Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 26 Jul 2026, 04:51
I hope the best for him in his retirement and for his life but hang it up.
Protect your health
BoxRec
Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
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Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 26 Jul 2026, 04:52
It was pretty clear that Errol was going to lose. It’s time for Errol to retire nothing but respect for Errol but he hasn’t been in his top form for a long time.
I hope the best for him in his retirement and for his life but hang it up.
Protect your health
I hope the best for him in his retirement and for his life but hang it up.
Protect your health
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 26 Jul 2026, 04:52
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 26 Jul 2026, 04:53
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 26 Jul 2026, 05:10
I hope he sticks to it, because he's completely washed up.
He's had a phenomenal career that 99% of fighters could only dream of.
He has nothing to prove and there is no sense in him hanging around for up and comers to feast on as a big name.
He's had a phenomenal career that 99% of fighters could only dream of.
He has nothing to prove and there is no sense in him hanging around for up and comers to feast on as a big name.
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 26 Jul 2026, 05:34
I saw that coming for Spence, he made the right decision.
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 26 Jul 2026, 05:47
He was some fighter. Best of luck to him.
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 26 Jul 2026, 07:39
Errol Spence Jr. was once an outstanding fighter who reached his peak around 2017/18.
From 2019 onwards, however, his poor lifestyle, lack of professionalism, and lack of discipline between fights began to show. He seemed able to motivate himself only for major bouts, did not train consistently and regularly gained a lot of weight (his words).
Even though he kept winning, those habits eventually contributed to his downfall, including the car crash, inactivity, and two defeats.
I strongly disliked the barrage of excuses he gave for the Crawford loss, as well as his reluctance to address those issues by activating the rematch clause. He shouldn't have faced Bud if what he claimed was true (Crawford's words).
When I think of Spence, I see a wasted opportunity. I often wonder how great he could have been with the discipline of fighters like Wladimir Klitschko, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bernard Hopkins, and Oleksandr Usyk.
Even so, I wish him all the best in retirement. He was one of my favourite boxers from the late 2010s, but it is a shame he kept fighting after he clearly stopped loving boxing.
From 2019 onwards, however, his poor lifestyle, lack of professionalism, and lack of discipline between fights began to show. He seemed able to motivate himself only for major bouts, did not train consistently and regularly gained a lot of weight (his words).
Even though he kept winning, those habits eventually contributed to his downfall, including the car crash, inactivity, and two defeats.
I strongly disliked the barrage of excuses he gave for the Crawford loss, as well as his reluctance to address those issues by activating the rematch clause. He shouldn't have faced Bud if what he claimed was true (Crawford's words).
When I think of Spence, I see a wasted opportunity. I often wonder how great he could have been with the discipline of fighters like Wladimir Klitschko, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bernard Hopkins, and Oleksandr Usyk.
Even so, I wish him all the best in retirement. He was one of my favourite boxers from the late 2010s, but it is a shame he kept fighting after he clearly stopped loving boxing.
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 26 Jul 2026, 10:11
Dude was functionally retired before he got this last payday anyhow. What's really changed today?
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 27 Jul 2026, 03:12
Errol Spence Jnr: An appreciation
There was a night in 2017 I was in Las Vegas searching for Floyd Mayweather Jnr when I entered the fighter’s famed gym and had a chance meeting with a new world champion who looked like he might become the next incarnation of “Money.”
Texas’ Errol Spence Jnr, who U.S. Olympic boxing team advisor Freddie Roach identified as the most talented of the 2012 team, was days away from venturing to England to wrest the IBF welterweight title away from native champion Kell Brook.
The triumph, following a 2016 fifth-round stoppage of former 140lbs champion Chris Algieri a year earlier, represented Spence’s 19th KO/stoppage in his first 22 bouts.
In contrast to the mouthy Mayweather, Spence maintained a humble demeanor one could expect from being raised by a postwoman mother and contractor father.
Spence admitted earlier this year that his charm and talent made him the favorite fighter in powerful manager Al Haymon’s stable, and he was steered patiently and smartly through victories over former 140lbs champion Lamont Peterson and then a massive homecoming pay-per-view triumph against four-division champion Mikey Garcia at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas to flex his drawing power.
There was something intriguing about Spence divulging all details about his ascent, something refreshing about his dedication to the craft, something spectacular about his punishing attention to body punching (check out his first-round knockout of Carlos Ocampo in 2018) and his mastery of the jab from a left-handed stance.
