Errol Spence retirement question hangs over Tim Tszyu comeback
Spence says he will decide after facing Tim Tszyu in Sydney, his first fight since the Terence Crawford loss three years ago.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Errol Spence retirement talk is now part of fight week in Sydney, where the former unified welterweight champion is set to face Tim Tszyu after nearly three years out of the ring.
CBS Sports reported that Spence, 36, meets Tszyu on Saturday at Afterpay Arena in a middleweight bout scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on PBC on Prime PPV and DAZN. It will be Spence’s first fight since his 2023 stoppage loss to Terence Crawford in their four-belt welterweight title fight.
Spence, listed at 28-1 with 22 knockouts, told The Punch Podcast this week that he has not decided whether the Tszyu fight will be the end of his 14-year professional career. He said he is focused on the bout first and will address retirement afterward.
Is Errol Spence retiring after the Tim Tszyu fight?
Spence has left the door open. On The Punch Podcast, he said the fight could be his last, while also saying he felt better once he returned to training and sensed it was time to fight again.
His new trainer, Ronnie Shields, gave Fight Hub TV a similar read on the comeback. Shields said Spence is not returning with world titles as the stated target, and described the comeback as a personal decision by a fighter who did not want his final ring memory to be the Crawford defeat.
According to Shields, Spence has discussed a short return of one, two or at most three fights. Shields also said Spence has indicated that another loss would end his career, and that even a win over Tszyu might be enough for him to stop.
The Crawford fight remains the dividing line. CBS Sports reported that Spence later said he went into that bout with fractured ribs and chose not to disclose the injury. Spence has also discussed a split with former trainer Derrick James, citing money and a poor camp for the Crawford fight.
Before that loss, Spence had held three recognized welterweight titles and owned wins over Kell Brook, Lamont Peterson, Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas. Crawford dropped him three times and stopped him in the ninth round.
Why is Spence fighting Tim Tszyu at middleweight?
The fight was first expected at 154 pounds, CBS Sports reported, before being set at a 158-pound catchweight because of international travel demands. Spence’s team later renegotiated with Tszyu’s side to make it a 160-pound middleweight bout.
A catchweight is an agreed limit that sits outside a division’s standard championship weight. Middleweight is the 160-pound division, meaning Spence will be fighting well above the 147-pound welterweight limit where he built his title run.
Tszyu, 31, is 27-3 with 18 knockouts and is the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu. CBS Sports described him as a former 154-pound titleholder who has taken three damaging losses over the past two years.
Spence also explained why the comeback is in Australia instead of the Dallas area, where he has headlined major cards before. He said this week that he dislikes media obligations and believed fighting overseas would mean fewer interviews before his first fight back.
The result in Sydney will decide the next conversation. For Spence, the comeback is framed by his own comments as a chance to fight on his terms after the Crawford defeat, with retirement still waiting on the other side of the bell.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.