Errol Spence Jr. is looking for a new trainer after leaving Derrick James.
The news comes after Spence’s defeat to Terence Crawford. The former Unified Welterweight Champion was knocked out in the ninth round, losing the chance to become the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era.
Talks over the rematch broke down as Crawford is expected to face the winner of Tim Tszyu vs Sebastian Fundora at 154 pounds. That leaves Spence in search of a new opponent and trainer. When asked about his return to the ring, Spence said
Spence’s Future
“Got to find a new home first.”
The Truth has no plans on leaving PBC, meaning he is in contention to headline on Amazon Prime Video. He will most likely move up to Junior Middleweight. The IBF and WBA belts are currently vacant at 154, allowing Spence to target a world title. That may set up the narrative for a rematch with Crawford, who aims to become undisputed in a third weight class.
“I paid my obligations to the welterweight division. It’s time to move up, and it’ll be strap season all over again. I sat out a year and a half trying to make this fight happen with Terence Crawford to get the other strap,” Spence stated
Jeff Mayweather Reacts
However, once Spence returns, Jeff Mayweather wants the boxer to have some tune-ups. Spence underwent cataract surgery on his right eye after the Crawford loss. He blamed his vision problems for the reason why he lost to Crawford.
He was also involved in two car crashes before that, one of which resulted in a detached retina. This led to question marks over whether he should retire. He was the former Unified Welterweight Champion, showing he was one of the best of his era. But now that Spence has announced he will continue, Mayweather wants the boxer to take his time.
“I know Errol really well, and he’s a great guy. I just don’t know how he’s going to come back from that fight. Sometimes guys can come back from fights like that. I can attest to that. With Spence, I think he needs to take some easy fights first to find out where he’s at rather than jump right back in the fire with Crawford or Tim [Tszyu] right now. I just think he doesn’t need that. I just think he needs to get back to feeling the way he was before he got that loss. [And] I don’t care. Even if he’s fighting a guy that is a real pushover, he needs a win to keep him motivated,” Mayweather stated
There are currently no opponents who have been mentioned for Spence. This is likely to happen once his coaching situation has been resolved. Gervonta Davis’ trainer, Calvin Ford, has expressed an interest in training Spence, given that The Truth is a friend of Tank Davis. But for that to happen, Ford confirmed that he would require Derrick James’ blessing. Moving forward, Spence has major decisions to make.
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