Then there was his guile.
I can recall criticizing Premier Boxing Champions for not moving Spence directly from the Cowboys Stadium victory over Garcia to a unification fight with Terence Crawford.
Promoter and matchmaker Tom Brown came right back at me, arguing the selection of champion Shawn Porter for a unification was nothing to ridicule.
Brown was also factoring in some pre-Crawford moves that PBC wanted to make with Spence, but he was absolutely correct.
Haymon’s sculpting of Spence looked sublime when record eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao emerged with an upset of WBA champion Keith Thurman in July 2019.
Pacquiao’s willingness to fight the best made him overlook the youth, reach and height advantages Spence possessed.
I recall running into Spence the morning after Pacquiao defeated Thurman, thinking it almost unfair that the pair would meet five-plus years after Mayweather defeated Pacquiao.
Spence released a coy smile responding to the suggestion that he would dismantle Pacquiao.
“No, he looks good,” Spence deadpanned.
First, he had to confront the pitbull-type approach of Porter, which made that September 2019 fight at Staples Center in Los Angeles the runner-up for fight of the year, with Spence avoiding a fanciful boxing display to engage Porter in an inside, toe-to-toe display that entertained and emphasized exactly why the victorious Texan was such a rare gem.
It turned out to be the final performance of prime Errol Spence. Because real life happened.
One thing we know from covering a cavalcade of sporting figures through the years is that while we may think we know the person, we don’t know everything.
And Spence’s penchant for enjoying his life between fights by straying to alcohol was a divergence that separated him from Mayweather reaching 50-0 by 2017.
The horrifying, multiple-flip crash of Spence’s Ferrari in Dallas threatened to end his career, smashing his mouth, beating up his body and altering his life perspective.
It spoke volumes that he was able to return to the ring less than 14 months later and defeat two-division champion Danny Garcia.
But the residue of the crash included a torn retina that saw Spence’s planned 2021 fight with Pacquiao get canceled, leaving Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas to defeat the Filipino legend and set up a three-belt unification of far less magnitude versus Spence in 2022.
Spence Ugas in the 10th round.
He took another significant break – of 15 months – to fight again, agreeing to fight Nebraska’s Crawford in a showdown of American heartland talent to establish the best fighter of their generation.
Spence says his training camp with Derrick James was all wrong, a befuddling development given that they worked together from the amateurs through all the pro success.
Crawford’s wondrous skill also had something to do with the outcome, as he decked Spence three times before stopping him in the ninth round. A complete and utter beating.
Spence stopped answering if he was coming back, promoting lightweight title challenger Frank Martin, and revealing to BS’s Tris Dixon all that the crash took from him.
“A lot of people take it lightly just because I came back and fought and all that, but that’s serious stuff. It’s not too many people that go high speed in a Ferrari and get thrown from a Ferrari, land on solid concrete and still be here to talk today, still survive, still be coherent and everything,” Spence said.
“That was traumatic and a brutal experience that I went through. People take it lightly because I’m still fighting and still talk shit and all that but there was some serious stuff there. It was definitely serious.”
The lure of not knowing what remained got the best of Spence, bringing him back to fight former 154lbs champion Tim Tszyu in a middleweight fight Sunday in Australia.
Spence’s power didn’t carry upward in weight. His backfoot seemed weakened. He “pushed” his punches more than throw with the ease of the old days.
And when it was done, when the judges ruled against him by scores 118-110, 117-111, 117-111, he announced his retirement.
“Returning, I answered a lot of questions for myself, but it’s time to go home and start a new life. I got my faculties intact, my money is good and my family is by my side. Everything’s going to go well from here.”
Crawford watched from ringside and commented that Spence’s reflexes were sabotaged by age and the three-year layoff.
Spence thanked his fans for remaining loyal through the “trials and tribulations” of his “long journey,” saying, “You’ve got to be smart enough to end the journey when it’s time.
“I love y’all, and thank you for the support.”
Nicknamed “The Truth,” Spence deserves credit both for his career accomplishments, his candor regarding his self-induced injuries and for pressing himself to go overseas again to fight Tszyu in Sydney.
He was near the top of his class in the pound-for-pound rankings during his too-brief peak, never pulled punches discussing the trappings of his sport and gave a champion’s effort each time.
