Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu - July 25, 2026
The Paro v Crocker bout has gone quieter. Hopefully it’s in this card.
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu - July 25, 2026
Errol Spence vs Tim Tszyu officially set for July 25
Errol Spence is set to return to the ring after a long hiatus.
Former unified welterweight titleholder Errol Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) will finally be making his way back to the ring for the first time since 2023 as ESPN reports a bout against former super welterweight champion Tim Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs) on July 25. The 154 lb fight will headline a PBC PPV event streaming on Amazon Prime at a venue that has still yet to be determined.
Spence, 36, has been out of action since a mid-2023 stoppage loss to Terence Crawford in a bid to go undisputed at 147. Spence took a pretty brutal beating in that fight that came on the heels of several other outside of the ring issues, but has been suggesting the time off has him rejuvenated.
Tszyu, 31, has won two straight lower-level fights since a rough recent stretch where he had lost three of the previous four, two by way of stoppage.
This is obviously a crossroads fight for both to see which, if either, are still viable contenders at the super welterweight division given that there’s plenty of question marks out there on both. We’ll see what both men still have to offer this summer.
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu - July 25, 2026
Errol Spence Jr. to return to ring July 25 vs. Tim Tszyu
Errol Spence Jr.'s three-year hiatus from boxing will formally end July 25 when he faces Tim Tszyu in Australia, Premier Boxing Champions confirmed Thursday.
The fight will be a PBC PPV on Prime event at a venue to be determined.
Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) hasn't fought since July 2023 when he was knocked down three times and stopped by Terence Crawford in a bout to determine an undisputed welterweight champion. Since the loss, there was speculation on whether and when the former champion might fight again, but ESPN learned in February that he had plotted a return to the ring against Tszyu this summer at 154 pounds. Originally, the fight was targeted for early June, but the date was pushed back a month.
Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs) is a former IBF junior middleweight champion but has fallen on hard times the past couple of years with losses to Sebastian Fundora (twice) and Bakhram Murtazaliev after starting his career 24-0. But after dropping three of four fights, Tszyu has won consecutive bouts against Anthony Velazquez and Denis Nurja, which set up the matchup with Spence on his home continent.
The two will clash in what can be seen as a major crossroads fight between former world champions. Spence, 36, will aim to prove that he is still championship material after three years away from the sport. Tszyu, 31, wants to show that his rough patch was more of an aberration than the norm by taking on a former top pound-for-pound fighter.
Errol Spence Jr.'s three-year hiatus from boxing will formally end July 25 when he faces Tim Tszyu in Australia, Premier Boxing Champions confirmed Thursday.
The fight will be a PBC PPV on Prime event at a venue to be determined.
Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) hasn't fought since July 2023 when he was knocked down three times and stopped by Terence Crawford in a bout to determine an undisputed welterweight champion. Since the loss, there was speculation on whether and when the former champion might fight again, but ESPN learned in February that he had plotted a return to the ring against Tszyu this summer at 154 pounds. Originally, the fight was targeted for early June, but the date was pushed back a month.
Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs) is a former IBF junior middleweight champion but has fallen on hard times the past couple of years with losses to Sebastian Fundora (twice) and Bakhram Murtazaliev after starting his career 24-0. But after dropping three of four fights, Tszyu has won consecutive bouts against Anthony Velazquez and Denis Nurja, which set up the matchup with Spence on his home continent.
The two will clash in what can be seen as a major crossroads fight between former world champions. Spence, 36, will aim to prove that he is still championship material after three years away from the sport. Tszyu, 31, wants to show that his rough patch was more of an aberration than the norm by taking on a former top pound-for-pound fighter.
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
JUST ANNOUNCED Former unified world champion @ErrolSpenceJr returns to take on Australian superstar and former world champion @Tim_Tszyu in a super welterweight showdown on July 25, live from Australian on PBC PPV on @PrimeVideo!
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Errol Spence Jnr aims to make a statement; Tim Tszyu wants to ‘retire’ Spence
“Boxing is better when Errol Spence Jnr is in the ring,” said TGB Promotions president Tom Brown in a recent promotional press release, but of course it’s Brown’s job to say as much.
Now it’s Spence’s job to prove it.
Spence, 28-1 (22 KOs), a former unified welterweight champion who hasn’t fought since a punishing July 2023 loss to Terence Crawford, will return against Tim Tszyu on July 25 in Tszyu’s native Australia.
Tszyu-Spence will lead a card promoted by No Limit Boxing, Man Down Promotions and TGB Promotions. A venue will be announced in the coming weeks.
“I’m grateful to be back,” Spence said. “I took time away to live in the moment, travel and to give my family my full attention. I got to enjoy the rewards of my hard work with the people who matter most. Now I’m locked back in.”
That remains to be seen, of course. Spence, a New Yorker now living in Desoto, Texas, is 36 years old, coming off a huge layoff and stepping up to junior middleweight for the first time when he faces Tszyu. A 2019 auto accident nearly killed him, and he has won just once since suffering a detached retina in 2021 – a 10th-round stoppage of former welterweight titleholder Yordenis Ugas that is now four years old.
“Three years away from the sport changed my perspective completely,” Spence said. “I’ve grown mentally and physically sharper, and I’m more disciplined and locked in with a deeper level of appreciation.”
Tszyu, 27-3 (18 KOs), isn’t so sure of that – though he has had his own recent hurdles to overcome. A bloody split decision loss to Sebastian Fundora – the first defeat of Tszyu’s career – was initially viewed by most as a combination of rotten luck and a gross miscalculation. But he was stopped by Bakhram Murtazaliev in his next fight and exited early in the rematch with Fundora – all within a 16-month period. Tszyu, 31, has since bounced back with wins over Anthony Velasquez and Denis Nurja, and has declared himself ready for this latest challenge.
“They call him ‘The Truth,’ the ‘Big Fish,’” Tszyu said of Spence. “I’ve always said I’m hunting the biggest fights and biggest names and now I’ve got one right in front of me.
“I’ve kept the receipts from everything he’s said about me – the tweets, the doubt, all of it. This motivates me even more to knock him out. I respect what Errol Spence Jnr has done in this sport, but that was then. While he’s been staying away, I’ve been in the fire. I’ve taken my hits, I’ve learned the hard way, and I know I’ve come back better. I’m ready to retire him.”
Spence said facing Tszyu on his turf in his first fight since being battered by Crawford was a calculated decision.
“I chose to come back in his hometown for a reason,” Spence said. “No tune-ups. No easy road. I’m stepping straight into his backyard into the fire because that’s where I do my best work. On July 25, I’m not aiming to make a return. I’m making a statement.”
Tszyu isn’t impressed.
“I’m undefeated at home and he’s stepping into my backyard,” Tszyu said. “While he’s trying to prove he’s still there, I’m about to prove that ‘The Truth’ was a lie all along.”
“Boxing is better when Errol Spence Jnr is in the ring,” said TGB Promotions president Tom Brown in a recent promotional press release, but of course it’s Brown’s job to say as much.
Now it’s Spence’s job to prove it.
Spence, 28-1 (22 KOs), a former unified welterweight champion who hasn’t fought since a punishing July 2023 loss to Terence Crawford, will return against Tim Tszyu on July 25 in Tszyu’s native Australia.
