The Last Stand with Brian Custer

🥊 Derrick James Breaks Silence on Errol Spence, Charlo Fallout & Moving Forward | The Last Stand

• Brian Custer

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0:00 | 46:31

🎙️ Derrick James sits down with The Last Stand for one of his most candid interviews yet.

The former Trainer of the Year opens up about his highly discussed split with Errol Spence Jr., including the legal dispute surrounding his trainer’s compensation following the Terence Crawford fight. Derrick explains his perspective, why the situation unfolded the way it did, and what he believes was the right course of action.

He also addresses his relationship with Jermell Charlo, reflects on their separation, and shares why he never takes it personally when fighters decide to work with someone else.

Plus, Derrick discusses:
🥊 His responsibility as a world-class trainer
💯 Where should loyalty lie
👊 The fighters he’s currently developing
❤️ His foundation and giving back to the community
🔥 Coaching multiple world champions

This is an honest conversation about boxing, business, relationships, and legacy from one of the sport’s most respected trainers.

👇 Let us know your thoughts in the comments and don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE!

#Boxing #DerrickJames #ErrolSpence #JermellCharlo #TheLastStand #BrianCuster #TerenceCrawford

SPEAKER_00

You're watching The Last Stand with Brian Custer. That's right. It is the last stand. I'm Brian Custer. We bring you the biggest names in the sport. Hey, joining me today is one of the most highly decorated boxing coaches in the sport. I mean, this guy has won train of the year multiple times. Ring magazine, prominent boxing organizations. Derek James is back with us on the last stand. DJ, it's been a little bit. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_02

It's been a minute. I'm good. I'm doing great, man. No complaints.

SPEAKER_00

Great to see you. Um, hey, let's start with uh your fighter, the former undisputed champ, Alicia Bumgardner. Um, what's new with her? When will we see her back in the ring?

SPEAKER_02

Well, she's she's doing good, but I don't know exactly when she'll be back in the ring. I think that maybe sometime in the early fall. I mean, I'm hoping anyway, but um that I'm not for sure.

SPEAKER_00

Carolyn Dubois has obviously been linked to her. Um, Carolyn Dubois said Alicia Bumgardner is running out of options when you talk about elite fighters in the lightweight division. I'm her only real option. Your thoughts.

SPEAKER_02

I think that's cool. I think that I I like the uh I like the hunger for the fight for her. That you know, Caroline Dubois, she wants to fight. I like that aspect of it. I mean, you know, and uh I think she has more than that option, but I mean it's not it's not for me to say it or not to say. I mean, I think that you know, when when the time is right, they're gonna fight.

SPEAKER_00

What did you think? Uh it was about a month ago, both uh Alicia Baumgartner and Clarissa Shields were at an MVP event, and Clarissa Shields went up to her and slapped her. What did you think when you saw that video?

SPEAKER_02

You know, I thought it was not real at first. I thought it was, you know, something was going on. But I mean, when when I really realized that it was a real thing, I think it's very unfortunate. I think that, you know, they have to be able to exist in the same space at the same time, and somebody can't, you know, let their how they feel about an individual get the best of them, whatever. So, you know, I think that it's unfortunate.

SPEAKER_00

Do you think it's even though I know they both have said if we fought, I would do this to you. Is it realistic? Is the weight disparity just too much for them to ever fight?

SPEAKER_02

I think it is. I think that, I mean, I think that she's what, like 40 pounds heavier. I think that I mean, but it years ago, you know, uh Clarissa had the ability to go up and down and fluctuate in different weight divisions. That's how she won all those titles with her. But I think that now, I think that it's just a little bit maybe maybe for her. I'm not for sure because I can't speak for her, but it may be unrealistic to do so.

SPEAKER_00

Um, there's also gonna be a big fight coming down in Australia. Uh, Errol Spence Jr., your former fighter, is returning after three years. What do you think is gonna happen in that fight?

SPEAKER_02

Well, you know, I I I always like to stay out of that if it's not my fight or whatever. So I I won't ever give a prediction because it's not. I mean, I don't know how he trained, I don't know what he's doing, I don't know what you know what preparation was like. So I can't I never really get into that. So I'll just say that, you know, I wish him the best. And you know, um, I hope it's really more than that. I hope it's a really good fight. I hope it's a very competitive fight.

SPEAKER_00

Are you surprised that he he came back? It's gonna be almost three years.

SPEAKER_02

No, I think that I mean, um, you know, sometimes it's always about the right time. Maybe he has some things going on that kept him out of it. Uh, you know, he's doing some family stuff or something. I heard it, I heard somebody said he said, so I think he's dealing with that. I mean, that's a big deal. I mean, you want to be there for your kids, especially at this very you know, they're very young, so you know, you want to be there for them.