Boxing needed “The Truth,” and the sport is lesser without him.
There was a night in 2017 I was in Las Vegas searching for Floyd Mayweather Jnr when I entered the fighter’s famed gym and had a chance meeting with a new world champion who looked like he might become the next incarnation of “Money.”
Texas’ Errol Spence Jnr, who U.S. Olympic boxing team advisor Freddie Roach identified as the most talented of the 2012 team, was days away from venturing to England to wrest the IBF welterweight title away from native champion Kell Brook.
The triumph, following a 2016 fifth-round stoppage of former 140lbs champion Chris Algieri a year earlier, represented Spence’s 19th KO/stoppage in his first 22 bouts.
In contrast to the mouthy Mayweather, Spence maintained a humble demeanor one could expect from being raised by a postwoman mother and contractor father.
Spence admitted earlier this year that his charm and talent made him the favorite fighter in powerful manager Al Haymon’s stable, and he was steered patiently and smartly through victories over former 140lbs champion Lamont Peterson and then a massive homecoming pay-per-view triumph against four-division champion Mikey Garcia at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas to flex his drawing power.
There was something intriguing about Spence divulging all details about his ascent, something refreshing about his dedication to the craft, something spectacular about his punishing attention to body punching (check out his first-round knockout of Carlos Ocampo in 2018) and his mastery of the jab from a left-handed stance.
Then there was his guile.
I can recall criticizing Premier Boxing Champions for not moving Spence directly from the Cowboys Stadium victory over Garcia to a unification fight with Terence Crawford.
Promoter and matchmaker Tom Brown came right back at me, arguing the selection of champion Shawn Porter for a unification was nothing to ridicule.
Brown was also factoring in some pre-Crawford moves that PBC wanted to make with Spence, but he was absolutely correct.
Haymon’s sculpting of Spence looked sublime when record eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao emerged with an upset of WBA champion Keith Thurman in July 2019.
Pacquiao’s willingness to fight the best made him overlook the youth, reach and height advantages Spence possessed.
I recall running into Spence the morning after Pacquiao defeated Thurman, thinking it almost unfair that the pair would meet five-plus years after Mayweather defeated Pacquiao.
Spence released a coy smile responding to the suggestion that he would dismantle Pacquiao.
“No, he looks good,” Spence deadpanned.
First, he had to confront the pitbull-type approach of Porter, which made that September 2019 fight at Staples Center in Los Angeles the runner-up for fight of the year, with Spence avoiding a fanciful boxing display to engage Porter in an inside, toe-to-toe display that entertained and emphasized exactly why the victorious Texan was such a rare gem.
It turned out to be the final performance of prime Errol Spence. Because real life happened.
One thing we know from covering a cavalcade of sporting figures through the years is that while we may think we know the person, we don’t know everything.
And Spence’s penchant for enjoying his life between fights by straying to alcohol was a divergence that separated him from Mayweather reaching 50-0 by 2017.
The horrifying, multiple-flip crash of Spence’s Ferrari in Dallas threatened to end his career, smashing his mouth, beating up his body and altering his life perspective.
It spoke volumes that he was able to return to the ring less than 14 months later and defeat two-division champion Danny Garcia.
But the residue of the crash included a torn retina that saw Spence’s planned 2021 fight with Pacquiao get canceled, leaving Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas to defeat the Filipino legend and set up a three-belt unification of far less magnitude versus Spence in 2022.
Spence Ugas in the 10th round.
He took another significant break – of 15 months – to fight again, agreeing to fight Nebraska’s Crawford in a showdown of American heartland talent to establish the best fighter of their generation.
Spence says his training camp with Derrick James was all wrong, a befuddling development given that they worked together from the amateurs through all the pro success.
Crawford’s wondrous skill also had something to do with the outcome, as he decked Spence three times before stopping him in the ninth round. A complete and utter beating.
Spence stopped answering if he was coming back, promoting lightweight title challenger Frank Martin, and revealing to BS’s Tris Dixon all that the crash took from him.
“A lot of people take it lightly just because I came back and fought and all that, but that’s serious stuff. It’s not too many people that go high speed in a Ferrari and get thrown from a Ferrari, land on solid concrete and still be here to talk today, still survive, still be coherent and everything,” Spence said.