Tszyu-Spence will lead a card promoted by No Limit Boxing, Man Down Promotions and TGB Promotions. A venue will be announced in the coming weeks.
“I’m grateful to be back,” Spence said. “I took time away to live in the moment, travel and to give my family my full attention. I got to enjoy the rewards of my hard work with the people who matter most. Now I’m locked back in.”
That remains to be seen, of course. Spence, a New Yorker now living in Desoto, Texas, is 36 years old, coming off a huge layoff and stepping up to junior middleweight for the first time when he faces Tszyu. A 2019 auto accident nearly killed him, and he has won just once since suffering a detached retina in 2021 – a 10th-round stoppage of former welterweight titleholder Yordenis Ugas that is now four years old.
“Three years away from the sport changed my perspective completely,” Spence said. “I’ve grown mentally and physically sharper, and I’m more disciplined and locked in with a deeper level of appreciation.”
Tszyu, 27-3 (18 KOs), isn’t so sure of that – though he has had his own recent hurdles to overcome. A bloody split decision loss to Sebastian Fundora – the first defeat of Tszyu’s career – was initially viewed by most as a combination of rotten luck and a gross miscalculation. But he was stopped by Bakhram Murtazaliev in his next fight and exited early in the rematch with Fundora – all within a 16-month period. Tszyu, 31, has since bounced back with wins over Anthony Velasquez and Denis Nurja, and has declared himself ready for this latest challenge.
“They call him ‘The Truth,’ the ‘Big Fish,’” Tszyu said of Spence. “I’ve always said I’m hunting the biggest fights and biggest names and now I’ve got one right in front of me.
“I’ve kept the receipts from everything he’s said about me – the tweets, the doubt, all of it. This motivates me even more to knock him out. I respect what Errol Spence Jnr has done in this sport, but that was then. While he’s been staying away, I’ve been in the fire. I’ve taken my hits, I’ve learned the hard way, and I know I’ve come back better. I’m ready to retire him.”
Spence said facing Tszyu on his turf in his first fight since being battered by Crawford was a calculated decision.
“I chose to come back in his hometown for a reason,” Spence said. “No tune-ups. No easy road. I’m stepping straight into his backyard into the fire because that’s where I do my best work. On July 25, I’m not aiming to make a return. I’m making a statement.”
Tszyu isn’t impressed.
“I’m undefeated at home and he’s stepping into my backyard,” Tszyu said. “While he’s trying to prove he’s still there, I’m about to prove that ‘The Truth’ was a lie all along.”
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Bring on the doubts: Errol Spence meets them all against Tim Tszyu
There’s great tension fueling prizefighting in the unknowns of prior damage, a long layoff and venturing great distance to hostile ground.
All of that is bundled in former three-belt welterweight champion Errol Spence Jnr’s return from a near three-year absence to meet former 154lbs titleholder Tim Tszyu on July 26 in Australia (July 25 in the U.S.).
During a formal fight-announcement news conference at MGM Grand on Saturday, Spence, 28-1 (22 KOs), confronted each of the subjects head on. This will be his first bout following his destructive loss in July 2023 to now-retired five-division champion Terence Crawford, in which Spence was downed multiple times en route to a ninth-round TKO defeat.
“I’m sure everyone has their opinions thinking I’m a shell of myself, asking, ‘Do I still have it?’ It’s just,” Spence said. “I’d be thinking the same thing. But I guarantee on July 25, you will see a better, more improved Errol Spence. The three years off helped me mentally, physically, gave me some time to recover and just enjoy life, the spoils of my wins while being with family and friends, my kids.”
There’s no shame in having one loss on the record to the best fighter of the past decade. Spence, 36, said he considered that only “a little bit,” but also felt the tug of his career’s ticking clock.
“It was more just waking up and deciding one day, going to the boxing gym and deciding, ‘Man, I need to come back,’ thinking about it to be sure,” he told Boxing Scene in a session with reporters.
“I’m happy to put on a great show, fighting in front of all [of Tszyu’s] fans, disappointing them and showing you why they nickname me, ‘The Truth.’”
Spence’s retreat from the sport was a sharp contrast to the methods of Tszyu, 27-3 (18 KOs), who has absorbed all of his losses in the past 26 months, including his horribly bloody first loss to Sebastian Fundora, a four-knockdown beatdown at the hands of Bakhram Murtazaliev later that year, and a TKO defeat in the Fundora rematch last year.
During Spence’s hiatus, Tszyu has fought seven times, including an April victory in his home country that convinced him working with boxing-technician cornerman Pedro Diaz was not the solution.
Tszyu has retained Australia’s Jeff Fenech, the forward-fighting International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, as his new trainer for Spence.
“He’s an inside fighter who brings the heat and is one of the greats of his generation, so I’d love to learn from him,” Tszyu said of Fenech. “Spence is big and [a] southpaw, throws a lot of punches [like Fundora], but Errol Spence will be maybe easier to hit.”
While accepting that his own recent defeats have come against one of the stacked 154lbs division’s best fighters, Tszyu agrees losing to Crawford is excusable.
“The question is what does Errol Spence have left in the tank after three years off?” Tszyu said. “I’m going to bring the heat, and he’s the one dealing with the rust ... he hasn’t been in motion, so I’ll be ready to jump on him.”
Bringing the 158lbs catchweight fight to a yet-to-be-finalized Australian venue – which a promoter said could challenge the 2017 Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn welterweight title fight as the biggest in the nation’s history – is a first victory, Tszyu said.
“It’s a big advantage – my family is 55-0 in Australia. Numbers don’t lie,” Tszyu said in reference to his former undisputed 140lbs champion father, Kostya Tszyu, and brother, fellow junior middleweight Nikita Tszyu.
Spence has aligned with a new cornerman, too: Houston’s Ronnie Shields.
Spence worked to immediately inflame the rivalry with Tszyu in what fight fans could identify as a loser-goes-home type of affair.
As they crossed paths before the news conference, Spence blew off Tszyu’s extended hand. And then Tszyu worked onstage to praise Spence and invoke boxing history into their match.
“It’s a tough assignment. He throws a lot of punches, drowns people,” Tszyu said of Spence, who defeated Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Yordenis Ugas, and ventured to England to first take the IBF belt from Kell Brook nearly a decade ago.
Considering that run, Tszyu equated a meeting with Spence to his father’s 2000 TKO of Julio Cesar Chavez Snr in Phoenix.
“Back in the day, my father fought Chavez when he was the No. 1 guy … and beat him,” Tszyu said. “This is the top moment to reflect on the caliber of the event, because I grew up watching Errol Spence, and the fact I’m now fighting Errol Spence.”
Spence wasn’t buying it.
“I think it’s cute. This is not that. This is Errol Spence versus Tim Tszyu, and he’s not the caliber of his daddy. He can’t compare himself to his pops. He’s fighting me to get out of his daddy’s shadow. We’ll find out July 26 [in Australia] if he can,” Spence said.
In a later side-session with reporters, Spence said: “He’s coming to take my name, I’m coming to conquer his country. We’re going to war. I don’t give a fornicate about shaking hands.”
Tszyu chafed at those responses from the Texan.
“I’m a very respectful guy. I came up to him to shake his hand and he walked past me like a disrespectful fornicate. It just shows what kind of person he is,” Tszyu said.
“The comparisons between me and my dad … I’ve heard it, from every fighter, it’s the same thing.”
