Errol Spence Jr. has closed one of the defining welterweight careers of his generation.
The former unified champion announced his retirement after Tim Tszyu defeated him by unanimous decision at Afterpay Arena in Sydney on Sunday, July 26, 2026, local time. Judges scored the 12-round middleweight fight 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111, giving Tszyu the biggest victory of his career and leaving Spence with a final professional record of 28-2 with 22 knockouts.
Spence entered as a slight betting favorite in a matchup priced close to even. Three years of inactivity, a jump from welterweight to middleweight and Tszyu’s natural size soon became decisive factors. The Australian controlled the second half with pressure, body shots and repeated right hands, turning Spence’s long-awaited comeback into his farewell.
The loss effectively ends a storied career highlighted by three world welterweight titles, signature victories over Kell Brook, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia, and Yordenis Ugas, and a lengthy reign near the top of boxing’s pound-for-pound rankings. For a deeper look at how reputation, age, and odds shape late-career matchups, join the discussion on the StatFox sports betting forum to see how handicappers evaluate high-profile fight risks.
Tszyu Turned Spence’s Comeback Into A Farewell
Spence had not fought for 1,093 days before stepping into the ring against Tszyu. His previous appearance was the July 2023 undisputed welterweight championship fight against Terence Crawford, where Spence suffered three knockdowns and a ninth-round stoppage loss.
The Sydney comeback gave Spence a chance to prove the Crawford defeat did not define the end of his career. Moving to middleweight removed the strain of reaching 147 pounds, yet it placed him against a younger opponent who had spent his recent career competing at junior middleweight and middleweight.
Spence had useful moments during the opening rounds. His straight left found Tszyu at times, and his body punching showed flashes of the fighter who once wore down elite welterweights. The pace began shifting around the sixth round. Tszyu pressed forward behind chopping right hands, forced Spence backward and attacked the body whenever the former champion tried to hold his ground.
The official cards reflected the widening gap.
| Fight Detail | Result |
|---|---|
| Event | Tim Tszyu vs. Errol Spence Jr. |
| Date | July 26, 2026, local time |
| Venue | Afterpay Arena, Sydney, Australia |
| Division | Middleweight |
| Result | Tim Tszyu by unanimous decision |
| Scorecards | 118-110, 117-111, 117-111 |
| Spence Record After Fight | 28-2, 22 KOs |
| Tszyu Record After Fight | 28-3, 18 KOs |
| Spence Layoff Before Fight | 1,093 days |
The detailed CBS Sports fight report described Tszyu as the boxer consistently moving forward and landing the cleaner right hands. Spence remained competitive enough to reach the final bell, but his output dropped as Tszyu’s body attack and physical pressure accumulated.
The Three-Year Layoff Was Visible
Spence’s technique had not disappeared. The timing, balance and sustained aggression that once made him so difficult to discourage were no longer present at their old level.
During his championship years, Spence built pressure through repetition. His jab kept opponents occupied, his left hand punished openings and his body attack reduced their output round by round. He rarely needed one dramatic punch. He broke opponents through constant contact and positional control.
Against Tszyu, Spence spent more time retreating than advancing. His feet occasionally crossed or left him leaning too far over his front leg. Tszyu did not attack recklessly, choosing patient right hands and body shots over an all-out search for a stoppage. Once Spence’s activity declined after the fifth round, the Australian began taking control of nearly every exchange.
Ring inactivity affects more than conditioning. Distance recognition, defensive reactions and confidence under fire depend on repetition against live opponents. Training camps can recreate physical demand, but they cannot fully replace the decision-making speed required in a 12-round fight.
Spence returned against an opponent with enough size, durability and ambition to test every missing piece. Tszyu recognized the decline and kept making Spence work, especially during the final six rounds.
Why Spence Chose Retirement
Spence announced his decision moments after the scorecards were read. He spoke about leaving with his health, financial security and family around him, framing retirement as the beginning of a new life rather than a reaction made from anger.
The tone mattered. There was no demand for a rematch, no claim that the judges had missed the fight and no attempt to blame the layoff. Spence credited Tszyu and accepted that the time had arrived to leave.
The ESPN retirement report confirmed that the comeback lasted one fight, with Spence retiring immediately after his second professional defeat.
At 36, Spence could have pursued another comeback against a lower-ranked opponent. His name still carried commercial value, and former champions often receive opportunities long after their best form has passed. Choosing to stop removes the risk of becoming an opponent used to build another contender’s résumé.