SPEAKER_00

DJ, when did your relationship end? And and and how, why, why, why did it end? Because you were with Errol since the amateurs, right?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I mean, I think that well, uh the relationship ended when I decided to serve in papers for a particular situation. That's when, because you realize that the relationship is over at that point. So uh when you serving papers, it's over.

SPEAKER_00

Um, he he recently did an extensive interview with Andre Ward. Uh Errol said, and and at one part at the very beginning of the interview, by the way, he talked to Andre and he said he saw how Andre and his trainer, uh Virgil Hunter, had like a father-son relationship. And Andre Ward said, Well, I thought that was kind of like what you and Derek James had. That's what I saw. And he said, No, he never got that. And now he also said, it could have been me too, but I just never got that from him. Uh, your your your thoughts about that.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I think that I could never have a father-son in a situation because his father was there. So it's more like a big brother. And I thought that we had something more than what we really, you know, something more than what it really was anyway. I mean, so the answer is I was surprised just as much as uh Andre Ward was.

SPEAKER_00

The part that really went viral uh in the interview was when uh Andre asked Errol about the Bud Crawford fight. And Errol's reply was, and I'm quoting him, that camp was bullshit. That camp was trash. Um I've never had the opportunity to ask you about it, but I guess I'm doing it now. How would you describe the camp that you had training for Terrence Bud Crawford?

SPEAKER_02

I don't I won't say that, I won't say that it was this is what I'll say is that we weren't able to do everything that we do normally to prepare for a fight. We were the gym was busy at that time. I mean, like you had this kid running around, the buddy Jordan kid running around, the gym. So it was like it was a different, it was a different space, but I know that the whole protocol changed right after that. I know no kids in the gym, no, no, this or that, you know. So it's like, um, I don't, I mean, if he his perception of that, I had two other training camps going on at the same time. So it was like, but they never trained at the same time, but they were going on simultaneously. So I mean, I won't say that. It was trash, but it's his perception. So nothing I can do about it.

SPEAKER_00

And so you're not saying, even though you had different training camps going on, it wasn't like he didn't get one-on-one attention.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no, they never they never trained at the same time. They only time they would see each other is is if they overlapped, right? If somebody came earlier or somebody stayed later. Other than that, they they they really just never overlapped. I mean, sometimes, you know, AJ would watch, you know, Errol Spar, and uh, you know, and then uh you would watch Frank Spar. Or they would, you know, vice versa, they would watch each other, but it was never like um I was training them both at or them all three of them at the same time. No.

SPEAKER_00

Was it disappointing when you heard him describe that camp like that?

SPEAKER_02

I mean, I don't, I don't, I don't, I think that it probably was, it was, because you know, you think about it, but I mean, it's for him though. I mean, like, yeah, okay, he said he didn't spar. And no, he he did spar for two weeks, and supposedly he got injured within the last week of the sparring. So he couldn't spar for the next eight weeks because he suffered an injury in that uh sparring session. So, or what whatever the last you know week of sparring or whatever. So that's what I mean, you know. So, I mean, that's the only thing that was really different with that he didn't have the ability to spar because he was injured.

SPEAKER_00

And that's let me zero in on that because it's interesting. He he said in the interview, I didn't spar for like six to seven weeks. I didn't get no Southpaw work, um, didn't get prepared at all for Crawford's Southpaw stance to prepare me to block his jet. Why so are you saying at the very beginning of camp he injured himself in your sparring? And so that's why he didn't spar? Why why wouldn't he not spar then?

SPEAKER_02

Well, from from like the second week of sparring, yeah. First of all, he had two guys that were switch hitters, so they both were both of them fought left-hand and right-handed. And so supposedly one of them injured him. You know, I didn't see when it happened. So I I didn't, and they he didn't acknowledge that he was injured, you know. And so, but the next following week, we sparred, then we took a day off from sparring, then we sparred again on Saturday. So we didn't spawn Wednesday, spar Monday, we spared Monday, Wednesday, Saturday. He sparred Monday, we didn't spar Wednesday, then we sparred again on Saturday. So um that's when I realized that's because they were like, hey man, his ribs are hurt, whatever. So we didn't go Wednesday, but then we came on Saturday, see how it feels. You know, he spars, then he gets, you know, it's like it's over, he gets out. We kind of, you know, but I don't know if the sparing partners knew because we didn't want them to know. So people, you know, people talk or whatever. And then uh it's like, um, you know, we just kind of I said, listen, you need to go get that looked at, checked out, or whatever. And I guess, you know, he did or he didn't, I don't know, because I didn't go with them. But um, you know, and we just kept working. We just kept working.

SPEAKER_00

And who who then made the decision? Because as he says in the the interview, I didn't I didn't spar for six. So, like, let's say if the ribs got better, who made the decision said no sparring.

SPEAKER_02

Well, his father did. His father said he's not sparring, they're gonna save it to the fight. His father is the one who said no sparring. And he was complaining about the way the other guys were sparring. So, I mean, you know, so that's who it was.