So Spence clarified his position.
“I’m not one of those dudes who sees people talking shit on social media and then wants to be buddy-buddy when you see me in person,” Spence said. “We can hug after the fight. It’s a war. I’m coming to his hometown, his territory, and I’m looking to take over. He’s coming to destroy and retire me. I’m coming to show him he’s not up to my pedigree.”
Visibly agitated by the exchange, Tszyu clicked back to what his father did to the similarly defiant Chavez, stopping him in his final title shot.
Tszyu said all he’s thinking of is “victory. … I wanted to give [Spence] a shake and a hug – because it’s his last fight.”
Spence said he’s forever emboldened by the fact he ventured to Sheffield, England, and won his first belt by defeating a prime Brook. Taking on a dinged Tszyu has some age on the task, but still inspires.
“He’s a balls-to-the-wall fighter, never gives up, always comes to fight,” Spence said. “If you’re not fit, he’s going to put that to the test.”
Spence sought to separate himself from Tszyu by reminding he doesn’t need tune-up fights. Shields – who’s trained ex-two division titleholder Jermall Charlo and Evander Holyfield – pointed to Spence’s preparation and immediate commitment.
“He gets up for big fights – that separates the good fighters from the greats, and it’s why he doesn’t mind going to Australia,” Shields said. “He’s going there to win.”
Continuing the theme of being his own man and doing things on his terms, Spence revealed his former friendship with previously undisputed 154lbs champion Jermell Charlo has distanced.
“Dude been kind of jealous of me; he’s looked at me as PBC golden boy,” Spence said of Jermell, who has flirted with the notion of a comeback after being out of the ring since September 2023.
“There’s a reason he doesn’t have a fight yet and a reason why when I say I’m ready, I get a fight. People are tired of giving him a fight and going into the red. Where can Jermell fight at? Not even in Houston can he sell out.”
Spence said he’s up for honoring Australia’s roots by walking to the ring with Aboriginal Australians, waving their flag and basking in the moment with the culture’s music.
Fighting at 158 means Spence could take the victory to either a middleweight title shot, or seek out someone like Premier Boxing Champions stablemate Fundora or the winner of the June 27 Xander Zayas-Jaron “Boots” Ennis unified title bout.
“One fight at a time. I’m not mapping out anything,” Spence told BS. “Just going with the flow and enjoying the whole process.”
Spence said he appreciates the concerns of fans and followers who assess that he took too bad of a beating from Crawford and has been out of the ring too long to return against an ex-titleholder.
When a reporter asked about Spence previously having slurred speech, he blamed it on dental reconstruction following his harrowing 2019 Ferrari crash.
“I’m all right. How’s my speech now?” he asked after the thoughtful session. “With my teeth, air can’t come through there, so when I say my S’s, that’s from the car accident. I appreciate everyone’s concerns. I had my concerns.”
He also indicated there were reasons that sabotaged his performance against Crawford.
“I’ll talk about that in my documentary if Netflix wants to buy that,” he said. “I’m a realist. I can see why people would think [I’m] a shell from the outside looking in, but it’s going to be a good show.
“You all haven’t seen me, but the fire never left. I’ve been in the gym and feel I’ve got a lot left. I’ve been in boxing for a long time, since the amateurs. I needed a break that I never got, even after my car accident, or my eye injury [that scrapped a Manny Pacquiao fight in 2021]. I felt clarity and a lot more rejuvenated.
“I’m just living in the moment, enjoying the process. It feels real good to be back. All this will be gone one day, so I’m embracing everything.”
There’s great tension fueling prizefighting in the unknowns of prior damage, a long layoff and venturing great distance to hostile ground.
All of that is bundled in former three-belt welterweight champion Errol Spence Jnr’s return from a near three-year absence to meet former 154lbs titleholder Tim Tszyu on July 26 in Australia (July 25 in the U.S.).
During a formal fight-announcement news conference at MGM Grand on Saturday, Spence, 28-1 (22 KOs), confronted each of the subjects head on. This will be his first bout following his destructive loss in July 2023 to now-retired five-division champion Terence Crawford, in which Spence was downed multiple times en route to a ninth-round TKO defeat.
“I’m sure everyone has their opinions thinking I’m a shell of myself, asking, ‘Do I still have it?’ It’s just,” Spence said. “I’d be thinking the same thing. But I guarantee on July 25, you will see a better, more improved Errol Spence. The three years off helped me mentally, physically, gave me some time to recover and just enjoy life, the spoils of my wins while being with family and friends, my kids.”
There’s no shame in having one loss on the record to the best fighter of the past decade. Spence, 36, said he considered that only “a little bit,” but also felt the tug of his career’s ticking clock.
“It was more just waking up and deciding one day, going to the boxing gym and deciding, ‘Man, I need to come back,’ thinking about it to be sure,” he told Boxing Scene in a session with reporters.
“I’m happy to put on a great show, fighting in front of all [of Tszyu’s] fans, disappointing them and showing you why they nickname me, ‘The Truth.’”
Spence’s retreat from the sport was a sharp contrast to the methods of Tszyu, 27-3 (18 KOs), who has absorbed all of his losses in the past 26 months, including his horribly bloody first loss to Sebastian Fundora, a four-knockdown beatdown at the hands of Bakhram Murtazaliev later that year, and a TKO defeat in the Fundora rematch last year.
During Spence’s hiatus, Tszyu has fought seven times, including an April victory in his home country that convinced him working with boxing-technician cornerman Pedro Diaz was not the solution.
Tszyu has retained Australia’s Jeff Fenech, the forward-fighting International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, as his new trainer for Spence.
“He’s an inside fighter who brings the heat and is one of the greats of his generation, so I’d love to learn from him,” Tszyu said of Fenech. “Spence is big and [a] southpaw, throws a lot of punches [like Fundora], but Errol Spence will be maybe easier to hit.”
While accepting that his own recent defeats have come against one of the stacked 154lbs division’s best fighters, Tszyu agrees losing to Crawford is excusable.
“The question is what does Errol Spence have left in the tank after three years off?” Tszyu said. “I’m going to bring the heat, and he’s the one dealing with the rust ... he hasn’t been in motion, so I’ll be ready to jump on him.”
Bringing the 158lbs catchweight fight to a yet-to-be-finalized Australian venue – which a promoter said could challenge the 2017 Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn welterweight title fight as the biggest in the nation’s history – is a first victory, Tszyu said.
“It’s a big advantage – my family is 55-0 in Australia. Numbers don’t lie,” Tszyu said in reference to his former undisputed 140lbs champion father, Kostya Tszyu, and brother, fellow junior middleweight Nikita Tszyu.
Spence has aligned with a new cornerman, too: Houston’s Ronnie Shields.
Spence worked to immediately inflame the rivalry with Tszyu in what fight fans could identify as a loser-goes-home type of affair.
As they crossed paths before the news conference, Spence blew off Tszyu’s extended hand. And then Tszyu worked onstage to praise Spence and invoke boxing history into their match.
“It’s a tough assignment. He throws a lot of punches, drowns people,” Tszyu said of Spence, who defeated Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Yordenis Ugas, and ventured to England to first take the IBF belt from Kell Brook nearly a decade ago.
Considering that run, Tszyu equated a meeting with Spence to his father’s 2000 TKO of Julio Cesar Chavez Snr in Phoenix.
