Errol Spence discusses challenges during training camp before Crawford fight

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 29: Terence Crawford punches Errol Spence Jr. during round 6 of the World Welterweight Championship bout at T-Mobile Arena on July 29, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images Former unified welterweight titleholder Errol Spence just spent some time talking with Andre Ward and reflects on losing the biggest fight of his career when he took on Terence Crawford in 2023. Spence had dealt with a lot of adversity outside of the ring, which he now admits affected him inside the ring on that night, but says he’s learned the hard lessons that have him back on the right path. When asked about his preparation for the Crawford fight and working out a game plan with trainer Derrick James, Spence shared these thoughts. “Man, that camp was bullsh-t,” Spence said. “I didn’t spar probably six weeks — yeah, like six, seven weeks I did like no sparring. It was just a lot of stuff that went wrong in that camp. Like even before that, the sparring partners — the guys didn’t fit, I had no southpaws to spar or nothing like that. It was all out of whack, but it got to a point to where my body felt like…basically, I was living wrong. “Even out of camp you got to live right so once you get in camp, everything will be cool. Like now, I’m cool now because I’ve been living right. I ain’t been drinking or nothing like that, still been working out. So once I get in camp I’m free flowing. In that camp everything was just out of whack and my body wasn’t there. “For me, I knew this maximum payout was going to take care of my family. Even if I’m not here it’s going to take care of my family. It’ll take care of me, and I didn’t know if I was going to box ever again. I felt like that before that [Crawford] fight. I didn’t know if I was ever going to box again, that’s why I took so long off.” Spence would then take more direct aim at his lead trainer for not handling the training camp appropriately. “We just work the mitts. The whole time we were just working mitts. You would think he would put on some gloves and have me like blocking shots and whatnot, but it was none of that,” Spence said. “The whole camp — I’ll talk about it more when I’m done and I’m retired, like I’ll get into real details about it because I got proof on certain things, but it was just a whole messed up situation…training camp was trash, at the end of the day.” Spence is currently scheduled to make his return against Tim Tszyu on July 26 in Australia.

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Errol Spence says he wasn’t living a disciplined life and his trainer didn’t do his job properly.