Derrick James speaks with Fanatics View about the anticipation to a bout with Canelo Alvarez.

Derrick James, trainer of IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence; has heard the buzz of a rumored interest coming from Canelo Alvarez’s camp. That buzz grew a bit louder after Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Alvarez; expressed interest in a bout with Spence as he spoke to Dan Rafael of ESPN.

James and Spence both sat ringside as Alvarez defeated Daniel Jacobs to become the unified middleweight champion. James notes that the venue lacked attendance, and believes that Alvarez could be seeking a bigger fight.

“A lot of vacant seats at the fight, in the casino,” said James. “You saw how it was, compared to a (Floyd) Mayweather weekend; or a (Manny) Pacquiao weekend. It was pretty dead. So I think they were expecting more. You call out the next big fighter, the fighter that just sold 47,000, (to) 48,000 seats.”

The 2017 trainer of the year was referring to Spence’s fight against Mikey Garcia at the AT&T Stadium in March, which gathered over 47,000 fans. Although Spence’s next opponent is uncertain, James says that Spence is ready and staying sharp at the gym.

“He’s (Spence) staying focused, he’s working out,” said James. “Top guys never really get out of shape. So we’ll see man, it’s gonna be great.”