“Back in the day, my father fought Chavez when he was the No. 1 guy … and beat him,” Tszyu said. “This is the top moment to reflect on the caliber of the event, because I grew up watching Errol Spence, and the fact I’m now fighting Errol Spence.”
Spence wasn’t buying it.
“I think it’s cute. This is not that. This is Errol Spence versus Tim Tszyu, and he’s not the caliber of his daddy. He can’t compare himself to his pops. He’s fighting me to get out of his daddy’s shadow. We’ll find out July 26 [in Australia] if he can,” Spence said.
In a later side-session with reporters, Spence said: “He’s coming to take my name, I’m coming to conquer his country. We’re going to war. I don’t give a fornicate about shaking hands.”
Tszyu chafed at those responses from the Texan.
“I’m a very respectful guy. I came up to him to shake his hand and he walked past me like a disrespectful fornicate. It just shows what kind of person he is,” Tszyu said.
“The comparisons between me and my dad … I’ve heard it, from every fighter, it’s the same thing.”
So Spence clarified his position.
“I’m not one of those dudes who sees people talking shit on social media and then wants to be buddy-buddy when you see me in person,” Spence said. “We can hug after the fight. It’s a war. I’m coming to his hometown, his territory, and I’m looking to take over. He’s coming to destroy and retire me. I’m coming to show him he’s not up to my pedigree.”
Visibly agitated by the exchange, Tszyu clicked back to what his father did to the similarly defiant Chavez, stopping him in his final title shot.
Tszyu said all he’s thinking of is “victory. … I wanted to give [Spence] a shake and a hug – because it’s his last fight.”
Spence said he’s forever emboldened by the fact he ventured to Sheffield, England, and won his first belt by defeating a prime Brook. Taking on a dinged Tszyu has some age on the task, but still inspires.
“He’s a balls-to-the-wall fighter, never gives up, always comes to fight,” Spence said. “If you’re not fit, he’s going to put that to the test.”
Spence sought to separate himself from Tszyu by reminding he doesn’t need tune-up fights. Shields – who’s trained ex-two division titleholder Jermall Charlo and Evander Holyfield – pointed to Spence’s preparation and immediate commitment.
“He gets up for big fights – that separates the good fighters from the greats, and it’s why he doesn’t mind going to Australia,” Shields said. “He’s going there to win.”
Continuing the theme of being his own man and doing things on his terms, Spence revealed his former friendship with previously undisputed 154lbs champion Jermell Charlo has distanced.
“Dude been kind of jealous of me; he’s looked at me as PBC golden boy,” Spence said of Jermell, who has flirted with the notion of a comeback after being out of the ring since September 2023.
“There’s a reason he doesn’t have a fight yet and a reason why when I say I’m ready, I get a fight. People are tired of giving him a fight and going into the red. Where can Jermell fight at? Not even in Houston can he sell out.”
Spence said he’s up for honoring Australia’s roots by walking to the ring with Aboriginal Australians, waving their flag and basking in the moment with the culture’s music.
Fighting at 158 means Spence could take the victory to either a middleweight title shot, or seek out someone like Premier Boxing Champions stablemate Fundora or the winner of the June 27 Xander Zayas-Jaron “Boots” Ennis unified title bout.
“One fight at a time. I’m not mapping out anything,” Spence told BS. “Just going with the flow and enjoying the whole process.”
Spence said he appreciates the concerns of fans and followers who assess that he took too bad of a beating from Crawford and has been out of the ring too long to return against an ex-titleholder.
When a reporter asked about Spence previously having slurred speech, he blamed it on dental reconstruction following his harrowing 2019 Ferrari crash.
“I’m all right. How’s my speech now?” he asked after the thoughtful session. “With my teeth, air can’t come through there, so when I say my S’s, that’s from the car accident. I appreciate everyone’s concerns. I had my concerns.”
He also indicated there were reasons that sabotaged his performance against Crawford.
“I’ll talk about that in my documentary if Netflix wants to buy that,” he said. “I’m a realist. I can see why people would think [I’m] a shell from the outside looking in, but it’s going to be a good show.
“You all haven’t seen me, but the fire never left. I’ve been in the gym and feel I’ve got a lot left. I’ve been in boxing for a long time, since the amateurs. I needed a break that I never got, even after my car accident, or my eye injury [that scrapped a Manny Pacquiao fight in 2021]. I felt clarity and a lot more rejuvenated.
“I’m just living in the moment, enjoying the process. It feels real good to be back. All this will be gone one day, so I’m embracing everything.”
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Here’s some of what both had to say with the full presser in the video link at the top!
Tszyu on facing Spence
“I’ve always been a guy that chases the toughest and baddest challenges out there and when I got presented with Errol, who is undeniably one of the best fighters of this decade, I didn’t hesitate and straight away accepted. I accepted not to compete, but I accepted because I knew that I’m going to [win], the victory is the only thing on my mind. I know the challenge that is put in front of me, I’m going to work super hard and I’m coming through it all.”
Spence on making his return after a long hiatus
“I’m glad to be back. It’s been a long time, three year layoff, and I’m sure everybody has their own reserved opinions thinking I’m a shell of myself, or ‘do he still have it?’ and it’s just, because I’ll be thinking the same thing seeing my last fight. But I guarantee you come July 26, you will see a better, more improved Errol Spence.
“I feel like [the time off] help me mentally, helped me physically, gave me some time to recover and just enjoy life…I’m happy to be back and I’m happy to put on a great show. I can’t wait for July 26 to be fighting in Australia, to be fighting in front of his fans. I look forward to disappointing them, putting on a great show, putting on another great performance and showing ya’ll why they nicknamed me The Truth.”
Tszyu on whether Spence made a mistake going straight into this fight
“It’s definitely not recommended, to go straight into the firing line. It would’ve been better to start off slowly but, you know, on his caliber he feels like he doesn’t need tune-ups, which is fair enough, but it’s going to be fireworks from the opening bell.”
Spence on dealing with ring rust
“Ring rust is nothing but a mental thing. If you have a training camp, if you look good in training camp, if you look good in sparring, why can’t you look good in the fight? That’s a mental barrier you’re talking about, and that’s why people need tune-ups. I don’t need a tune-up because the proof is in the pudding when you’re in the gym…If I feel good in training camp and I feel good in sparring, I’m going to feel good in the fight. I’m mentally ready, physically ready.
“I feel like me and Ronnie Shields have a great game plan. Ronnie Shields been through this numerous times so we’ll be 100% ready for anything that he can bring to the table.”
Tszyu on if there’s pressure fighting at home
“Definitely no pressure. I’m just excited for the opportunity, fighting in Australia…There’s no place like home and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Spence on Tszyu looking at this fight like his father’s big moment against Chavez
“It’s cute but that ain’t what that it. It’s Errol Spence vs Tim Tszyu. He’s no caliber of his daddy, so he can’t even compare himself to his pops. He fighting me, he trying to get out of his daddy’s shadow.”
Tszyu’s reaction to Spence’s comments
“It’s alright. I’m a very respectful guy. I came up to him before, tried to shake his hand, he just walked past me like a disrespectful f-ck and that just shows the type of person he is and that’s alright. You know, he’s talking about the comparisons between me and my dad, I’ve heard it all. Every fighter I’ve ever fought has said the same thing.”
