James, who trained Spence during the biggest years of his career before they split in 2024, was asked this week about his fight against the former WBO junior middleweight champion Tszyu.
“I think Errol is going to do what he’s going to do, but I think that Tim Tszyu is a very tough fighter and you’ve got to be able to use your feet and you’ve got to be able to box because if not, he’s going to try to bang you out,” James said to Fighthype.
If Spence follows the advice to “box and move,” he might actually be playing right into Tszyu’s comfort zone.
The James approach feels like it belongs to the 2023 version of Tim Tszyu, not the one we’ve seen recently exposed by Bakhram Murtazaliev and Sebastian Fundora. Both of those fighters proved that Tim is vulnerable to pressure and power.
Derrick James telling Spence to use his feet suggests a few things that don’t bode well for Errol. After the Crawford beatdown and three years of wear and tear, James might know that Errol can no longer take the bombs Murtazaliev was willing to trade.
James seems to be treating Tszyu like an unstoppable juggernaut that must be avoided, rather than a fighter who has recently been bullied and broken by two aggressive power punchers.
Box and move is often trainer-speak for try not to get hit, which is a dangerous mindset for a guy like Spence, whose entire identity is built on being the “Big Fish” who breaks people down.
If Spence tries to turn into a mobile boxer-stylist at age 36, after multiple car accidents and a long layoff, he’s likely to get caught. Tszyu is excellent at cutting off the ring against fighters who are trying to flee. The only people who have beaten Tszyu are those who fought aggressively, Muratazaliev and Fundora.
Read the full article here