After arriving in Australia, Spence was asked if he had a message from Tszyu. “I don’t have a message [Tszyu]. I am a big fish. I will come and take his yard.” Putting aside the question of what kind of walking fish Spence believes he is, there are many legitimate questions surrounding Spence as he returns to the ring.
Spence was a highly regarded novice boxer, and for good reason. In 2009, he won the United States National Golden Gloves, and captured the first of three consecutive amateur welterweight national championships. Spence represented the United States at the 2012 London Olympics and later turned professional, having amassed a 135-12 record as an amateur.
Errol Spence Jr. he made his pro debut on November 9th, 2012. Now in his fourteenth year as a professional, Spence once appeared to be on his way to fulfilling the high hopes many in boxing circles had for his career, if not more. However, during his professional career, the Dallas native fell victim to a combination of bad luck and bad decisions, leaving the 36-year-old in need of a career overhaul.
Spence’s decision to face Tszyu in Australia is reminiscent of Spence’s first world title win. In May 2017, Spence traveled to Sheffield, England, the hometown of IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook, knocked out Brook in the eleventh round to disappoint the home crowd and win the gold. After that victory, Spence successfully defended the belt against Lamont Peterson, Carlos Ocampo, and Mike Garcia. After defeating Shawn Porter in a unification fight, it seems that there is no stopping Errol Spence.
On the morning of October 10, 2019, just a few weeks after the Porter fight, Spence was driving his Ferrari in his hometown of Dallas around 3:00 AM. “At high speed”, he swerved over the median, turned several times, and, without wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the car. Miraculously, Spence suffered facial injuries but no broken bones. After spending six days in the hospital, Spence was released and charged with DWI, for which he eventually received probation.
Fourteen months after the car accident, Spence returned to the ring and retained his title by defeating Danny Garcia. Spence would follow that up with the biggest fight of his career, signing a contract to face the legendary Manny Pacquiao in August 2021.
A week and a half before the fight, a pre-fight medical examination revealed a retinal tear in Spence’s left eye, forcing him to withdraw from the fight. Yordenis Ugas replaced Spence, shocking the boxing world by upsetting Manny Pacquiao.
After Spence was given a clean bill of health, he entered the ring against Ugas in April 2022. Spence was dominating Ugas when the referee stopped the fight in the 10th round due to a swollen right eye of Ugas. It wasn’t beating Manny Pacquiao, but for Spence it was a little revenge against Ugas. After the game, Spence called out Terence Crawford.
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When Errol Spence fought Terence Crawford three years ago, the welterweight unification fight was dubbed The Fight of the Century. Most viewers saw it as a 50/50 fight. When the opening bell rang, however, Terence Crawford demolished Errol Spence. Crawford defeated Spence 185 to 96, knocked him down three times, and completely dominated the previously undefeated and untouchable Spence, with the referee eventually calling a stoppage in the ninth round.
It was a one-sided blow that was as difficult to understand as it was, and still is. Recently, Spence tried to explain what went wrong that night, or rather, the night before.
In a recent interview with Andre Ward, Spence pointed the finger at former coach Derrick James. “Man, that camp was bull. I didn’t spend about six weeks – yes, six, seven weeks I didn’t like to blaspheme. There were a lot of things wrong in that camp.” […] “We’re just working the mitts. The whole time we’ve been just working. You’d think he’d put gloves on and like me to block shots and stuff, but it wasn’t like that.”
In response, James replied, “It was [disappointing to hear him describe it that way]but it’s because of him. I mean, okay, he said he never stopped. No, he sparred for two weeks, and it was said that he got injured in the last week of sparring, so he couldn’t spar for the next eight weeks because of the injury in that match. That’s the only thing that was very different, that he didn’t have the ability to tap because he was injured.”
Spence and James not only fought verbally, but on the court. Each filed suit, with James seeking compensatory damages that he allegedly did not receive and Spence opposing him for relief. For his comeback fight against Tszyu, Spence is being trained by Ronnie Shields.
Beyond Spence’s mental health and the thirty-six-month layoff, there is the serious question of how Spence will adjust to life outside the welterweight division. Spence fought exclusively at or just above the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. He will now move up two weight classes to take on the mighty Tim Tszyu.
This concern has increased since the fight was moved from 158 pounds to 160 pounds at Spence’s request. How well is your training camp going if you want to change weight a week and a half before a fight? The feeling of ring rust will only intensify if Spence is hit with clean power early on.
Inside the ring, Errol Spence Jr. goes by the nickname “Truth”. Although he has been firing on all cylinders for a while now, at his best, the truth is, not many men can hang with Spence. Can he get a glimpse of that top form on Saturday night? Did the elite Errol Spence go well? Saturday night, we’ll start getting answers.