“That was traumatic and a brutal experience that I went through. People take it lightly because I’m still fighting and still talk shit and all that but there was some serious stuff there. It was definitely serious.”
The lure of not knowing what remained got the best of Spence, bringing him back to fight former 154lbs champion Tim Tszyu in a middleweight fight Sunday in Australia.
Spence’s power didn’t carry upward in weight. His backfoot seemed weakened. He “pushed” his punches more than throw with the ease of the old days.
And when it was done, when the judges ruled against him by scores 118-110, 117-111, 117-111, he announced his retirement.
“Returning, I answered a lot of questions for myself, but it’s time to go home and start a new life. I got my faculties intact, my money is good and my family is by my side. Everything’s going to go well from here.”
Crawford watched from ringside and commented that Spence’s reflexes were sabotaged by age and the three-year layoff.
Spence thanked his fans for remaining loyal through the “trials and tribulations” of his “long journey,” saying, “You’ve got to be smart enough to end the journey when it’s time.
“I love y’all, and thank you for the support.”
Nicknamed “The Truth,” Spence deserves credit both for his career accomplishments, his candor regarding his self-induced injuries and for pressing himself to go overseas again to fight Tszyu in Sydney.
He was near the top of his class in the pound-for-pound rankings during his too-brief peak, never pulled punches discussing the trappings of his sport and gave a champion’s effort each time.
Boxing needed “The Truth,” and the sport is lesser without him.
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 27 Jul 2026, 03:40
‘I don’t remember 12 rounds feeling like that’: Errol Spence speaks on retirement, fight with Tim Tszyu
Errol Spence Jr was proud to go another 12 rounds, but says he’s done in boxing
Errol Spence Jr announced his retirement in-ring last night in Australia, following a 12-round loss to Tim Tszyu.
It was Spence’s first fight in three years, and he admitted afterward that it was hard for him to get through, but he was proud of making the distance one last time.
”I’m feeling alright. I’m a little sore,” Spence said in a backstage interview with DAZN.
“I don’t remember 12 rounds feeling like that, like, that was a long 12 rounds. But I’m happy I finished the 12-round fight (after) being off for a three-year layoff. It was fun.”
The 36-year-old Spence retires with a pro record of 28-2 (22 KO), having been a unified welterweight world champion and one of the best and most successful fighters of his era. He has stressed that he wants to leave now, before his mental faculties deteriorate, and that he’s in a good spot financially.
“I’m going home with my family,” he said. “I don’t want to be like one of these other boxers that don’t have any more faculties, just fighting just to make money and things like that. I’m OK financially and I’m fine, I can ride off into the sunset.
“It makes me feel good that I have this support, everybody’s come to support me. My family told me that it’s time to hang ‘em up. I’m glad we both agree on that. It’s time to hang ‘em up.”
https://www.badlefthook.com/boxing-resu ... -news-2026
Errol Spence Jr was proud to go another 12 rounds, but says he’s done in boxing
Errol Spence Jr announced his retirement in-ring last night in Australia, following a 12-round loss to Tim Tszyu.
It was Spence’s first fight in three years, and he admitted afterward that it was hard for him to get through, but he was proud of making the distance one last time.
”I’m feeling alright. I’m a little sore,” Spence said in a backstage interview with DAZN.
“I don’t remember 12 rounds feeling like that, like, that was a long 12 rounds. But I’m happy I finished the 12-round fight (after) being off for a three-year layoff. It was fun.”
The 36-year-old Spence retires with a pro record of 28-2 (22 KO), having been a unified welterweight world champion and one of the best and most successful fighters of his era. He has stressed that he wants to leave now, before his mental faculties deteriorate, and that he’s in a good spot financially.
“I’m going home with my family,” he said. “I don’t want to be like one of these other boxers that don’t have any more faculties, just fighting just to make money and things like that. I’m OK financially and I’m fine, I can ride off into the sunset.
“It makes me feel good that I have this support, everybody’s come to support me. My family told me that it’s time to hang ‘em up. I’m glad we both agree on that. It’s time to hang ‘em up.”
https://www.badlefthook.com/boxing-resu ... -news-2026
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 27 Jul 2026, 03:59
In the aftermath, Crawford was asked by Fight Hub TV if he felt Spence had made the right decision.
“Yeah. He’s been in a lot of wars. With his fighting style – come forward, take some punishment, dish some punishment and try to break somebody down – that type of style only goes so far … Like I said, he was off-balance. He just didn’t have it tonight.”