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Errol Spence mulling retirement ahead of Tim Tszyu fight
Errol Spence may be returning to the ring this summer, but he also seemingly has retirement on his mind.
The Texan returns to action for the first time in three years on July 26 against Tim Tszyu in Australia, having not fought since losing his WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight titles to Terence Crawford.
Spence will shake off some serious ring rust against Tszyu at a catchweight of 158 pounds, but his future beyond that seems an uncertain one.
“I already got my right foot hanging out the door,” Spence said when asked if he would retire if he lost against Tszyu. “You never know.”
Fighting Tszyu on away territory, he feels, will bring the best out of him. The Australian is a former WBO junior middleweight champion but has lost brutal fights with Sebastian Fundora, twice, and Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Spence wants to live in the moment, though, and not think too much about what the future holds. Facing the end of a career can be a daunting prospect for a lot of fighters.
Spence, admittedly, wasn’t sure what his life would look like without the sport he grew up loving. However, having experienced a small glimpse of what life is like without it, he isn’t scared hang up his gloves when the time comes.
“I enjoyed the three-year layoff,” Spence said. “It gave me a lot of clarity and it let me know that I’m okay with or without boxing, I’ll be okay. It’s a scary moment when you're used to being in the gym 24/7 all the time and you're not in the gym. There was a time where, when I ran into the boxing gym, my day was over. I wasn’t worried about nothing else. That was my only focus, that was it but it gave me a lot more clarity when I started focusing on my kids, and my family as a whole, and traveling, just enjoying life.”
Spence, 36, heads into the fight with new trainer Ronnie Shields in his corner.
Despite Spence's admission that he is thinking about the end of his career, Shields, who has worked with the likes of Pernell Whitaker, Vernon Forrest, and Evander Holyfield, likes what he sees in training camp.
“I think the layoff did him great,” Shields said. “The first day he came in the gym, I pushed him really hard. I just wanted to see what he had left, and he had more than I thought he had. He did everything better than I thought he could do, so I know that we’ve got a fresh fighter here and you guys are gonna see it in Australia.”
Errol Spence may be returning to the ring this summer, but he also seemingly has retirement on his mind.
The Texan returns to action for the first time in three years on July 26 against Tim Tszyu in Australia, having not fought since losing his WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight titles to Terence Crawford.
Spence will shake off some serious ring rust against Tszyu at a catchweight of 158 pounds, but his future beyond that seems an uncertain one.
“I already got my right foot hanging out the door,” Spence said when asked if he would retire if he lost against Tszyu. “You never know.”
Fighting Tszyu on away territory, he feels, will bring the best out of him. The Australian is a former WBO junior middleweight champion but has lost brutal fights with Sebastian Fundora, twice, and Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Spence wants to live in the moment, though, and not think too much about what the future holds. Facing the end of a career can be a daunting prospect for a lot of fighters.
Spence, admittedly, wasn’t sure what his life would look like without the sport he grew up loving. However, having experienced a small glimpse of what life is like without it, he isn’t scared hang up his gloves when the time comes.
“I enjoyed the three-year layoff,” Spence said. “It gave me a lot of clarity and it let me know that I’m okay with or without boxing, I’ll be okay. It’s a scary moment when you're used to being in the gym 24/7 all the time and you're not in the gym. There was a time where, when I ran into the boxing gym, my day was over. I wasn’t worried about nothing else. That was my only focus, that was it but it gave me a lot more clarity when I started focusing on my kids, and my family as a whole, and traveling, just enjoying life.”
Spence, 36, heads into the fight with new trainer Ronnie Shields in his corner.
Despite Spence's admission that he is thinking about the end of his career, Shields, who has worked with the likes of Pernell Whitaker, Vernon Forrest, and Evander Holyfield, likes what he sees in training camp.
“I think the layoff did him great,” Shields said. “The first day he came in the gym, I pushed him really hard. I just wanted to see what he had left, and he had more than I thought he had. He did everything better than I thought he could do, so I know that we’ve got a fresh fighter here and you guys are gonna see it in Australia.”
Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Wow. Boxing, especially at a high level, is not an endeavor one should undertake with the "right foot hanging out the door" toward retirement.Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑06 May 2026, 05:29 Errol Spence mulling retirement ahead of Tim Tszyu fight
Errol Spence may be returning to the ring this summer, but he also seemingly has retirement on his mind.
The Texan returns to action for the first time in three years on July 26 against Tim Tszyu in Australia, having not fought since losing his WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight titles to Terence Crawford.
Spence will shake off some serious ring rust against Tszyu at a catchweight of 158 pounds, but his future beyond that seems an uncertain one.
“I already got my right foot hanging out the door,” Spence said when asked if he would retire if he lost against Tszyu. “You never know.”
Fighting Tszyu on away territory, he feels, will bring the best out of him. The Australian is a former WBO junior middleweight champion but has lost brutal fights with Sebastian Fundora, twice, and Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Spence wants to live in the moment, though, and not think too much about what the future holds. Facing the end of a career can be a daunting prospect for a lot of fighters.
Spence, admittedly, wasn’t sure what his life would look like without the sport he grew up loving. However, having experienced a small glimpse of what life is like without it, he isn’t scared hang up his gloves when the time comes.
“I enjoyed the three-year layoff,” Spence said. “It gave me a lot of clarity and it let me know that I’m okay with or without boxing, I’ll be okay. It’s a scary moment when you're used to being in the gym 24/7 all the time and you're not in the gym. There was a time where, when I ran into the boxing gym, my day was over. I wasn’t worried about nothing else. That was my only focus, that was it but it gave me a lot more clarity when I started focusing on my kids, and my family as a whole, and traveling, just enjoying life.”
Spence, 36, heads into the fight with new trainer Ronnie Shields in his corner.
Despite Spence's admission that he is thinking about the end of his career, Shields, who has worked with the likes of Pernell Whitaker, Vernon Forrest, and Evander Holyfield, likes what he sees in training camp.
“I think the layoff did him great,” Shields said. “The first day he came in the gym, I pushed him really hard. I just wanted to see what he had left, and he had more than I thought he had. He did everything better than I thought he could do, so I know that we’ve got a fresh fighter here and you guys are gonna see it in Australia.”
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Just getting retirement payday then isn’t he
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
ERROL SPENCE'S VICES ARE GONE: 'I DON’T DRINK ANYMORE'
Errol Spence has turned things around.
Although he was unified welterweight champion, a pound-for-pound star, and one of the most popular fighters of his era, Spence hasn't always lived a clean life.
From partying to drinking, Spence's life outside of the ring often wasn't conducive to the lifestyle of an elite athlete. However, something clicked for the Desoto, Texas, native shortly after his brutal stoppage defeat to Terence Crawford in 2023.
Now aged 36, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) is a completely different person.
“A lot of the vices that I had in the past, I don’t drink anymore, so a lot of the stuff that was slowing me down, it’s not anymore,” Spence told Main Event. “I’m more with my family. If I’m not with my family, I’m probably training somewhere or traveling seeing the world."
“I feel rejuvenated. That long layoff I feel definitely helped me physically, definitely helped me mentally, and I’m ready to show everybody what I have left.”
With a new lease on life, Spence will end a near three-year layoff when he takes on former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu in Australia at a catchweight of 158 pounds on July 26.