SPEAKER_00

And he came to you and said that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, he said he didn't like the way he said no, he's not sparring. You're not no, he's not gonna sparring. Even the funny thing about it was even, you know, you try to project when or what, what so the week of like we went to Vegas, and I said, Well, we can spar a little bit, but spar with one of your buddies who won't shoot body shots if you have injury. And he's like, No, I'm not doing that. No, I'm not sparring, no. So he would he wouldn't even do it then. So it's like, um, you know, hey, it is what it is. Wow. And what I'm and this is what I'm saying, takes nothing away from what Terrence Crawford did. So this is all about something that's in-house. Have nothing to do with Crawford, you know. He fought the fight he was supposed to fight.

SPEAKER_00

And that's interesting listening to you say that. That obviously then you say it is his father say, Hey, no sparring here. Um, because in the interview, I I remember Andre Ward was saying, that's wild. You you mean to tell me you had no sparring partners? And whose job was that? And he said, Derek James is the coach, right? Is it so in in the past, and was it your job to make sure that you um secure sparring partners for him for all of his fights? No, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_02

No, I never, any other fighters that I trained will tell you I never get this spawn. Because what do you understand? PBC has a roster of fighters, a roster fighter, so they have a roller decks thicker than mine, which I don't even have one. So they will pick particular um spawn partners and I'll I'll okay them, but I'm not getting them. I'm not I'm not looking for them, I'm not doing any of that. But Quinn, like the kid that spared with them initially, he called me. He called us at the gym, like and set it up between his buddy. Um, and so you know, uh Jordan and Jordan, you know, he driving back and forth to the gym and do whatever. I don't know, but yeah, it's it's yeah. I mean, I don't get the spawn partners. I never have any anybody who any of these people who I trained to tell you, that's not what I'm doing. I'm I'm training and preparing them for the fight. And I will okay a spawn partner, but I'm not going out looking for him and picking them, I'm not doing that.

SPEAKER_00

During this time, then obviously he's dealing with this injury. Um, and you you got you know you got Bud Crawford, the biggest fight of your your life. But were you was there what were you feeling at this time? Were you like, oh my goodness. Uh I mean, what was your feelings then?

SPEAKER_02

Well, I mean, I think that, you know, we we when you when you talk about it, he didn't want to pull out the fight. You know, he had he had something within the contract that said they could move the fight back three months, but he didn't want to do that. So and we even when you heard him say that this was big opportunity, whatever he said about, you know, he couldn't pass it up or whatever, which he could have moved the fight three three months further back to probably get a little, you know, feel better, but that didn't happen. So I mean, you know, nothing I can say about it.

SPEAKER_00

And so in the uh in the interview, he talked about taking a cortisone shot. That's what that was about then.

SPEAKER_02

Right. That's why I I influenced him. Like, you gotta, you have to take a shot. You gotta you gotta do something. Cause if you're not gonna pull out, if you're not gonna, you know, he didn't spar even the last couple weeks when I was like, hey, listen, you can just move around, they won't throw body shots. And I mean, so you know, that's what the cortisone shot was about. So listen, you gotta get a shot or something to kind of deaden the pain or whatever.

SPEAKER_00

All of this is really interesting because I'm listening to you. I I didn't know that his father did his father always play it that big of a part in the world.

SPEAKER_02

No, uh, nah, not really, you know, but he but this particular time he did. Because I mean it's like they knew something that I didn't know, right? Because initially I didn't know what I didn't know it was injured, but then when I found out, you know, I I told him you should call your people, call your management, let your people know. You know, um, and so you know, and that didn't happen until, you know, because this is the thing about boxing fighters fight with all types of injuries. So it's not like this is the first that this is the first time that happened to us, but I mean, most guys' wrists hurt, knuckles hurt, I mean, nose may be sore, I mean, jaw could be sore, knocked off track. It's so many different things happen in boxing, so it's not like fighters don't fight injured, right? Because that it happens all the time. I mean, guys with ankle issues, I mean anything, I mean, because you gotta think about you, you it's a hope and a prayer that you go through training camp with no injuries at all, but nothing so severe as this, because this is like something that's really real, especially a fighter that's punching and hitting you all over the you know, Crawford has a selection of punches you throw, so that's a possibility of them to the body. So I think that you know that's just what it is.

SPEAKER_00

So let me clear try to clear something up because I think what will a lot went viral and listening to the episode uh his interview with Andre Ward, you get the sense that A, Derek James said we sparring, and then B, all he did was hit the mitts because that was the that was that was what he said. All we did was hit the mitts.