“Yeah. He’s been in a lot of wars. With his fighting style – come forward, take some punishment, dish some punishment and try to break somebody down – that type of style only goes so far … Like I said, he was off-balance. He just didn’t have it tonight.”
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 27 Jul 2026, 11:13
Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑27 Jul 2026, 03:12 Errol Spence Jnr: An appreciation
There was a night in 2017 I was in Las Vegas searching for Floyd Mayweather Jnr when I entered the fighter’s famed gym and had a chance meeting with a new world champion who looked like he might become the next incarnation of “Money.”
Texas’ Errol Spence Jnr, who U.S. Olympic boxing team advisor Freddie Roach identified as the most talented of the 2012 team, was days away from venturing to England to wrest the IBF welterweight title away from native champion Kell Brook.
The triumph, following a 2016 fifth-round stoppage of former 140lbs champion Chris Algieri a year earlier, represented Spence’s 19th KO/stoppage in his first 22 bouts.
In contrast to the mouthy Mayweather, Spence maintained a humble demeanor one could expect from being raised by a postwoman mother and contractor father.
Spence admitted earlier this year that his charm and talent made him the favorite fighter in powerful manager Al Haymon’s stable, and he was steered patiently and smartly through victories over former 140lbs champion Lamont Peterson and then a massive homecoming pay-per-view triumph against four-division champion Mikey Garcia at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas to flex his drawing power.
There was something intriguing about Spence divulging all details about his ascent, something refreshing about his dedication to the craft, something spectacular about his punishing attention to body punching (check out his first-round knockout of Carlos Ocampo in 2018) and his mastery of the jab from a left-handed stance.
Then there was his guile.
I can recall criticizing Premier Boxing Champions for not moving Spence directly from the Cowboys Stadium victory over Garcia to a unification fight with Terence Crawford.
Promoter and matchmaker Tom Brown came right back at me, arguing the selection of champion Shawn Porter for a unification was nothing to ridicule.
Brown was also factoring in some pre-Crawford moves that PBC wanted to make with Spence, but he was absolutely correct.
Haymon’s sculpting of Spence looked sublime when record eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao emerged with an upset of WBA champion Keith Thurman in July 2019.
Pacquiao’s willingness to fight the best made him overlook the youth, reach and height advantages Spence possessed.
I recall running into Spence the morning after Pacquiao defeated Thurman, thinking it almost unfair that the pair would meet five-plus years after Mayweather defeated Pacquiao.
Spence released a coy smile responding to the suggestion that he would dismantle Pacquiao.
“No, he looks good,” Spence deadpanned.
First, he had to confront the pitbull-type approach of Porter, which made that September 2019 fight at Staples Center in Los Angeles the runner-up for fight of the year, with Spence avoiding a fanciful boxing display to engage Porter in an inside, toe-to-toe display that entertained and emphasized exactly why the victorious Texan was such a rare gem.
It turned out to be the final performance of prime Errol Spence. Because real life happened.
One thing we know from covering a cavalcade of sporting figures through the years is that while we may think we know the person, we don’t know everything.
And Spence’s penchant for enjoying his life between fights by straying to alcohol was a divergence that separated him from Mayweather reaching 50-0 by 2017.
The horrifying, multiple-flip crash of Spence’s Ferrari in Dallas threatened to end his career, smashing his mouth, beating up his body and altering his life perspective.
It spoke volumes that he was able to return to the ring less than 14 months later and defeat two-division champion Danny Garcia.
But the residue of the crash included a torn retina that saw Spence’s planned 2021 fight with Pacquiao get canceled, leaving Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas to defeat the Filipino legend and set up a three-belt unification of far less magnitude versus Spence in 2022.
Spence Ugas in the 10th round.
He took another significant break – of 15 months – to fight again, agreeing to fight Nebraska’s Crawford in a showdown of American heartland talent to establish the best fighter of their generation.
Spence says his training camp with Derrick James was all wrong, a befuddling development given that they worked together from the amateurs through all the pro success.
Crawford’s wondrous skill also had something to do with the outcome, as he decked Spence three times before stopping him in the ninth round. A complete and utter beating.
Spence stopped answering if he was coming back, promoting lightweight title challenger Frank Martin, and revealing to BS’s Tris Dixon all that the crash took from him.
