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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
Derrick James filed a lawsuit against former welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. on April 17 in Dallas County, Texas, as he seeks damages upward of $5 million related to payment the longtime boxing trainer believes he is owed from working Spence’s corner.
That same day, Spence filed a countersuit seeking declaratory relief. Both complaints were obtained by ESPN.
James, ESPN’s 2022 Trainer of the Year, had trained Spence in Dallas since his days as an amateur boxer, which culminated with the fighter representing the United States in the 2012 Olympics.
Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) doesn’t have a fight scheduled, though he’s expected to challenge Sebastian Fundora for the WBO junior middleweight title later this year. It’s unclear who Spence will train with whenever he begins preparations.
Spence, 34, suffered his first pro defeat in July when he was TKO’d by Terence Crawford in Round 9 of their fight for the undisputed welterweight championship. Spence earned a career-high $25 million but paid James $350,000, 10% of the $3.5 million guaranteed purse listed on the bout agreement.
James and Spence agree in the complaints that since 2012, they’ve worked on a handshake agreement that pays the trainer 10% of the fighter’s purse. Following each fight, Spence would deliver a check. Where they disagree is on what else James, 52, might be entitled to.
James, a former cruiserweight boxer, contends that he should have been paid 10% of Spence’s earnings for each fight, not just the amount listed on his contract.
To skirt sanctioning fees, agreements for top-level fights often list purses that are much less than what the boxer is actually being paid. Other times, the guaranteed purse is simply shown on the contract while the fighter stands to earn more on the upside of the pay-per-view.
James’ complaint includes a Feb. 16 text message exchange with Spence where the fighter agrees to wire an additional $2,100,500 to James for the Crawford fight. James said he never received that money, just the original $350,000.
Spence contends that James was entitled only to 10% of the purse listed in his bout agreements, not whatever he was paid in total.
In addition to the $2,100,500, James estimated that he’s owed $2,899,500 connected to underpayment for four previous fights against Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas.
Spence represented to James that he earned $3 million for the fight against Mikey Garcia, $1.5 million apiece for the Porter and Danny Garcia bouts and $2.5 million for Ugas. James requests a full accounting of those purses. James also said he didn’t realize until Feb. 20 that he wasn’t even paid 10% of what Spence was listed to have earned against Mikey Garcia. All five fights, including the Crawford matchup, were on PPV.
According to James’ complaint, Spence told him on Feb. 13 that he was not entitled to receive 10% of his guaranteed purse and that “Al” told the fighter $350,000 for the Crawford fight was “generous.”
The lawsuit doesn’t specify who Al is, but Spence’s longtime adviser is PBC founder Al Haymon.
The suit claims that James was paid by another fighter following the Crawford-Spence fight more than $350,000. James trained former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua for a win over Robert Helenius one month after Crawford-Spence.
James no longer trains Joshua but led star boxer Ryan Garcia to an upset victory over Devin Haney earlier this month.
“Spence got beef with my coach,” Garcia said in a social media video last week. “You want to sue him? I want to beat you up.”
James also trains Frank Martin, who will challenge Gervonta Davis for a lightweight title on June 15.
Spence was a staple of ESPN’s pound-for-pound list for years but was removed after the loss to Crawford.