"We are looking for a very tough fight. We have to be smart and our timing has to be great. You have to always be on point at this level anyway. He fought Keith Thurman and he went 12 rounds against Keith Thurman and did well, so it's up to us to come out there and do better than that," stated Derrick James, world-class trainer of Errol Spence Jr., who talked about their upcoming clash with Leonard Bundu. Check out what else he had to say!



PC: We had some great fights the other weekend in Stevenson-Williams Jr. and Leo Santa Cruz-Frampton. What did you think of those fights?



DJ: I thought both fights were phenomenal. Thomas Williams fought great and it was a very valiant effort from him that he gave. Adonis Stevenson showed me in this fight more depth than he had ever showed me. He showed different punches, body shots, and uppercuts and hooks. Prior to that fight, he showed that he only wanted to throw left hands. He looked great. Mikey Garcia looked great. He was smart. He's a very intelligent fighter. He's a very intellectual guy. That's what I like about him. He's a smart guy and he's very patient. He has rounds. He wants to win every round, but at the same time, he wants to set traps and he's able to do those things. Santa Cruz is a phenomenal fighter and he fought a guy...this is what's funny about it, people talk about what British boxing is and where American boxing is and its in two different places. The British fighters have adapted to the late 80's and 90's style of American boxing; very slick, very smart, very intelligent boxing. American boxing is so much about watching other guys and fighting like this guy or that guy. Those guys have adapted to this great style, and not to mention most of the guys that train over there are former fighters. And the 80's and 90's were the best for USA boxing and you see a guy like Frampton that moves his head so well in a fight like that; come on, man, are you for real? It's Sweet Peaesque or Ray Leonardesque. It was a great fight and great for boxing.



PC: Going back a few weeks, Terence Crawford is another guy you enjoy watching. What did you think of his performance?



DJ: I think it was very masterful. It was very smart. He fought a very intelligent fight. Many people want to see you fight the fight that they want you to fight. You have to fight the fight that's best for you. The name of the game is hit and not be hit. When you look at some of the studies that they are coming out with about being hit too much and taking too many punches, Mayweather was right, Ray Leonard was right, and Terence Crawford was right to fight that type of fight. It's about not taking abuse and limiting the amount of damage you take inside of that ring. He was able to implement his game plan and fight the perfect fight.



PC: Errol Spence Jr. on August 21st headlining on NBC against Leonard Bundu. How is preparation going?



DJ: Hey man, preparation is going great. He's getting in like 15 to 16 rounds of sparring and sometimes 17 rounds. He's doing great. He's doing really well, his timing is perfect, and he has to be on point. This is a guy, which is sad that people don't give this guy a lot of credit; he's a very smart fighter, former Olympian, and he's a strong fighter. I've watched his fights and he's very strong and he's smart in there. He's a good boxer that moves well in the ring. They saw one fight when he fought Keith Thurman, but he has many styles that he's able to do and he punches in between punches well. So you have to have a strategic approach because of his intelligence and he's very awkward as well.



PC: Only in boxing can a guy be 33-1, never been stopped, and a former Olympian and be dismissed as an opponent or "easy fight."



DJ: It's sad, but the people that say these things don't take into account that this guy was the European champ. They didn't just give him that. That's not an honorary title. He had to fight for that title. We are looking for a very tough fight. We have to be smart and our timing has to be great. You have to always be on point at this level anyway. He fought Keith Thurman and he went 12 rounds against Keith Thurman and did well, so it's up to us to come out there and do better than that.



PC: Is it hard not to get caught up in that; trying to one up Thurman's performance against him?



DJ: I never like to grade our performance on what another guy did. I just know what my expectations are for my guy. It's just like he has high expectations for himself. I want him to fulfill his own high hopes and expectations. I'm not a fighter anymore. I'm still a fighter, but I'm not boxing, so it's not so much about what I want for his career. I just want to get him to the level that I know he can get to and he's doing great. He's doing some really good things in the gym. And with a guy like Bundu, the better you are, the better he will be. So what happens is you'll get to see more of his talent and his skills because he'll go more rounds and he's going to have to do more things to win and to get the guy out of the fight. It's sad that people say he's not that and not this. He's 33-1 and he only lost to Keith Thurman and he ended the 3-fight knockout streak that Thurman was on. I mean, come on, man, just because you don't recognize names don't mean that guys aren't tough or these guys aren't great fighters. You go to Mexico and take a guy with like 5 or 10 losses but has 20-something wins, that's a tough fighter right there. And they have fighters out there like that. This is a guy I've seen fight over and over and he's consistent. He's went to England and won and he's been all over Europe and won. He's a winner and that's how you have to go in there with the mentality of you gotta beat this guy.



PC: You guys were actually preparing for Leonard Bundu before and the fight didn't happen, so you guys faced someone else. Is it the same approach from when you guys were previously scheduled to fight him?



DJ: Nothing much has changed. I think that people are talking about Errol more now. Leonard Bundu was a smart guy to say, "Listen, if I don't have to fight this guy, I'm not going to fight him." The first time around, there was nothing at stake. He did an interview and he said Errol Spence will be a tougher fight than Keith Thurman and I know he's right. So he's a smart guy and he knows boxing. But at the same time, he's 41 and there is a title shot at stake, so he's trying to go get it. It's all about being intelligent. He's a smart and intelligent fighter. You look at guys like Bernard at 41 and even Tarver, who even at 41 to 42, he was good. Now he's a little older and his timing is not as good, but he's still a good fighter. His mind is there and he still knows what to do. So this guy at 41 is not a guy who has been beat up and he's very strong. He's a hard puncher throughout the fight. You can't rest and relax on him. You have to be focused.



PC: Kell Brook was a guy who you guys were in line to face not too long ago. He's moving up to middleweight to face Gennady Golovkin. Do you think a fight with him can still happen or are you not sold on him ever being a welterweight again?



DJ: I have no idea. I can't even speak on it because I have no idea what they are doing. I hope he does whatever is best for his career. Errol was chasing the world championship, not this particular guy. If you have the title, I want to fight you or this guy or that guy because he wants to be the best. It's not so much about individual guys; it's about those titles they hold. So any guy with a title, he wants to fight those guys because he wants to be the best.



PC: I wish you guys the best of luck with both Robert Brant and Errol Spence. Thanks for the time. Give me some closing thoughts my man.



DJ: I'm just happy, man. We continuing to win and move forward and I thank everyone for all of the love and support. Rob Brant had a big win on CBS Sports, Errol has his fight coming up, and then Jermell will be having his first defense coming up. I don't have a date or opponent, but it's coming up, so we have big things going on.

[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]