“A lot of people take it lightly just because I came back and fought and all that, but that’s serious stuff. It’s not too many people that go high speed in a Ferrari and get thrown from a Ferrari, land on solid concrete and still be here to talk today, still survive, still be coherent and everything,” Spence said.
“That was traumatic and a brutal experience that I went through. People take it lightly because I’m still fighting and still talk shit and all that but there was some serious stuff there. It was definitely serious.”
The lure of not knowing what remained got the best of Spence, bringing him back to fight former 154lbs champion Tim Tszyu in a middleweight fight Sunday in Australia.
Spence’s power didn’t carry upward in weight. His backfoot seemed weakened. He “pushed” his punches more than throw with the ease of the old days.
And when it was done, when the judges ruled against him by scores 118-110, 117-111, 117-111, he announced his retirement.
“Returning, I answered a lot of questions for myself, but it’s time to go home and start a new life. I got my faculties intact, my money is good and my family is by my side. Everything’s going to go well from here.”
Crawford watched from ringside and commented that Spence’s reflexes were sabotaged by age and the three-year layoff.
Spence thanked his fans for remaining loyal through the “trials and tribulations” of his “long journey,” saying, “You’ve got to be smart enough to end the journey when it’s time.
“I love y’all, and thank you for the support.”
Nicknamed “The Truth,” Spence deserves credit both for his career accomplishments, his candor regarding his self-induced injuries and for pressing himself to go overseas again to fight Tszyu in Sydney.
He was near the top of his class in the pound-for-pound rankings during his too-brief peak, never pulled punches discussing the trappings of his sport and gave a champion’s effort each time.
Boxing needed “The Truth,” and the sport is lesser without him.
Thanks for sharing that nice write up by Boxing Scene's Lance Pugmire.
Instead of the usual revisionist nonsense that going to be written now that Spence has announced his retirement, this is the kind of tribute/eulogy that Errol Spence wholly deserves.
“A lot of people take it lightly just because I came back and fought and all that, but that’s serious stuff. It’s not too many people that go high speed in a Ferrari and get thrown from a Ferrari, land on solid concrete and still be here to talk today, still survive, still be coherent and everything,” Spence said.
“That was traumatic and a brutal experience that I went through. People take it lightly because I’m still fighting and still talk shit and all that but there was some serious stuff there. It was definitely serious.”
Yes, no doubt it was definitely serious. The Grim Reaper, who's always a mere step behind, decided, this time, to pull his hand back from Errol's shoulder - just.
As we also witnessed with Joshua the other day, a strong case can be made for arguing that unexpected high speed collisions/traumatic road incidents don't go together very well with careers as elite boxers.
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 28 Jul 2026, 11:03
- Spence been shot to shyte since he and his Ferrari went flying into space after a club drunkfest. Right afterwards he covered his back with his first tattoos. Gotta super deal from Tim who was in sore need of a big name, so don't cry for him Argentina.
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 29 Jul 2026, 04:45
Spence not letting ego extend his career after Tszyu defeat
Errol Spence acknowledged that his faded physical ability and a three-year layoff contributed to his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Tim Tszyu in Sydney.
Yet the 36-year-old, who called it a career during his in-ring interview and doubled down an hour later during the press conference, is proud to depart the sport with his faculties intact.
"It didn't go the way I wanted, but much respect to Tim. He was timing [his punches] real well and my timing ... kinda off," he said in the post-fight presser.
He shared the dose of reality that convinced him time had caught up with him and retirement was rearing its head: He struggled to go the 12-round distance.
"Realizing how long it was ... it's a sign to hang 'em up because [doing] those rounds usually isn't that long but it was," he said. "I don't remember it feeling like that. That's how I knew. You can't be off that long, come back and think you can fight a 12-round fight with a caliber of opponent like that."
Before he was stopped in nine rounds by Terence Crawford for the undisputed 147-pound championship in July 2023, Spence (28-2, 22 KOs) had gone the 12-round distance in three consecutive defenses between March 2019 and December 2020.
He stopped WBA beltholder Yordenis Ugas in the 10th round of their April 2022 three-belt unification, although injuries and lengthy inactive spells didn't help his cause as wear and tear had begun to pile up.
Spence insisted that while there was "a lot of stuff" he couldn't do from his prime years against Tszyu, there was nothing wrong with his training camp.