SPEAKER_02

Right. Well, listen, I don't mean cut you off, I apologize, but so we we did hit the mitts, right? But um when I when we when we hit the mitts, I throw punches back. Yeah, think about this. So we're we're working, I'm going 14 rounds non-stop throwing punches, moving to boxing. So I have to be in shape also to be able to do what we do. If you go back and watch, because I saw where he said that I didn't throw punches back at him. Well, when we're doing the mitts, I'm throwing punches back at him all the time. I'm not doing that and Mayweather mitts stuff. I'm like actually moving, stepping around, boxing, doing this and doing that. So I'm not, you know, I'm not doing any of that, whatever that is they do. We're really boxing, we're really moving around. If you look at the media day, like he said that I didn't throw punches at him, but look at the media day. I'm throwing punches at him. I mean, I always throw punches at him, I always throw punches at everybody I trained. So you to say that I didn't throw punches at you was like, um, hey man, I don't know what's going on.

SPEAKER_00

Hmm. And and and when he made this statement about I didn't even prepare me for we didn't know about his South Paul stance and trying to block his jab from the South Paul stance.

SPEAKER_02

Watch go watch the media there. I mean, I didn't I mean listen, I I I I um I you know I can't say what it is why he said what he said. I mean, I think that I don't know, because I can't, I mean, but all you have to do is watch some video, watch, watch, watch me throwing punches at him left-handed. Because remember, he he couldn't spar. So I'm the guy. I'm the one throwing shots at him, I'm the one throwing punches at him, I'm the one going 14 rounds with him on the midst, throwing punches at him non-stop. So I had to be the sparring partner because he wouldn't, because he wouldn't, and I knew I wasn't throwing shots at the body because, you know, I'm working on reaction time. I said, you need to maybe spar with one of your buddies, because I know they won't throw punches at you. I won't say the guy's name that I said, because he, you know, he's in his pocket. So I won't say that name, but I'll say that I recommended that you spar with this guy because he'll know not to throw body shots at you. But he no, and no, no, no, I ain't doing it. So I ain't nothing I can do about it.

SPEAKER_00

Wow. Uh how would you compare, let's say, the biggest camp of your career compared to like the fight like right before was Ugas.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_00

How how were they vastly different? I mean, obviously, for I'm assuming because Ugas, you sparred, and but was it how would how how vastly different were they?

SPEAKER_02

This is what I'll say about that. Is that that was my toughest training count ever. Because you gotta remember, I'm the sparring partner. I'm going 14 rounds, throwing punches non-stop, moving around, and I'm training, I'm training three fights. I'm for three fighters, Anthony Joshua and Frank Martin. They both won their fights. They both sparred three days a week. So the only reason why he didn't spar, because he his father said he knows he's not sparring, and he had an injury. So I don't even know why you would even say that, like leave it open as if you didn't, it was because of me when in actuality, if you get injured the second week of sparring, and your father says you're not sparring anymore. Why should I get some sparring partners? When I'm sporting, I had to I had to accept the fact that I have to be that person. I have to I have to be the person to throw me at him nonstop. I go to the gym, I go running, I work out, I stay fit. And so I'm working, working, working non-stop with all three of those guys. So I don't know what what will make him say those things that he said, especially when there were people in the gym who saw me throw punches at him, who know why he wasn't sparring.

SPEAKER_00

At any point where where you're like, I can't believe this. The biggest fight of our life, and this is what I'm dealing with.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, you know, it's like it's life, man. What you want to do? I mean, it's like if if he didn't want to if he didn't want to, you know, pull out and reschedule, which I mean, listen, man, most fighters don't want to do that. I think it's the fight in them, it's the dog in them that really wants to just keep fighting, a fight opposed to in their mind, it's like maybe it's a cowering out, like, you know, um or a different situation, but I mean, you had to go get it. I mean, you know, that's what he that's what he did, and that's what he wanted to do or tried to do, I guess.

SPEAKER_00

And um right based off of that, at one point uh in the interview, he said, I knew I was gonna lose. Um just from the way my body felt. Uh, but I understood that this was a big payday, it was gonna generate wealth for my family. Um, so he obviously said in his mind he was thinking that. Were you thinking that at the same time?

SPEAKER_02

I didn't, no, no, I didn't, no, no, no, no. I didn't, no, no, no. Uh uh. Now I mean, I really don't. No, I didn't think that. I thought, I mean, I was I was because it was going, listen, it was going so well. Only thing we weren't doing was sparring, but I was the sparring part. Everybody in Vegas and the gym, it was going. 14 rounds with Derek on the mitts, right? He's fighting a 12-round fight, so I was okay. We'll go 14 rounds someday, 16 rounds. And so it's like, I didn't, I mean, you you just I never knew he had that idea. He felt like that. I mean, if you if you go into a fight knowing you're gonna lose, you're gonna do just what you want, just what you believe you're gonna do. But like I said, it had nothing to do with Chance Crawford because he prepared for that version of El Spencer fought Ugas, that El Spencer fought Sean Porter. That's what he prepared for. So it's not, I mean, being injured, that's part of the game. I mean, it's it's not you can't, it's it's rarely that you can talk to a fighter and say they would never injured into going into any fight.

