Derrick James is absurdly overrated

I've wanted to say this for awhile. James gets treated like a training deity. You would think he was in Steward/Futch/Arcel class the way he's hyped.

He's just a decent trainer. Nothing less, but nothing more either. He doesn't have the IQ to be some strategical savant in the corner.

Bo Mac trained circles around James last night, but the media won't admit that because James is their darling.

 

It's all about physical appearance. James is in great shape and Bo Mac is a blimp, people are just gonna assume the in-shape guy knows more about boxing. I see no evidence that James is better than Bo Mac.

 

Some of the best coaching I've ever gotten in a gym has been from guys in their 50s and 60s who look a donut away from a heart attack. Some of the worst has been from the younger guys with degrees who were brought in to the gyms as 'S&C' coaches.

I have my own thoughts about how the best way to approach training a fighter is, but in summary, it's basically the way the best amateurs do it. Crawford, Hooker, Brant, Herring and Nelson were all amateurs for quite some time with a decent amount of success. I think it stands to reason that Bo Mac's style of training is similar to that, and you can tell especially in Crawford, that it's working.

James seems to be all hype, and his successful fighters would've been successful with any trainer.

 

I didn't watch on TV yet to hear corners advice,

But what the fuck could James have possibly told him to do differently that would've changed the outcome?

Spence was outclassed physically, not tactically

He wasn't as sharp or coordinated (partially due to inactivity), nor was he as strong at the weight any longer

 

I know James used to be a fighter and all but he’s merely decent as X pointed out.

I’d take Freddie Roach in his hey day over him.

 

Not to Be a DICK (For Real) or a Derrick James APOLOGIST, But if This Opinion Wasn't Shared Anytime PRIOR to Spence-Crawford, It Carries Little Weight...

CONVENIENT AF to Shit On a Trainer AFTER His Best Fighter Gets His Ass HANDED To Him...That Said, Your Opinion is YOURS...



REED

 

He Repeatedly Told EJ "You're Getting Hit Because You're Standing Right in FRONT Of Him...When You Get Off - STEP OVER, Get Off - STEP OVER...Turn Him"...EJ Never 1nce Did That...

Granted, as Well as Bud ADJUSTS, This Strategy May Have Only Worked for a BRIEF Period of Time, But It'd Have Been a DIFFERENT Look Than What EJ Presented to Bud, @ Least...




REED

 

DJames was in Charlo's Corner When he LOST to Harrison and KO'ed him the RE...DJames was in Charlo's Corner When he ARGUABLY Lost to Castano and KO'ed him the RE...

That ALONE Let's REED Know DJames Ain't "Overrated" as a Trainer...He Wasn't Just Giving Charlo WATER in Between Rounds...




REED

 

Don't understand these theories. James is overrated, spence was overrated, can't be both. Maybe Crawford is just that good and was fortunate to fight a man at the right time

 

I said I PERSONALLY overrated Spence. But that one you can't use against me now, because you can go back and see posts where I mention a few years ago that I felt I had overrated Spence.

REED isn't wrong, I never have made my opinion of James public in the past, but then again, I virtually never open threads on trainers. They're not my main focus. I rather discuss fighters, fights, and matchups.

Just had to get this one off my chest. I don't think James is some boxing God. He's just a (no Spence pun intended) big fish in a small pond of what's left of quality trainers in the sport.

Going back to like the 90s, Derrick James would just be considered a middling trainer.

 

I'm not targeting you, I'm just looking at these opinions in general here. It don't add up

If I had a talented fighter I'd have no problem sending him to Texas to train wit James.

Spence was a underdog for a reason. Despite him being the 'A' side the deck was stacked against him Saturday

That doesn't void his career. Guy turnt into a chump all of a sudden.

Maybe he never beats Crawford, but these takes are gibberish

 

Virgil Hunter had a great take today that I agree with.

He said had it been any other guy than Bud, and Spence would have looked like his old self. He correctly pointed out that Spence DID look like his old self in the first round.