Tszyu, somewhat like Spence, is attempting to rewrite the narrative about his own career. He’s just 3-3 over his last six, but he is on a two-fight win streak.
From now until fight night arrives, Spence will continue to sharpen his tools. He knows that even some pf his supporters will point to the 2019 car accident he was in, the detached retina he sustained in 2021, and the beating he suffered at the hands of Crawford.
Spence, though, can’t wait to prove his doubters wrong.
Errol Spence has turned things around.
Although he was unified welterweight champion, a pound-for-pound star, and one of the most popular fighters of his era, Spence hasn't always lived a clean life.
From partying to drinking, Spence's life outside of the ring often wasn't conducive to the lifestyle of an elite athlete. However, something clicked for the Desoto, Texas, native shortly after his brutal stoppage defeat to Terence Crawford in 2023.
Now aged 36, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) is a completely different person.
“A lot of the vices that I had in the past, I don’t drink anymore, so a lot of the stuff that was slowing me down, it’s not anymore,” Spence told Main Event. “I’m more with my family. If I’m not with my family, I’m probably training somewhere or traveling seeing the world."
“I feel rejuvenated. That long layoff I feel definitely helped me physically, definitely helped me mentally, and I’m ready to show everybody what I have left.”
With a new lease on life, Spence will end a near three-year layoff when he takes on former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu in Australia at a catchweight of 158 pounds on July 26.
Tszyu, somewhat like Spence, is attempting to rewrite the narrative about his own career. He’s just 3-3 over his last six, but he is on a two-fight win streak.
From now until fight night arrives, Spence will continue to sharpen his tools. He knows that even some pf his supporters will point to the 2019 car accident he was in, the detached retina he sustained in 2021, and the beating he suffered at the hands of Crawford.
Spence, though, can’t wait to prove his doubters wrong.
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
The Tim Tszyu-Jeff Fenech union: Invoking the past, present, future
As fiercely as Tim Tszyu strives to rewrite his career track over the next few years, his new trainer, the legendary Jeff Fenech, believes some reflection is in order.
In a Wednesday conversation with Boxing Scene, International Boxing Hall of Fame member and former four-division champion Fenech said Tszyu’s former cornermen committed “total negligence” by allowing him to fight through a ghastly second-round head cut that hindered him in what became a split-decision WBO/WBC unified title loss to Sebastian Fundora in 2024.
“He’d be a world champion still today,” Fenech, 61, said of Tszyu.
In reference to then-trainer Igor Goloubev and his supporters, “You’ve got to know the rules before a fight. Those people didn’t even know they could stop the fight. I love Tim. I spoke to him after and he was happy he was heroic. Getting through the cut itself was heroic.
“But Tim’s been through that now. He knows what we’ve got to do. He’s got someone he can trust in the corner now.”
Taking time before they Monday for three weeks of sparring and training in the warmer weather of Thailand, Australia’s Tszyu, 27-3 (18 KOs), and Fenech discussed how their union is preparing Tszyu for his July 26 (in Austrtalia) Premier Boxing Champions’ Prime Video pay-per-view bout against former three-belt champion Errol Spence Jnr Down Under.
Tszyu shifted away from Cuban trainer Pedro Diaz after two tune-up bouts that followed last year’s more one-sided stoppage loss to current WBO champion Fundora.
Tszyu said he reasoned only two men from Australia could maximize his ideal fighting style: Fenech and Tszyu’s former world-champion father, Kostya Tszyu.
Considering the Tszyus’ at-times volatile relationship – “That would be too chaotic,” Tim Tszyu said – the fighter selected Fenech.
“Stylistically, I was getting caught up in the Cuban style, a rhythmic style,” Tszyu said. “This fight, I wanted a change in my approach. As much as I tried to do things different, I feel my style lends itself best to pressure – with punches, trying to drown my opponent.
“Who best to learn from than Jeff Fenech?”
Fenech’s background in toe-to-toe warfare doesn’t mask the intention of Tszyu, 31, as he confronts a 36-year-old Spence who hasn’t fought since being decked repeatedly and losing an undisputed welterweight title fight to five-division champion Terence Crawford.
Some speculate the toll of the Crawford beating atop a harrowing 2019 car crash that hospitalized Spence have left him shot.
Tszyu clearly intends to find out.
“These are the things we’re working on to make Tim a better version of Tim,” Fenech said. “Over the last year or so, Tim’s had a lot hanging over his head. I’m trying to make sure mentally he’s great. He’s got a plan. What this kid's been doing here has been sensational.”
Tszyu, too, had critical words toward his former corner in reviewing their impact upon him in hindsight.
He said the best thing about camp with Fenech is, “Not having head noise. Everyone on the team is together. We do things as a family and it feels nice. Before, there were too many groups in my team – this guy was with this guy, that guy’s with that guy – you’ve got to be all together, willing to die for each other, and it’s refreshing to have that.”
The high stakes, fresh start and new attitude could sway the outcome.
“If he can take that into the ring on the 26th of July, I’m super confident he can win,” Fenech said. “I’m not saying Spence can’t fight. He’s one of the greatest. But sometimes your time’s up, and it’s time for someone else.”
Fenech said one of his pressing instructions for Tszyu is to pace his preparation.
“I’ve never seen a kid who wants to do so much. If I let Tim do what he wants, we’d be ready for the fight next week,” Fenech said. “I want him to slowly build up to the 26th of July. It’s one little thing at a time.”
The respect is full, Tszyu said.
“When someone’s been there, done that, and understands the concept of what we’re doing, it makes a big difference,” Tszyu said. “There’s only so many people in Australia that I can really relate to and take advice from, people who have been at the same type of level.”
Fenech won title fights ranging from bantamweight to super-featherweight from 1984-1991, sealing his Hall of Fame induction in 2002.
Returning to the sport’s highest level has been inspiring for Fenech.
“I’m doing this for a kid I know is much better than his last few fights,” Fenech said of the Tszyu stretch that’s included a later 2024 drubbing at the hands of Bakhram Murtazaliev by third-round knockout and the rematch defeat to the remarkably tall Fundora possessing a unicorn reach at 154lbs.
“Tim’s been fighting a guy who’s[6-feet-6] on the outside. He’s got an amazing ‘A’ plan that has won him many fights. But he’s got to have a ‘B’ and a ‘C’ plan, too. This is the kind of kid that as soon as I show him something, he learns it so quick. Tim has been one of the best fighters of the past decade, and I truly believe he has the skills and tools to beat anybody – including Spence.”
Spence’s 2012 U.S. Olympic teammate Jamel Herring spoke recently with Spence and said the Texan is confident in his opponent choice, who also has been scarred by ring battles.
“Errol, since I’ve known him from 2010, he’s always had that mentality that he’ll push through anything. Even after his [car crash], he still won more titles,” Herring said.
“If I’m looking at this fight as a manager or promoter, I do think Tim Tszyu is the perfect style for him in terms of returning. Tim Tszyu is going to be there. He’s not going to be hard to find. He’s not like [Terence Crawford] ‘Bud,’ who can box, mix it up and beat you at your own game.”
If fight observers doubt Spence, “We still have questions about Tim Tszyu,” Herring said.
“Does he have that same hunger as when he was undefeated? After he’s taken these losses, he hasn’t been the same Tim Tszyu. Even though Errol’s been gone for three years, it’s the right matchup to answer the questions, and a good fight for Errol.