SPEAKER_00

Uh it at one point in the interview, uh, Andre Ward, these guys, they showed a video of Spence in the locker room. He and he talked about, he said, Errol, you had droopy eyes. Um, he said, You just looked sleepy. Even when you walked out, did you notice that at any time in the right before you guys did your walkout?

SPEAKER_02

I mean, you know, I really was focusing on his boxing and his movement in the locker room. So I wasn't even like focused on that aspect of it. I was just looking at, you know, what his reaction time how he was moving. That's what I was focused on more than anything else.

SPEAKER_00

What was going through your mind then? He gets dropped early in the fight. And I remember because obviously at the time, Showtime, we were calling that fight. We had the audio and the camera, and I it was almost like Derek James was like imploring. What is wrong with you? You gotta move your head off the line. That you know, and you were like imploring. Were you saying to yourself, what is wrong with my fighter here?

SPEAKER_02

Well, I didn't go to I just said that. I mean, you know, like it's it's all kind of things, reason why you get knocked down. I mean, I don't know. I mean, I just saw it wasn't really a hard punch. You got, you know, knocked down or whatever. And I was telling him to move his feet, and and people like, well, that's why you kept telling me. Because listen, if you don't take the first instruction, I can't give you another instruction after that. Because if you're gonna stand right in front of the fighter, I mean, you know, you that's that's not from your advantage. That's not the advantage point for you as a fighter. But I think that, you know, you know, he, you know, this is what he would always say, it was just, you know, it finally didn't work out for me. I would I would say I always move, step, move, or do whatever, right? He said, if I'm right, if I'm right in front of them, then they right in front of me. But this day, you know, that situation, you had to pay for it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I was gonna say, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00

Man, um uh uh they wrapped up their conversation uh in in that interview, um, talking about your uh legal situation that you guys had. Obviously, yeah you guys had a legal situation about getting paid, um what you were supposed to be doing there. And uh Andre Ward asked him about you know getting over on you know, Derek, and he said, and I'm I'm quoting Errol Smith and said, quote, I came to your house, I brought you your check. So if I was trying to get over on you, why would I come to your house and bring you your money? Is what he said.

SPEAKER_02

Well, this is what I'll say about that is that I won't, I won't, I'll just show you this. This is from the court filings. If you read what it says, that's from the legal court filings, and then this is what I'll say that from another page of the official documents, you know, said, and I'm quoting him, said that he was honest enough and thoughtful enough to admit that he robbed me. This is quoting him. And if you go back in the court documents, you'll see that exactly he said that he was wronging me and he had to own up to his shit because that's what he did to me. So if you see that, I won't say what it he admitted how much money he made to me on another date, but what I'll say is that you know this everything right here is in the court filing, so I'm not saying anything that nobody can find out. And I don't even know why he wasn't challenged when he said that, or that they didn't go look it up, yeah. Because they would find out, so you put out something that's not even true for no reason at all. Because I mean, you could this you found this is this, what does it say at the bottom? That's like a it's like from it's from the filing, it's from the court filing.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah, so it looks like he only initially gave you 350, 350,000, and but had to give you well over two million, I guess, after after the the so wow, interesting, interesting stuff. Um by the way, uh after you had that fight, you also had another big one with Jamel Charlo. Right because Jamil Charlo fought Canelo. Um, listen, we had uh Jamel Charlo on the last stand. I'm just gonna tell you, Derek James. And uh, you know, I had to ask him, I said, you know, you you he he talked about he wanted he wants to fight Errol Spence and and he would love that fight. And I said, that would be some interesting storylines because Errol was trained by Derek James, you were trained by Derrick James. I said, now both neither one of you are. And I said, let me ask you something, Jamil Charlo. What happened to the relationship? I want you to listen to what Jamel Charlo had to say.