Is Spence's punch resistance declined due to the crash? Possibly, but it's worth noting that in his prime he was taking shots from guys whose punches he could see coming, like Brook, Porter, and Mikey.

Bud was the first guy to hit Spence with true power AND velocity.

It is a VERY real possibility that even the 2017-2018 Spence would be unable to handle Bud's power.

It's not like Errol had some Hagler/Monzon chin that was battle tested over time. We never had a true sense of his chin. We knew he could handle a good shot from Brook, but Brook isn't hitting cats with the speed and precision of Bud.

 

It’s worth pointing out that even GGG didn’t drop Brook like that at 160’lbs. Bud’s timing on his JAB was so good along with the speed that Brook was essentially out on his feet from it.

It’s definitely possible that Spence may not have the punch resistance before the car crash, but at the same time he had never met anyone as heavy handed and quick as Bud.

 

Exactly. Speed kills. Errol had never been hit at that velocity before. More importantly than the speed, he had never been hit at that ACCURACY before.

 

Crawford never been thrown from a vehicle goin 120 mph, yea speed kills

 

Excuses, excuses. If Errol thought he was ruined, he shouldn't have taken the fight.

It's a fact that he never got like Crawford hit him, even pre-accident.

 

Agreed, as far as we know Spence only suffered facial laceration and broken teeth from the accident. While it's not minor, in no way should it grant him the label ''ruined''. Yes he and his team might might have very well hid more serious injuries from the media, but that's highly speculative at the very least...

 

We never had enough sample size to know how good Spence's chin was. We obviously knew it was solid, but for the 100th time, Brook and Porter are not powerful sharp shooters that hit you from different angles with a wide array of shots like Bud does. Danny hit Spence with a few good shots here and there, but Danny was in full survival mode, and Danny isnt a big hitter above 140. Mikey barely hit Spence, and Mikey isn't a legit puncher above 135.

The way you're talking, you would think Spence had this Chavez-like chin that was tested over and over, then suddenly fell apart overnight.

Spence's chin had never been tested by a guy as explosive as Crawford.

 

And let's not forget how he was bragging on social media about having no broken bones from the accident shortly afteward, doubt that would be the case if he felt his career was compromised.

 

Pazienza had the same accident yet moved up in weight to win a belt

 

Exactly, yeah maybe Spence's punch resistance was shattered by the accident, age and ''living the life'', but considering his chin was never really tested beforehand, it's much more probable that it's Crawford firepower more than anything else

 

Yeah man, this dude isn't fuckin Hagler. He's been stunned before. What does Neil think? That pre-accident Spence is just walk gonna through Bud's counters like nothing?

 

Roy also made it very clear that Bud is just a better fighter.

 

The facial damage is DEFINITELY due to the crash. I ain't gonna sit up here and dispute that one. It's just so apparent. So we can agree there.

He should never fight Bud again. A lil ass increase of fighting 7 pounds higher ain't gonna fix Spence swelling and cutting when Bud hits him.

 

What I suspect would have happened had these two fought in 2018, when BOTH were at their physical peaks: Spence does a bit better early on, but by the mid-rounds, Bud's picking him apart just as he did on Saturday. Spence's face wouldn't have been as swelled, but by the late rounds he'd be walking into big counters, and he still gets KO'd. Only difference is, maybe he gets KO'd in 11 instead of 9, and his face wouldn't be as gruesome.

Remember, while Spence was better 5 years ago... so was Bud. He was faster and sharper in the Horn fight than he is nowadays.

 

when did i ever say crawford isnt the better fighter?

 

naw. McIntyre said it himself, the spence camp made a mistake letting crawford grow into the division. he's as good as ever now

 

Bud was throwing Horn around the ring like a small child in his first fight at 147. Spence would never ever get the better of him physically, and Virgil Hunter pointed out why... Crawford's wrestling background. He understands how to leverage his strength in a way Spence doesnt.

 

Spence should target Fundora as a comeback at 154. That's a good fight for him to see where he's at, and gain back confidence. And gain back confidence on a southpaw. If a bum like Fundora ends up swelling him, then he'll know that he should hang em up.