Errol Spence Jr. officially called it a career on Sunday morning, stepping away from boxing in Sydney, Australia after a unanimous decision loss to Tim Tszyu. The 36-year-old former world champion announced his retirement right there in the ring, minutes after the judges handed Tszyu a lopsided victory with scorecards reading 118-110, 117-111, and 117-111.
The Words That Tell You Everything
Spence didn’t waste any time after the bell. There was no hedging, no talk of rematches or tune-ups, not even a moment of indecision. His message was clear and direct: it was time to “go live the family life.” You know, fighters *want* to go out on a win, but there was zero regret in his tone. It was one of the most fitting retirements combat sports has seen. This wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment thing, either. His trainer, Ronnie Shields, told Fight Hub TV days before the bout that Spence had already made this call in camp. The plan was simple: if he lost to Tszyu, his career was over. Shields added that Spence just did not want to end his career the brutal way he went out against Terence Crawford back in July 2023, where he suffered that devastating ninth-round TKO loss. After three years out of the ring before this comeback fight, and at 36 years old, it looks like Spence had finally hit his ceiling in the sport.
Tszyu Got The Win, Spence Got His Terms
While the official scorecards made it look like a total rout, some folks saw it as a closer fight than those numbers suggest. One ringside observer, for example, had it 115-113 for Tszyu, and even suggested a 116-112 score would have made more sense. Boxing journalist Dan Rafael even scored the fight a draw. But listen, even with those differing views, Tszyu still deserved the win here. And Spence? He made the right decision to retire afterward. Spence leaves behind an incredible run: a six-year reign as welterweight champion with huge wins over Shawn Porter, Kell Brook, and Mikey Garcia. His final record stands at 28-2, with both losses coming in the last three years of a career that kicked off in 2012. The Crawford fight will always be that asterisk, with the cataract surgery he revealed later as the counter-argument. But this time? He got to end it on his own terms. That’s a win in itself.
What’s Next for Tszyu, And For The Sport?
Tim Tszyu certainly accomplished his mission. He spent fight week saying he wanted this to be Spence’s final fight, and he made it happen. Tszyu now has the biggest name on his record and is riding a three-fight win streak. He’s not done with the middleweight experiment either; Tszyu declared that middleweight would be his new division going forward. The boxing world keeps spinning, with other fights on the card seeing Ahmad Reda outpointing Paul Fleming, Callum Peters stopping Ivan Actis in the seventh, and Paulo Aokuso stopping Luis Tejeda in the tenth. Anthony Joshua fought in Jeddah earlier in the day. But all eyes were on Errol Spence Jr.’s final bow.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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