SPEAKER_01

Derek James, you know, he started getting a little bit more fighters and a little bit more hype. And I feel like our communication changed. We wasn't the same. Derrick James, a cool fid and all that, laid back and all that, but he wanted his way. You know, like you as a coach, y'all coaches work for the fighter. Of course, you want everything to be your fighter's way, but if a fighter really is a co-fighter and he's a champion, he respects you as a coach and a leader, but he also makes his decisions on what's best for him. The coach, this coach coming to the game trying to tell you, nah, nobody comes to the gym, nobody, now you telling me like what's taking my comfort away. I remember one time Everton had a dog, and I had a dog too. We wanted our dog to be training while we sitting there watching Derrick ain't letting none of that type of shit happen. Then he ran around, like, I mean, I don't know, it's just a lot of God to Derek. He wasn't the same during this fight. He didn't train me as much as everybody thinking during this fight or half of these fights, anyways. I always had one goose mod who will be my main trainer. I got Holland Williams Sr. Will be also the second uh chief. I got I got Nick, I got a lot of different people that we can work together that that we good. I don't need what are you talking about? I already done all that shit. I didn't knock these motherfuckers out. What they want to do, run into one of these right hands? Oh my bad, I'm getting a little angry. You know, I don't need none of these motherfucking coaches. The coach needs us. Then they treat us like they owe you too big. Don't get too big, coach. Calm down, coach. I'm the one that was your first champion, this and that, and the third. What you what you talking about? Sit back and listen, let me get this in the money and you be cool. And and it was like that, but he's starting out having his own personal feeling towards everybody and everything. And then that's what that's what ruined you. You could go in the ring, you can't go in a world title fight. You gotta remember, Anthony Joshua was getting ready for his heat fought right before I fought, and then Earl Spence fought right before I fought. How much training camp do you think I had with it with Derek James? But then whenever he comes, he with this big ego, and everybody gotta listen to him because he's the main coach. No, nigga, it don't work like that. You better shut the fuck up. I've been training my ass off with this dude that came from New York. He sleep in my house, stay, we wake up, eat breakfast, and cook and train. And then when you come, when you come to town, you don't even speak to him or even check on to see what how I'm training. What's messed up about it? You know, I went through that during that Canelo time, bro. You know, you don't even check in, nothing, nothing. You don't even know what's going on. Hardly even see you during the right week.

SPEAKER_00

That um was Jamel Charlo. Uh give me your response. That was a lot. Give me your response.

SPEAKER_02

Uh well, what is what I'm gonna start out with saying that I'm 54 years old. I'm not staying in the house with you and your woman. As a man, I should never be staying in the house with you, your woman, and your kids. And that's why I stopped staying. When he when he he got into a relationship, I because you years before I would stay with him, right? But when he got a woman, kid living in the house, I'm not staying in the house with them. So I start paying for my own hotel. That's what you didn't understand. I pay for my own hotel. I fry myself in town, I have my own per diem. So for a training camp like that, I probably spent about $25,000 to $30,000 out of my own pocket. Wow. So, and so when because I'm you gotta think about this. For that camp, I was in Houston for seven weeks. So Andy Joshua fought August 12th. All right. So after that, the week after that, when I wanted to come home, they said, no, you can't go home. I said, why? They said you gotta go to New York for the press conference with Canelo. So from that point, when I went to the press conference with Canelo, that was the week after, that was the weekend I flew there on Monday. Press conference on Tuesday or Wednesday, one of the two. After that, I was with him from that point on. I went home to get my clothes because I've been gone for a month and a half from my house. I went home, switched clothes, then went to um went to Houston to train him for seven weeks. So he who knows what he's talking about. I mean, the thing about it is my visits, my stay in Houston was very documented because, like I said, I paid for my hotel. I paid for my airline tickets. I paid for my I had to rent a car for seven weeks. Think about that. Think about how much that costs. You rent in a hotel room for seven weeks. Um I would fly, I would fly home on Saturday night, come back on Monday. So for seven weeks now. The last week, only week I didn't do that was the last week of training camp. Other than that, I would fly home on Saturday, come back on Monday. For seven weeks.

SPEAKER_00

Why do you think he's but he said I hardly even saw him, he hardly even trained me for half those fights, and then he he he ended it by saying that for Canelo, I didn't barely see him for fight week.

SPEAKER_02

Well, this this woman tell you. So see, he only had Guzman when he lost that fight to Brian Castania. Or we had a draw, whatever. Yeah, yeah. But okay, but you know, but yeah, Guzman trained him for that fight. I went, I trained him for two weeks, and then he never he never came back to Dallas. He was in Dallas, he never came back. So he let Guzman train him. So when he had that, that, that, whatever the draw, then so for the next fight, I'm because it's like my name and my reputation on the line. I'm not gonna care about none of that, what you're talking about. But you see what happened when he knocked the guy out. That was when I trained him. So then when he fought again for Canelo, so he Guzman was only with him for three training camps, but he trained him for the first Brian Cassanian fight, the second fight I trained him for, and the Canelo fight I trained him for. But I mean, you can't make you can't make somebody fight who don't want you know, I mean, hey, I don't know what to say, but hey, it wasn't it me talking to me talking to the assistant who speaks Spanish, what am I gonna say to him? Like, what are we gonna talk about? I can barely understand what he's saying. So I'm I'm I mean, that's no disrespect to him, but I mean, he, if I'm in training camp, you doing the you getting instructions for me, and you I'm talking to you, and you talking to me. I don't know what what what I what am I telling somebody else? I work for you, I'm working with you. Me and him had no, I don't dislike that man. I don't have nothing to do with that. But I'm not gonna stay in your house, that's for sure. If that's what you wanted, I'm not doing that, because I mean that's disrespectful.