“He’s motivated for it. He hears the whispers, sees everything that’s being said that he should remain on the sidelines. That motivates him. He has a new great trainer, too, in Ronnie Shields. He’s in the right place and has the hunger back.”
It sets the stage for a bout that will be seen in the U.S. and UK on July 25. Sydney or Australia’s Gold Coast could stage the bout, Tszyu said.
Fenech said not being hard to find is in Tszyu’s best interest.
“What you’re saying is 1 million percent right: Tim Tszyu is going to be there, but he’s going to be in the right position,” Fenech said. “So, after he throws a combination, we’ll throw another one. We’re not going to give him the opportunity to hit us. It’s not just twos and threes … and Tim can do that the entire round.
“Watching him growing up, I thought, ‘This kid can be better than all of us.’ I still have that opinion. Tim just needs to take the plan we have for him and execute it. I have full confidence he can do that.”
Tszyu, as well, said aiming to fight in close proximity to Spence is part of the strategy being honed by Fenech aimed at taking Spence out.
“Yeah, that’s what’s going through my head: Take him out,” Tszyu said. “The last couple of fights, I’ve been like, ‘Let’s get back into the groove, move around, jab around, use my legs. This one’s a different approach, you know? We’re coming for war.”
Some of boxing’s best fights ever have been the ones involving veterans who badly need a victory.
“There’s so much on the line for both of us. He’s sort of at the end. Whether he wins or loses, he’s got three or fights left in him, maximum,” Tszyu said. “I’ve got four to five more peak years to get everything I want.”
At the May 2 news conference in Las Vegas to formally announce the bout, Spence declined to shake Tszyu’s hand and said he heard negative chatter from the Aussie on social media.
“The thing is, maybe I was too nice,” Tszyu said. “I had never said anything bad about Errol. I’m used to shaking hands, so that got me a little wound up. I went into a little bit of a silence with myself. It woke me up. It gave me that little bit of, ‘Alright, we’re not friends. Let’s get to work.’”
As fiercely as Tim Tszyu strives to rewrite his career track over the next few years, his new trainer, the legendary Jeff Fenech, believes some reflection is in order.
In a Wednesday conversation with Boxing Scene, International Boxing Hall of Fame member and former four-division champion Fenech said Tszyu’s former cornermen committed “total negligence” by allowing him to fight through a ghastly second-round head cut that hindered him in what became a split-decision WBO/WBC unified title loss to Sebastian Fundora in 2024.
“He’d be a world champion still today,” Fenech, 61, said of Tszyu.
In reference to then-trainer Igor Goloubev and his supporters, “You’ve got to know the rules before a fight. Those people didn’t even know they could stop the fight. I love Tim. I spoke to him after and he was happy he was heroic. Getting through the cut itself was heroic.
“But Tim’s been through that now. He knows what we’ve got to do. He’s got someone he can trust in the corner now.”
Taking time before they Monday for three weeks of sparring and training in the warmer weather of Thailand, Australia’s Tszyu, 27-3 (18 KOs), and Fenech discussed how their union is preparing Tszyu for his July 26 (in Austrtalia) Premier Boxing Champions’ Prime Video pay-per-view bout against former three-belt champion Errol Spence Jnr Down Under.
Tszyu shifted away from Cuban trainer Pedro Diaz after two tune-up bouts that followed last year’s more one-sided stoppage loss to current WBO champion Fundora.
Tszyu said he reasoned only two men from Australia could maximize his ideal fighting style: Fenech and Tszyu’s former world-champion father, Kostya Tszyu.
Considering the Tszyus’ at-times volatile relationship – “That would be too chaotic,” Tim Tszyu said – the fighter selected Fenech.
“Stylistically, I was getting caught up in the Cuban style, a rhythmic style,” Tszyu said. “This fight, I wanted a change in my approach. As much as I tried to do things different, I feel my style lends itself best to pressure – with punches, trying to drown my opponent.
“Who best to learn from than Jeff Fenech?”
Fenech’s background in toe-to-toe warfare doesn’t mask the intention of Tszyu, 31, as he confronts a 36-year-old Spence who hasn’t fought since being decked repeatedly and losing an undisputed welterweight title fight to five-division champion Terence Crawford.
Some speculate the toll of the Crawford beating atop a harrowing 2019 car crash that hospitalized Spence have left him shot.
Tszyu clearly intends to find out.
“These are the things we’re working on to make Tim a better version of Tim,” Fenech said. “Over the last year or so, Tim’s had a lot hanging over his head. I’m trying to make sure mentally he’s great. He’s got a plan. What this kid's been doing here has been sensational.”
Tszyu, too, had critical words toward his former corner in reviewing their impact upon him in hindsight.
He said the best thing about camp with Fenech is, “Not having head noise. Everyone on the team is together. We do things as a family and it feels nice. Before, there were too many groups in my team – this guy was with this guy, that guy’s with that guy – you’ve got to be all together, willing to die for each other, and it’s refreshing to have that.”
The high stakes, fresh start and new attitude could sway the outcome.
“If he can take that into the ring on the 26th of July, I’m super confident he can win,” Fenech said. “I’m not saying Spence can’t fight. He’s one of the greatest. But sometimes your time’s up, and it’s time for someone else.”
Fenech said one of his pressing instructions for Tszyu is to pace his preparation.
“I’ve never seen a kid who wants to do so much. If I let Tim do what he wants, we’d be ready for the fight next week,” Fenech said. “I want him to slowly build up to the 26th of July. It’s one little thing at a time.”
The respect is full, Tszyu said.
“When someone’s been there, done that, and understands the concept of what we’re doing, it makes a big difference,” Tszyu said. “There’s only so many people in Australia that I can really relate to and take advice from, people who have been at the same type of level.”
Fenech won title fights ranging from bantamweight to super-featherweight from 1984-1991, sealing his Hall of Fame induction in 2002.
Returning to the sport’s highest level has been inspiring for Fenech.
“I’m doing this for a kid I know is much better than his last few fights,” Fenech said of the Tszyu stretch that’s included a later 2024 drubbing at the hands of Bakhram Murtazaliev by third-round knockout and the rematch defeat to the remarkably tall Fundora possessing a unicorn reach at 154lbs.
“Tim’s been fighting a guy who’s[6-feet-6] on the outside. He’s got an amazing ‘A’ plan that has won him many fights. But he’s got to have a ‘B’ and a ‘C’ plan, too. This is the kind of kid that as soon as I show him something, he learns it so quick. Tim has been one of the best fighters of the past decade, and I truly believe he has the skills and tools to beat anybody – including Spence.”
Spence’s 2012 U.S. Olympic teammate Jamel Herring spoke recently with Spence and said the Texan is confident in his opponent choice, who also has been scarred by ring battles.
“Errol, since I’ve known him from 2010, he’s always had that mentality that he’ll push through anything. Even after his [car crash], he still won more titles,” Herring said.
“If I’m looking at this fight as a manager or promoter, I do think Tim Tszyu is the perfect style for him in terms of returning. Tim Tszyu is going to be there. He’s not going to be hard to find. He’s not like [Terence Crawford] ‘Bud,’ who can box, mix it up and beat you at your own game.”
If fight observers doubt Spence, “We still have questions about Tim Tszyu,” Herring said.
