By CJ Carlson
A professional boxing trainer, Derrick James, has sued Errol Spence over unpaid wages. James claims Spence breached their contract, though we haven’t seen them work together since Spence lost to Terence Crawford. The two were reported to be at odds for most of their partnership, and that is seemingly ongoing.
Part of why James and Spence were on bad terms was due to the Crawford fight. Spence was dropped three times and fully taken down in the ninth round. When the fight ended, many pointed out James and his inability to do more in the corner. After going deeper, it was clear that Spence wasn’t the only fighter on his mind. James was working alongside both Ryan Garcia and Anthony Joshua at the same time. There were plans to try and get a rematch between Spence and Crawford, but it never worked out and the two went in different directions.
Derrick James Looking For $5 Million
James has filed the lawsuit since then and is looking for a minimum of $5 million in damages. Spence on the other hand immediately filed a countersuit. According to James, he was entitled to 10% of the revenue from both the fight purse and the money earned from PPV. Spence and Crawford’s fight earned $25 million in just the fight purse alone. James was reportedly paid only $350,000. When speaking to Spence, he said that James was NEVER entitled to 10% of his guaranteed revenue. Spence went one step further and claimed that he spoke to another individual who thought it was “generous” that James was even getting $350,000 from that fight.
Of course, James and his attorney fired back once they heard what Spence said. They claim that Spence was on the phone with James when he admitted that he “did rob” him. On top of that, there are alleged text messages that show Spence saying he, “wanted to own up to his own…[up] and pay James the remaining $2.15 million that kept with their verbal agreement.” You might have guessed it, but that money never arrived and both sides find themselves in court.