SPEAKER_00

Who who ended that relationship? How did that relationship end?

SPEAKER_02

Well, we we both were real. I mean, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna go with I'm just gonna say we both did.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

We both did because I'm not going, you know, I'm not gonna, you know.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

When I was in London, when they called me and told me I had to go to the press conference, I told them I didn't want to go. But I ended up going anyway. But I didn't want I said I don't want to do it, I don't want to go.

SPEAKER_00

I'm not training for the Canelo fight.

SPEAKER_02

For the Canelo fight, yeah, because you got I was gone for a month and a half already. I went from being in Vegas for a month to being in London for three weeks, or really almost two months. I was like, man, I'm going home. They're like, no, you gotta go to New York. No, I'm not going, I'm not, you know. But I did it anyway. I trained him anyway. But, you know, and um it's all about you know, your commitment to it. That's I was committed to it, but I just didn't, you know, seven weeks there. And uh, I mean, you know, he was unfortunate. He didn't win the fight. There's nothing I can do about it.

SPEAKER_00

So, so after you know, all of that, you so you have uh Arrow, he takes that big loss. Uh then Mel takes that loss. Uh eventually, Frank Martin, you know, obviously gets uh stopped by Yeah, that was a year later, though.

SPEAKER_02

That was a year later, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

A year later. Yeah, Ryan Garcia. Um obviously he ends up losing to Role, right? At one point, everybody was saying Derek James and for great reasons saying best trainer in boxing. Then all of a sudden, you some of your fighters take these losses, and and I'm sure you saw it all on social media like, well, maybe he isn't as good as as we think he is. Look at his all his fighters are losing and they're and they're leaving him. Did you hear all of that? How did that affect you?

SPEAKER_02

Well, it didn't affect me at all because like they didn't leave me. I mean, Anthony Joshua and I, we had an understanding. We talked about it, you know. Ryan Garcia, we talked about it. It was something, you know, so I don't know what they're talking about. The other guys I got rid of, or you know, it wasn't like it wasn't see, people really don't understand. You just really don't want a headache all the time. You really don't want, you just gotta be able to, you know, you want to be able to help these help these guys and help these guys be great. If you can't help them, then you can do for them. And then I mean, dude, you know, I want them to be great. So if I can't help you, you should go somewhere else.

SPEAKER_00

Interesting. Um, what's the future like for Dear James?

SPEAKER_02

Hey man, you it's bright, it's always bright because I'm you know, I'm focused on being better, I'm focused on being great. So, I mean, you know, and I'm a teacher. The boxing, the game always needs teachers, you know. Um, and so it's always gonna see it's great for me.

SPEAKER_00

Do do we will we see Derek James back training? And obviously you have Alicia, but I'm talking about on the male side, more of these uh let's call them prominent um male fighters again in the Derrick James stable.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think you'll see it. I mean, I get I mean, like I get calls, I mean, I get like I get calls and people hit me up like big guys, you know. If people hit me up, whatever, you know. And so it's just like, you know, you just gotta be willing to be one to go through that. I mean, you know, people, yeah, yeah, be willing because he is like, you can help a fighter, you can develop a fighter, you can, you know, um, even on your show, on your show, and you asked Errol about me being the best trainer box and whatever, I remember this. And he said, Yeah, he made Jamel into a knockout puncher. I developed this power. I do I, you know, whatever. But you know, and so you know, you do a lot for a lot of fighters, and it's just the game, it's what it is. But I mean, I'm I'm I'm I wanna I wanna develop fighters, I'm gonna keep building them up and developing them, you know. When uh like I said, people call me all the time. If you'll get my DMs from all over the world, it just depends on, you know, hey man, you know, you really wanna, you know, you want to be bothered with it or not.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Is there any loyalty in in this game? And especially that the the fighter to trainer relationship when it was is there loyalty?

SPEAKER_02

The loyalty to yourself and the commitment that you have for yourself, right? So that's what I believe. I mean, I don't I don't think that you have to be, I mean, like you the loyalty is to yourself, right? The loyalty you have to be is to the commitment you truly have to uphold, the one you make to yourself. So that's what I say about that. I don't think that you have to necessarily be, I mean, I mean, you know, I don't think you cutting people's throat or lying on people or telling, you know, whatever, but I think that you can say, listen, I wanna I want to do something different. Okay, that's cool. I mean, that's why I said I'm gonna take it because it's like I'm not basing my whole situation off of this or that. I have an I have other businesses and stuff I do in foundation, and so I do stuff. So it's not like, you know, have other things that I do, so it's like not like um this is not everything, but I think it's the loyalty to the fighter to answer your question. I mean, I think they have to be able to be loyal to their to thyself be true. They should be doing to that self-be true, whatever that is, whatever that you know whatever it's gonna take them to get to where they want to be.

