Errol Spence Jr. made his return to the boxing ring last night (Sat., July 25, 2026) after a three-year absence to square off against Tim Tszyu in a 12-round fight in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The last time we saw Spence Jr., he was suffering his first and only defeat up to this point against none other than Terence Crawford via ninth-round TKO in July 2023 (relive it here). After years on the sideline he wanted to return to prove that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
Unfortunately for “The Truth,” the ring rust was apparent.
Spence Jr. did have some success with his jab and movement, but he looked hesitant compared with the relentless version we had seen early on in his career, especially during his welterweight title reign. Tszyu, meanwhile, pressed forward behind a high volume attack and rocked Spence Jr. early on.
Tszyu’s pressure became the ultimate factor in the fight as consistently backed Spence Jr. up, landed the heavier shots including several body punches that slowed the former champion down. Tszyu closed the show strongly, continuing to outwork and outland Spence Jr. Rather than chasing a knockout — which he probably could have had if he pressed late — he boxed intelligently, controlled the pace, and cruised to a convincing unanimous decision victory, improving his record to 28-3.
During his post-fight speech, Spence Jr. revealed that he would be retiring from the fight game after suffering his second straight defeat in order to spend his free time with his family. “The Truth” leaves the boxing game with a 28-2 record, once holding the WBA (Super), WBC, and IBF welterweight titles.
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