"Chris Algieri said he remembers fighting on ESPN in the main event and then going from that to HBO. Well, Errol never fought on that level. He's always fought on the main scene, main level, main card, and he was the main event in his 13th or 14th fight. That's the difference and I think it's going to show...Errol is prepared for this...boxing is filled with guys like Chris Algieri. He's not this super phenomenal guy," stated Derrick James, world-class trainer of undefeated welterweight contender Errol Spence Jr., who talked about their upcoming clash with former world champion Chris Algieri. Check it out!
PC: You're a busy man. You got Rob Brant fighting on the 15th and Errol Spence Jr. going on the 16th. How is preparation for both guys going?
DJ: Everything is going great. I think these guys are very focused and they are doing what they have to do and what they need to do and they are not letting anything come between their goals and their desires of what they wanna do.
PC: What do you feel has been the biggest growth in both guys watching them come up the ranks?
DJ: The biggest growth I have seen is their level of dedication and focus. You can see it in their intensity level when they are working out. When they are sparring each other, it's like they are fighting for the title at that particular time on that day, so they are working really hard.
PC: I'm sure all of the hard work is pretty much done. What's the taper down process between now and fight time?
DJ: With Errol, he likes to continue to work until the week before the fight. Saturday will be the last day of sparring. He will go like 10 to 12 rounds. He likes to feel like he's complete and that he's accomplished something, so he doesn't like to taper down too much. With Rob, he sparred with Jermell on Thursday. Jermell is back in training camp. That will be it for him. It's just a gradual process with them. These guys work hard and on fight night, you will see them be the men that they were made to be.
PC: You do all of the work with your guys. How are you holding up?
DJ: I'm holding up pretty well, man. I work out at least 5 days a week. I get my running in and weights, so I'm able to deal with everything that they do. Sometimes my hands start to bother me a little bit holding mitts for these powerful guys, but it's okay.
PC: Errol is the talked about guy in the sport. Psychologically, how is he handling being the talked about guy?
DJ: I think from day one, he's been talked about. In the Olympics, he was nominated as the hardest working guy and then he went and sparred with Floyd Mayweather. Floyd kind of blew him up and then it came out about the Adrien Broner sparring, so he's always been talked about, but this is a little different because he is the main focus on a big card. He's been preparing for this. Chris Algieri said he remembers fighting on ESPN in the main event and then going from that to HBO. Well, Errol never fought on that level. He's always fought on the main scene, main level, main card, and he was the main event in his 13th or 14th fight. That's the difference and I think it's going to show because Errol was never on the club fight scene to step up to bigger cards. They have always been grooming him for the big time, so they always let him see it, always had a taste for it, and even with the sparring; sparring with Adrien and Floyd, he's never had a situation where he was at club fight level. He's tough because he's always held his own. Errol is prepared for this.
PC: I'm sure all of the film study and things are done. Are you comfortable with where you are at as far as knowing the ins and outs of who Chris Algieri is as a fighter?
DJ: You know I am, and I said that I wouldn't go back and look at the Pacquiao fight, but I did anyway and I saw some of the exact things he did against Eric Bone and that he did against Amir Khan. I saw some of the same things he did in his fights prior to working with John David Jackson that he's doing now. We're just looking at little things that he does and I'm just informing Errol on some of the things he does during the course of the fight. I just like to keep his mind focused on everything that he may do; that way he expects it. And for the things that he does different, hopefully the jab controls that. That will keep him at bay and mesmerized and occupied; set him up with the jab. Everything comes into play and we will be ready.
PC: We have seen Algieri fight brave, get off of the deck and win fights, box and use his legs and mix it up a little. When preparing Errol for a fight like this, how important is it to come into this fight with more than one game plan, or is it about making in-fight adjustments?
DJ: I think you really make adjustments when something is not working. But we have so many strategies, so many different game plans, and I present so many different scenarios of things that he does do, things that he might do, and just so many hypothetical situations to prepare for. If he gets your back against the ropes, he's prepared for that. If he tries to fight in the middle of the ring, he's ready for that. If he has to cut the ring off, he's going to do that. I mean, even if he has to walk him down behind the jab, he's going to do that. It's all about defense. That's the key to it all. To me, my security is in the defense. It's all about us not getting hit. He's going to land some shots, I understand that, but it's about can you land cleans shots while stopping us from hitting you? What we have seen, it's not going to be enough. We're not Provodnikov, who is a killer if you are right in front of him. We're not Pacquiao, who is a killer if you stand right in front of him. But we saw what he was able to do against Pacquiao when he was moving around in the ring. He landed some shots. But you look at when Floyd fought Pacquiao, he boxed, he stood right in front of him, he created different scenarios that Pacquiao was not prepared for. So this is a guy we have prepared for different scenarios and hopefully what we prepared for, we can implement during the fight.
PC: Any concerns for you with Rob Brant fighting in Minnesota, which is his hometown?
DJ: No; he just knows better. It's like this, you get a guy that's very professional and he knows what time it is. This is his career and you don't get a do-over in this situation. Every fight matters and everything that he does matters. So you have to really think about doing the right thing all the time, even at 25. So there is a certain level of maturity that comes with that. Whether it be Errol fighting in Dallas or Rob fighting in Minnesota, they have to know this is about their career. It's not about who is in the crowd. The fight would be happening if it was in China or wherever. You need the same focus even if you were fighting in your moms kitchen. You need that same type of focus and he has that. There is no pressure for me because I'm not fighting. It's just about strategizing and knowing that I have prepared them. I check myself and make sure I had him do everything that I need him to do so that he's secure. It's more about what his security is, and not mine, to know that he can do everything that he needs to do and that's what my job is.
PC: What are you hoping to see from both of your guys?
DJ: I always look for consistency. Opposition does change, but it's all about consistency. I want to see tendencies that you have created and things that you've done. I want to see you continue to do it no matter who the opposition is. I believe that Chris Algieri is a step up, in a sense. I say in a sense because he's fought 3 top guys; he beat 1 and lost to 2 of them. And the other guys that he fought had a better record than he did. So boxing is filled with guys like Chris Algieri. He's not this super phenomenal guy. There are a thousand of him out there. There are guys fighting on a smaller circuit just waiting for that chance to step up. He was able to do that. Boxing is filled with guys like that. Boxing is filled with great trainers. There is not just 5 great trainers in the world. That's an asinine idea, but that's what people think. They constantly keep looking for these guys. They constantly give these guys Trainer of the Year. No, there are other people out there. There are other fighters out there like Chris Algieri; a million of them. But he's a tough guy and we look for this guy to step up just like he's done before. That's what other boxers can do on this level. He knows who he is and he believes in himself. That's all he needs is just to believe in himself. Errol Spence knows who he is and he's going to go out there and do what he needs to do to get the job done.
PC: I always look forward to seeing your guys in the ring. Your fighters are definitely a reflection of you and I wish you guys the best of luck. Is there anything else you would like to say before I let you go?
DJ: I appreciate all the love, all the fan love, and all of the love from FightHype. Just watch out for us. We have 3 guys going right now and Jermell just started training camp, so everything is good, man.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]