The Texan is looking forward to being a "soccer dad" again and spending time with his family knowing there's no need to fight anymore.
"I'm most proud of keeping my faculties and having enough money in the bank, even before this, to retire and live the same life 10, 20 years from now and still be OK," he said. "I'm in a sport where a lot of boxers – Hall of Fame or not – retire broke. Even if I didn't have this fight, I still would've been OK."
Spence said that Tszyu was the first opponent to ask him for post-fight advice on what he can improve going forward and wondered aloud when asked to rate the Aussie's chances against the likes of Erislandy Lara (32-3-3, 19 KOs) andJermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs).
No Limit Boxing had rolled out the red carpet for Spence, who many expect to be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee when he's eligible at the end of the decade.
Promotional chief Matt Rose had the final word and thanked the departing legend for producing an admirable effort – all things considered – down under while embracing a new environment.
Spence was given a warm welcome at Sydney airport with a ceremony on arrival arranged by the Rose brothers, which left a lasting impression on him as he embraced the Aboriginal performers.
He walked out to Archie Roach's "Took the Children Away," a song detailing the government-sanctioned removal of Aboriginal children from their families in Australia (1910-1970), and spoke plenty during fight week about how learning about the past had inspired him.
"It was an honor to have Errol come out to our country," Rose said in an impromptu speech.
"We've always been big fans our whole life following his career. It's a special moment for us and the way you've embraced our culture meant a lot. To even find out this was your last fight, we'll remember this forever. Thank you for being the person and legend you are. You'll go down in history as one of the greatest welterweights of all-time."
Errol Spence acknowledged that his faded physical ability and a three-year layoff contributed to his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Tim Tszyu in Sydney.
Yet the 36-year-old, who called it a career during his in-ring interview and doubled down an hour later during the press conference, is proud to depart the sport with his faculties intact.
"It didn't go the way I wanted, but much respect to Tim. He was timing [his punches] real well and my timing ... kinda off," he said in the post-fight presser.
He shared the dose of reality that convinced him time had caught up with him and retirement was rearing its head: He struggled to go the 12-round distance.
"Realizing how long it was ... it's a sign to hang 'em up because [doing] those rounds usually isn't that long but it was," he said. "I don't remember it feeling like that. That's how I knew. You can't be off that long, come back and think you can fight a 12-round fight with a caliber of opponent like that."
Before he was stopped in nine rounds by Terence Crawford for the undisputed 147-pound championship in July 2023, Spence (28-2, 22 KOs) had gone the 12-round distance in three consecutive defenses between March 2019 and December 2020.
He stopped WBA beltholder Yordenis Ugas in the 10th round of their April 2022 three-belt unification, although injuries and lengthy inactive spells didn't help his cause as wear and tear had begun to pile up.
Spence insisted that while there was "a lot of stuff" he couldn't do from his prime years against Tszyu, there was nothing wrong with his training camp.
The Texan is looking forward to being a "soccer dad" again and spending time with his family knowing there's no need to fight anymore.
"I'm most proud of keeping my faculties and having enough money in the bank, even before this, to retire and live the same life 10, 20 years from now and still be OK," he said. "I'm in a sport where a lot of boxers – Hall of Fame or not – retire broke. Even if I didn't have this fight, I still would've been OK."
Spence said that Tszyu was the first opponent to ask him for post-fight advice on what he can improve going forward and wondered aloud when asked to rate the Aussie's chances against the likes of Erislandy Lara (32-3-3, 19 KOs) andJermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs).
No Limit Boxing had rolled out the red carpet for Spence, who many expect to be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee when he's eligible at the end of the decade.
Promotional chief Matt Rose had the final word and thanked the departing legend for producing an admirable effort – all things considered – down under while embracing a new environment.
Spence was given a warm welcome at Sydney airport with a ceremony on arrival arranged by the Rose brothers, which left a lasting impression on him as he embraced the Aboriginal performers.
He walked out to Archie Roach's "Took the Children Away," a song detailing the government-sanctioned removal of Aboriginal children from their families in Australia (1910-1970), and spoke plenty during fight week about how learning about the past had inspired him.
"It was an honor to have Errol come out to our country," Rose said in an impromptu speech.
