Errol Spence Jr has retired from boxing following a unanimous decision loss to Tim Tszyu in Australia. The defeat marks the second of the former unified welterweight champion’s career, prompting the 36-year-old to end his professional fighting tenure.
Spence returned to the ring in a middleweight contest after three years of inactivity following his 2023 defeat against Terence Crawford. Moving up in weight, the former unified WBC, WBA and IBF champion struggled for speed and power against Tszyu. The Australian controlled the tempo effectively throughout the bout to earn a career-best victory on home soil. Former two-division world champion Tim Bradley reviewed the performance on his YouTube channel, observing significant physical wear on the American fighter.
Bradley noted: “That was hard to watch, I’m not going to lie to y’all man. There was times when I was watching that s**t and I felt like jumping through the T.V. and helping Spence.”
Although Spence demonstrated resilience by lasting the 12-round distance, his movement and reaction times appeared visibly degraded from the opening bell. Bradley emphasized that prior injuries and prolonged ring absence compromised Spence’s capacity to adjust under pressure.
He said: “His body betrayed his a** last night. It goes to show that, you know what, you can have that mental, but your body is going to do what it is going to do once that age sets in.”
Tszyu consistently exploited Spence’s compromised balance, countering effectively whenever the Texan attempted to press forward. Bradley observed specific mechanical flaws in Spence’s posture and footwork as the rounds progressed.
“It looked like Spence was on ice skates at times when he got hit, his whole body trembled. His balance was all off, it was like he was in high heels or some s**t. He was leaning forward, top-heavy like a motherf***a,” Bradley added.
Spence announced his decision to step away from professional boxing shortly after the judges’ verdict was confirmed. He finishes his career with 28 wins and two losses. The unanimous decision victory positions Tszyu for significant bouts in the middleweight division, while Spence leaves behind an accomplished tenure as a former unified champion at welterweight.
