Derrick James, the trainer of undefeated WBC, IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., sees his fighter cleaning up the welterweight division and eventually moving up to 154-pounds.
James who helped guide Spence to a unanimous decision victory over the durable former world champion Danny Garcia on December 5th told BWTM sports its not his job to pick and choose which opponents Spence should fight next because he is a trainer not a promoter.
Spence has called out unification fights with WBO champion Terence Crawford and WBA champion Manny Pacquiao and has made it known he wants all the smoke in the 147-pound division.
If he can’t get fights with either Crawford or Pacquiao, he said he would even be willing to fight Canelo Alvarez at middleweight if the opportunity presents itself.
BWTM Sports asked Derrick James if the 42-year-old Pacquiao was still a legitimate threat at welterweight after being Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman.
“He [Pacquiao] is always a threat, a big threat man,” James told BWTM Sports.
James questioned Pacquiao’s willingness to fight Spence even though the Filipino ring legend told media that he would be willing to fight Spence next. James brought up a past interaction that Pacquiao had in the ring during a post fight interview when Spence beat Mikey Garcia at the Cowboys stadium.
“Well whatever he saw in Spence, he damn sure didn’t see it when he fought Mikey Garcia because he came to the fight to supposedly challenge Errol next, and he starts going uh uh uh when they started asking him questions he started stammering, he couldn’t get his words out properly. Well, you know, maybe he does see something in him, who knows,” said James.
Spence and Pacquiao are under the Premier Boxing Champions banner and a fight could easily be made between the two champions if they both want it.
The fight hardcore fight fans want to see is a unification bout between the two undefeated American champions Errol Spence versus Terence Crawford, but Crawford is under Top Rank and Spence is with Al Haymon and PBC, and both fight on rival networks.
The fighters ego also comes into play, with both champions demanding at least 60-40 split in their favor and neither guy willing to budge.