"We've always been big fans our whole life following his career. It's a special moment for us and the way you've embraced our culture meant a lot. To even find out this was your last fight, we'll remember this forever. Thank you for being the person and legend you are. You'll go down in history as one of the greatest welterweights of all-time."
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 29 Jul 2026, 09:14
Crawford on Spence's performance vs. Tszyu: 'Just didn't have it'
Errol Spence Jr. called it a career immediately after falling short in his comeback clash against Tim Tszyu over the weekend in Australia.
Spence was outmuscled by Tszyu during his middleweight debut, getting outlanded 190 to 157 en route to a unanimous decision defeat. Spence was fighting for the first time since suffering a one-sided stoppage loss against Terence Crawford three years ago.
Crawford was ringside for the occasion at Afterpay Arena in Sydney and openly supported his former rival. During the fight, Crawford shared his thoughts on social media by saying Spence's reflexes were gone and that his body language didn't look good.
"He just didn't have it. From the jump, you can tell that his balance was off. He was reaching," Crawford later told Marcos Villegas of FightHub TV. "He didn't take the punches well. He was slow. Like, you can just tell that Tim was fresher.
"Tim did what Tim had to do to get the victory. He was patient. He went well to the body and threw the right hand and landed when he had to. He got the job done. "[It was] kind of [hard for me to watch]. You know, I really wanted Spence to do real well. He did what he had to do to finish the fight, though.
"He's been in a lot of wars. With his fighting style, comes forward, takes some punishment, dishes out some punishment, and tries to break somebody down – that type of style can only go so far."
Spence (28-2, 22 KOs) was a top pound-for-pounder during his heyday. And one can only imagine how much more he could've accomplished if it weren't for a near-fatal car crash in 2019 and a detached retina in 2021. The one-sided beating Spence absorbed from Crawford also abbreviated the last chapter of his career.
Spence, a 36-year-old from DeSoto, Texas, retired as a former three-belt welterweight champion over a 14-year career that kicked off after he competed in the 2012 Olympics for the United States.
Spence's notable wins were against Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Kell Brook, Yordenis Ugas, Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson.
“I answered a lot of questions for myself, and now it’s time to go home with my family and start a new life," Spence said. "I’ve got my faculties intact, and my money is working for itself. I’m thankful to leave this sport with my family by my side.”
Errol Spence Jr. called it a career immediately after falling short in his comeback clash against Tim Tszyu over the weekend in Australia.
Spence was outmuscled by Tszyu during his middleweight debut, getting outlanded 190 to 157 en route to a unanimous decision defeat. Spence was fighting for the first time since suffering a one-sided stoppage loss against Terence Crawford three years ago.
Crawford was ringside for the occasion at Afterpay Arena in Sydney and openly supported his former rival. During the fight, Crawford shared his thoughts on social media by saying Spence's reflexes were gone and that his body language didn't look good.
"He just didn't have it. From the jump, you can tell that his balance was off. He was reaching," Crawford later told Marcos Villegas of FightHub TV. "He didn't take the punches well. He was slow. Like, you can just tell that Tim was fresher.
"Tim did what Tim had to do to get the victory. He was patient. He went well to the body and threw the right hand and landed when he had to. He got the job done. "[It was] kind of [hard for me to watch]. You know, I really wanted Spence to do real well. He did what he had to do to finish the fight, though.
"He's been in a lot of wars. With his fighting style, comes forward, takes some punishment, dishes out some punishment, and tries to break somebody down – that type of style can only go so far."
Spence (28-2, 22 KOs) was a top pound-for-pounder during his heyday. And one can only imagine how much more he could've accomplished if it weren't for a near-fatal car crash in 2019 and a detached retina in 2021. The one-sided beating Spence absorbed from Crawford also abbreviated the last chapter of his career.
Spence, a 36-year-old from DeSoto, Texas, retired as a former three-belt welterweight champion over a 14-year career that kicked off after he competed in the 2012 Olympics for the United States.
Spence's notable wins were against Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Kell Brook, Yordenis Ugas, Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson.
“I answered a lot of questions for myself, and now it’s time to go home with my family and start a new life," Spence said. "I’ve got my faculties intact, and my money is working for itself. I’m thankful to leave this sport with my family by my side.”
Re: Errol Spence Jr. Has Retired
Posted: 02 Aug 2026, 02:30
Errol Spence is alright man.
Right time to make that decision.
Right time to make that decision.