we are not where we want to be, but we are headed in the right direction, and so is Jermell and I and Robert and I. We could have three world title fights this year. It's all possible and that's amazing.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]