Ryan Garcia's coach Derrick James sues former client Errol Spence Jr., seeking "no less than $5 million," 'KingRy' reacts
Ryan Garcia's coach, Derrick James, recently filed a lawsuit against his former client, Errol Spence Jr., seeking millions of dollars in damages.
James and Spence Jr. have not just severed ties but launched legal salvos in a bitter dispute. The seasoned 52-year-old boxing coach is pursuing compensations exceeding $5 million. Submitted to the 191st Judicial District Court of Dallas County, Texas, on April 17, the meticulous 19-page complaint outlines allegations of breach of contract, fraud, and misrepresentation.
According to a recent Boxing Scene report, James claims in the lawsuit that his former client failed to honor agreements to provide the trainer with a 10 percent share of his earnings from fights, including Spence Jr.'s decisive ninth-round TKO defeat to Terence Crawford last July.
Per court documents and shared text conversations submitted as evidence, 'The Truth' reportedly garnered around $25 million from his guaranteed purse and pay-per-view (PPV) bonuses.
From the Crawford bout alone, James received $350K. The complaints highlight that Spence Jr. calculated this payment based on 10 percent of just $2.5 million, amounting to $250K with a $100K bonus. However, James contends that the 10 percent payment should be calculated based on his client's total revenue, i.e., fight purse and PPV points, and he is now seeking "no less than $5 million."
During a recent Instagram Live session, 'KingRy' weighed in on the legal feud between James and the former unified welterweight champion:
"Yeah, Spence got beat by my coach; what's good? Come see me. You wanna sue him? I wanna beat you up."
Check out Ryan Garcia's comments below:
James and 'The Truth' had been in partnership since before the 2012 Summer Olympics in London but parted ways following the Crawford fight.
Spence Jr. is said to be obligated to collaborate with a different trainer, while James guided 'KingRy' to an upset victory over Devin Haney last Saturday. Currently, he is gearing up Frank Martin for a match against Gervonta Davis on June 15.
Ryan Garcia lashes out at Errol Spence Jr. for Derrick James split
During the lead-up to his recent bout against Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia vehemently criticized Errol Spence Jr. for parting ways with trainer Derrick James in an X 'Space session' earlier this month:
"F**k Errol! Yeah, f**k Errol. You ain't with Derrick James, you motherf**ker. You folded. You didn’t want to pay him some money. That’s f**ked up. It’s all business, but still, at the end of the day, that’s some f**ked sh*t up. Hell, I pay him more on a fight I made less. Come on. He’s been with you your whole career. What the f**k is wrong with you?" [h/t talkSPORT]