Some fighters delight fans with special effects. You know what I’m talking about, right? Mesmerizing footwork, excellent shot selection, non-traditional defensive attributes. Combine all this together with a few other features and you have a warrior that will capture your imagination.
For Floyd Mayweather, it was the ability to adapt to virtually any style. Pernell Whitaker had fans sighing and cowering after a series of punches fired through his bare chin. Hector Camacho had a unique hand speed, such that if you blink, the fight is over. Errol Spence Jr. however, he is not seen as a brilliant fighter in the ring – just one who always wins.
Stabbing, holding hands up, going down to the body, and did we mention stabbing? Spence has mastered the basics of the sport. What some may find boring and ordinary, Derrick James constantly instills in Spence the importance of the mundane.
Throughout his career, Spence’s monotonous tendencies led to a unified reign at 147 pounds. Ultimately though, while Spence’s technical prowess has seen him recognized as a pound-for-pound star, James knows his player will need to take his game to another level on July 29.
On the night, Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) will try to become the undisputed champion against Terence Crawford. Admittedly, James doesn’t spend most of his off-duty hours watching boxing. Instead, he likes to take a break from the sport for long stretches. That said, James revealed that he has been watching Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) from a distance for years. As he continues to lay out a game plan that will lead Spence to victory, James is confident that Spence will be at his best. If he doesn’t, his undefeated streak will end.
“You’re going to see the best technical version of Errol Spence,” James recently told a group of reporters. “Because it has to be to be successful.”