“Does he have that same hunger as when he was undefeated? After he’s taken these losses, he hasn’t been the same Tim Tszyu. Even though Errol’s been gone for three years, it’s the right matchup to answer the questions, and a good fight for Errol.
“He’s motivated for it. He hears the whispers, sees everything that’s being said that he should remain on the sidelines. That motivates him. He has a new great trainer, too, in Ronnie Shields. He’s in the right place and has the hunger back.”
It sets the stage for a bout that will be seen in the U.S. and UK on July 25. Sydney or Australia’s Gold Coast could stage the bout, Tszyu said.
Fenech said not being hard to find is in Tszyu’s best interest.
“What you’re saying is 1 million percent right: Tim Tszyu is going to be there, but he’s going to be in the right position,” Fenech said. “So, after he throws a combination, we’ll throw another one. We’re not going to give him the opportunity to hit us. It’s not just twos and threes … and Tim can do that the entire round.
“Watching him growing up, I thought, ‘This kid can be better than all of us.’ I still have that opinion. Tim just needs to take the plan we have for him and execute it. I have full confidence he can do that.”
Tszyu, as well, said aiming to fight in close proximity to Spence is part of the strategy being honed by Fenech aimed at taking Spence out.
“Yeah, that’s what’s going through my head: Take him out,” Tszyu said. “The last couple of fights, I’ve been like, ‘Let’s get back into the groove, move around, jab around, use my legs. This one’s a different approach, you know? We’re coming for war.”
Some of boxing’s best fights ever have been the ones involving veterans who badly need a victory.
“There’s so much on the line for both of us. He’s sort of at the end. Whether he wins or loses, he’s got three or fights left in him, maximum,” Tszyu said. “I’ve got four to five more peak years to get everything I want.”
At the May 2 news conference in Las Vegas to formally announce the bout, Spence declined to shake Tszyu’s hand and said he heard negative chatter from the Aussie on social media.
“The thing is, maybe I was too nice,” Tszyu said. “I had never said anything bad about Errol. I’m used to shaking hands, so that got me a little wound up. I went into a little bit of a silence with myself. It woke me up. It gave me that little bit of, ‘Alright, we’re not friends. Let’s get to work.’”
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Errol Spence Jr warned to prepare for ‘damage’ in comeback fight: “I want to hurt him”
Following three years out, Errol Spence Jr makes his comeback this summer as he moves up in weight for a showdown with Tim Tszyu.
Spence entered his 2023 undisputed clash with Terence Crawford undefeated, but would be well beaten and stopped in nine rounds. Given that he had suffered both a severe car crash and an eye injury in recent times, many felt that he would soon hang up the gloves.
The Texas-based southpaw has not fought since but will return to action this July, as he heads to Australia to face Tszyu in his own backyard, seeking to announce himself as a threat to the world titles in a stacked 154lb scene – though this fight will take place at a catchweight of 158.
Speaking to Main Event, Tszyu credited his upcoming opponent as ‘one of the greatest fighters of this decade’.
“I think that three years is a long time, especially at the sort of peak years of your career. I don’t know how he has been looking after himself or what he has been doing so [we don’t know how he will look].
“He has been one of the greatest fighters of this decade, his results speak for themselves and his only loss is against Crawford, who is the greatest fighter of our decade.
“So, it is a crazy challenge in front, but a challenge that I am willing to take with both hands and I wouldn’t be taking this fight, if I knew I couldn’t win.”
Though full of credit for the American, Tszyu went on to say he will ‘do damage’ to Spence when they collide in two months.
“I want to hurt him. That is my mentality right now, going into this fight, they I really want to hurt him. Do damage.”
Following three years out, Errol Spence Jr makes his comeback this summer as he moves up in weight for a showdown with Tim Tszyu.
Spence entered his 2023 undisputed clash with Terence Crawford undefeated, but would be well beaten and stopped in nine rounds. Given that he had suffered both a severe car crash and an eye injury in recent times, many felt that he would soon hang up the gloves.
The Texas-based southpaw has not fought since but will return to action this July, as he heads to Australia to face Tszyu in his own backyard, seeking to announce himself as a threat to the world titles in a stacked 154lb scene – though this fight will take place at a catchweight of 158.
Speaking to Main Event, Tszyu credited his upcoming opponent as ‘one of the greatest fighters of this decade’.
“I think that three years is a long time, especially at the sort of peak years of your career. I don’t know how he has been looking after himself or what he has been doing so [we don’t know how he will look].
“He has been one of the greatest fighters of this decade, his results speak for themselves and his only loss is against Crawford, who is the greatest fighter of our decade.
“So, it is a crazy challenge in front, but a challenge that I am willing to take with both hands and I wouldn’t be taking this fight, if I knew I couldn’t win.”
Though full of credit for the American, Tszyu went on to say he will ‘do damage’ to Spence when they collide in two months.
“I want to hurt him. That is my mentality right now, going into this fight, they I really want to hurt him. Do damage.”
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Announced: Jermall Charlo will return to the ring on the undercard of Errol Spence vs Tim Tszyu on July 25th in Australia, opponent TBC.-
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Re: Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu | PBC PPV - July 25, 2026
Jermall Charlo to next fight on Errol Spence-Tim Tszyu card
Errol Spence Jnr won’t be going it alone when he treks Down Under to meet Australia’s former junior-middleweight beltholder Tim Tszyu in late July.
Former middleweight titlist and Spence stablemate Jermall Charlo will also be on the card, an individual connected to the card confirmed to Boxing Scene Friday following reports of Charlo’s addition.
Houston’s Charlo, 34-0 (23 KOs), last fought 12 months ago, when he defeated Thomas LaManna by sixth-round TKO in Las Vegas.
That bout was supposed to serve as a precursor to a Charlo showdown with former IBF super-middleweight boss Caleb Plant, but Plant was upset by Armando Resendiz.
Plant slapped Charlo in the face backstage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at the July 2023 weigh-in for Spence’s eventual TKO undisputed welterweight title loss to Terence Crawford.
Former three-belt welterweight champion Spence is fighting for the first time since the Crawford loss when he meets Tszyu July 26 at a venue yet to be finalized in Australia. Tszyu has lost three times since March 2024.
Charlo and Spence are both trained in Texas by veteran cornerman Ronnie Shields.
Errol Spence Jnr won’t be going it alone when he treks Down Under to meet Australia’s former junior-middleweight beltholder Tim Tszyu in late July.
Former middleweight titlist and Spence stablemate Jermall Charlo will also be on the card, an individual connected to the card confirmed to Boxing Scene Friday following reports of Charlo’s addition.
Houston’s Charlo, 34-0 (23 KOs), last fought 12 months ago, when he defeated Thomas LaManna by sixth-round TKO in Las Vegas.
That bout was supposed to serve as a precursor to a Charlo showdown with former IBF super-middleweight boss Caleb Plant, but Plant was upset by Armando Resendiz.
Plant slapped Charlo in the face backstage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at the July 2023 weigh-in for Spence’s eventual TKO undisputed welterweight title loss to Terence Crawford.
Former three-belt welterweight champion Spence is fighting for the first time since the Crawford loss when he meets Tszyu July 26 at a venue yet to be finalized in Australia. Tszyu has lost three times since March 2024.
Charlo and Spence are both trained in Texas by veteran cornerman Ronnie Shields.