Derrick James, who has worked with fighters Errol Spence Jr., Jermell Charlo, Anthony Joshua, Frank Martin and now Ryan Garcia, is one of the most well-respected coaches in boxing. His soft voice and Zen-like demeanor hark back to famed NBA coach Phil Jackson – and the winning ways of James’ fighters aligns with that comparison, too.
Garcia will take on Devin Haney for a junior welterweight world title on April 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York (DAZN PPV).
The fight will be James’ second in the corner for Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs). In their first pairing, James helped guide Garcia to an eighth-round knockout of Oscar Duarte last December.
James took over from Joe Goossen after Garcia was knocked out by Gervonta Davis last April. Now, Garcia will enter what should be another career-defining fight, this time against Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs), who is not just a titleholder but a pound-for-pound elite.
Haney has had a two-year run that merited consideration for back-to-back Fighter of the Year awards, trumped only by the arguably grander career stretches of Naoya Inoue, Dmitry Bivol and Terence Crawford. In any case, Haney is a fighter on the rise – and should provide the toughest test Garcia has faced since his loss to Davis.
“To be a boxer, you have to be willing to give up something,” James told Beto Duran on a Golden Boy live stream for Garcia’s media workout. “[Garcia] can be as good as he wants to be.”
Garcia held a media workout at James’ gym, World Class Boxing Gym in Dallas, Texas. Boxing fans were anxious to learn what kind of shape Garcia would be in, especially given his recent behavior.
The workout was mild and the quotes were better than punches thrown, and James talked about working with Garcia prior to the Duarte fight.
“I didn’t take him right away,” James said. “Initially, I told him I can’t do it because I don’t have the time – the time you need to be successful. I don’t have that time.”
James wrapped Garcia’s hands, held mitts for him and went through the proper training of a coach, but his quotes seemed to reflect his philosophy on boxing as a whole rather than anything aimed specifically at Garcia.
“So for me, you have to want it, and it is very difficult to tell who wants it because everybody says they want it,” James said. “It is about who is willing to do something to be successful.”
James also eyed the finish line to his coaching career, saying that he will call it quits after the runs of his current fighters – including Garcia and Frank Martin, and possibly others – ends.
“I am not taking any fighters after this,” James said. “I am done, I am out of boxing. I am packing up.”