SPEAKER_00

Do you think you and Errol Spence Jr. can ever um mend your relationship?

SPEAKER_02

I think anything's possible. I'm not saying that that's what I mean, you know. I think anything is possible. I think that, you know, um never know. Not saying that's what I'm looking to do, but you never know.

SPEAKER_00

Uh lastly, one thing I've seen a lot is the Derek James Foundation.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_00

It seems like this is something that you really pass. Can you can you can can you tell us about it?

SPEAKER_02

Well, the foundation was, you know, I've I've been doing like work in the community for like like 20 some years or more, ever since I was like really young or whatever, right? But I when I started my foundation because it was something that I think it we needed in the community. And you know, like right now I have 16 kids in college, all on HBCU scholarships. So only place my money goes, HBCU scholarships.

SPEAKER_00

I'm a hair pick right, I love it.

SPEAKER_02

I know that, I know that I have 16 kids, and then I have a mental health endowment for the kids in the community who have issues or whatever, and that's with Children's Medical Center. I have um let me see what else is it? I sponsor, we have a middle school, OW Home Middle School. We provide full clothes, I mean like uniforms, whatever they whatever they need. We facilitate whatever they need. We one of the big things I love to do is we take the kids out to Gramlin Prairie football game, right? So they can see themselves out there on the field, see themselves engaging with, you know, that HBCU community, you know, uh graduate community, uh, alumni community. And uh, so yeah, I do a lot of that, man. It's just all about the kids because I don't know that I was one of those kids before. And the funny thing about it is the thing that got me here was me giving back. Because I had been giving back to the boys and girls because I grew up there, but I had never given boxing back. And when I decided to give boxing back is when I start training Arrow and another kid, and you know, Errol goes to the Olympics and whatever. So it was just me when I decided to give that back, because I had never given boxing back before, but I'd always give you know sponsored programs and trips. When I but when I initially did that, it was it, it was over. It was like that was what I needed to be doing was giving boxing back because that's why you're talking to me now, because of me giving that back. Yeah, you know, so um, and you know, it's good. I have a lot of young fighters, a lot of fighters, a lot of individuals. I do a lot of kids. One of the big things we're trying to start at uh is it's uh OW Middle School, is we want to start a law program to where because this is law magnet um middle school, but we want to start a feeder system to where we go to law magnet high school and we get them, they sponsor on my HBCU scholarship, and we just kind of feed a system for these kids and the inner city kids that maybe possibly become lawyers. So that's what it's all about. That's that's like the big thing that I'm really working on is getting that getting that established to where we can create more attorneys in the you know in the in the community and kind of change the whole dynamics.

SPEAKER_00

Let me tell you something. You're one of the best people I know, uh, and without question, one of the best people in the sport. And I listen, I and I heard what you say, you know. Hey, look, you never know. And I I hope and pray, uh not only Errol, Dramel, at some point those relationships get mended, and and we get peace and harmony with you guys, because you guys were a phenomenal team. Um, you did some great work with them and vice versa. So uh that's just my hope.

SPEAKER_02

Uh I mean, you know, you never know. It can listen, because I'm not saying it can't happen. I mean, you know, I'm not put like this, I'm not mad at any one of them. So I'm not I don't want to hold any anger to them because I believe that so when you ask me the question about is there any loyalty in boxing, and what I and like I told you, it's all about the loyalty that you have to yourself because you have to look at yourself in the mirror and make sure that you make the right decision for your career. So it's not about me, it's not about anybody else. I know a lot of people that like to try to interject themselves into your life and your career, but nah, and and for this one I'm gonna say for Jamil to say that I got uppity. Man, what are you talking about? Like, I don't, I mean, I sit in the room on the floor where everybody else is walking around because I don't need to be, I know who I am. I mean, I know I know what I do or whatever. I don't have to be the guy all the time. You know, my whole thing is to help these kids, like I have those fighters, and just keep helping people.

SPEAKER_00

And and you do it very well, man.

SPEAKER_02

Appreciate that, brother. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00

You do it very well.

SPEAKER_02

Appreciate though.

SPEAKER_00

One of the best. Uh and that's why we have him on the last stand, because we bring you the biggest names in the sport, like Derek James. Thanks for watching, everyone. We'll see you again next week. That's right. I am Brian Custer. This is The Last Stand. And we want to remind you: if you love this content, and we certainly thank you for watching, downloading, supporting the show. Make sure you go to YouTube, subscribe to The Last Stand, hit that like button, and don't forget to hit the notification as well so you don't miss any episodes that we have coming up. Share the show as well. And you can also hear the podcast as well. You can download it, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Podcast Attic, Deezer, or whatever platform you listen to your podcast, you can find The Last Dan. We certainly appreciate the support. Don't forget, download The Last Dan.