The final fight did not end with a knockout. Spence remained upright, heard the last bell and made the decision himself. In a sport where retirement often arrives several fights too late, that distinction carries weight.
A Championship Career Built On Pressure And Precision
Spence entered the professional ranks after representing the United States at the 2012 London Olympics. He developed from an elite prospect into one of boxing’s most complete southpaws, combining patient footwork with accurate combinations and one of the division’s best body attacks.
His championship breakthrough came in May 2017, when he traveled to Sheffield and stopped Kell Brook in the 11th round to win the IBF welterweight title. Brook was fighting at home and had never lost at welterweight. Spence took the belt through sustained pressure rather than waiting for favorable judging abroad.
He defended against Lamont Peterson, Carlos Ocampo and Mikey Garcia before meeting Shawn Porter in September 2019. The Porter fight became one of the defining performances of Spence’s career. Porter forced a physical, chaotic contest, yet Spence stayed composed and scored an 11th-round knockdown on the way to a split-decision victory that added the WBC title.
| Year | Opponent | Result | Career Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kell Brook | TKO 11 | Won IBF welterweight title |
| 2019 | Mikey Garcia | Unanimous decision | Dominant title defense |
| 2019 | Shawn Porter | Split decision | Added WBC title |
| 2020 | Danny Garcia | Unanimous decision | Successful return after car crash |
| 2022 | Yordenis Ugas | TKO 10 | Added WBA title |
| 2023 | Terence Crawford | TKO loss in Round 9 | Lost undisputed championship fight |
| 2026 | Tim Tszyu | Unanimous decision loss | Announced retirement |
Spence returned from a serious 2019 car crash to defeat Danny Garcia in December 2020. That performance at AT&T Stadium showed he could still box at championship level after a 14-month absence.
A detached retina then removed him from a planned 2021 fight with Manny Pacquiao. Surgery delayed his return again, but Spence came back in April 2022 and stopped Ugas in the 10th round, adding the WBA belt to his IBF and WBC championships.
Those victories created the long-awaited undisputed matchup with Crawford.
The Crawford Fight Changed The Timeline
Spence and Crawford entered their July 2023 fight as unbeaten champions. Years of negotiation had made the contest one of boxing’s most anticipated matchups. The result was far less competitive than the buildup suggested.
Crawford neutralized Spence’s jab, countered his entries and scored three knockdowns before the referee stopped the fight in Round 9. Punch statistics showed Crawford landing with far greater accuracy, including repeated counters that stopped Spence from building his familiar pressure.
Spence discussed a rematch after the defeat, potentially at 154 pounds. The second fight never materialized. Crawford moved through higher weight classes, and Spence remained inactive for nearly three years.
That absence became part of the Tszyu handicap. Spence was no longer returning from one hard defeat after a normal recovery period. He was returning after the most damaging performance of his career, another long layoff and a move up two divisions.
The Tszyu fight confirmed that the old pace could not simply be recovered through one camp. Spence’s experience kept him competitive early, but his body could not maintain the same tempo across 12 rounds.
Tszyu’s Victory Revives His Own Career
The retirement story belongs to Spence, but the victory reshapes Tszyu’s career too.
Tszyu entered the bout with three losses and serious questions about his standing among the top fighters near 160 pounds. He had lost a bloody decision to Sebastian Fundora, suffered a destructive stoppage against Bakhram Murtazaliev and later lost his rematch with Fundora. The Spence fight placed pressure on Tszyu to prove he remained capable of winning a major event.
He responded with the most controlled performance of his career. Tszyu did not chase an early finish or expose himself to desperate counters. He used his physical advantages, picked up the pace as Spence slowed and closed the fight with several of his cleanest right hands.
The win moved Tszyu to 28-3 with 18 knockouts and kept him unbeaten in professional fights staged in Australia. It may lead to another middleweight title opportunity, with names such as Erislandy Lara and Jermell Charlo already part of the discussion around his next move.
Tszyu wanted to send Spence into retirement. He accomplished it without a knockout, using discipline rather than the reckless aggression that had hurt him in earlier defeats.
Spence’s Hall Of Fame Case Goes Beyond The Final Two Fights
Retirement closes Spence’s record at 28 victories and two defeats. The losses came against Crawford and Tszyu after Spence had already unified three of the four major welterweight belts.
His case rests on championship achievement and quality of opposition. Brook, Porter, both Garcias and Ugas were established champions or leading contenders when Spence beat them. He won his first title on foreign soil, unified against contrasting styles and returned successfully after career-threatening setbacks.
The résumé lacks the defining Crawford victory that would have placed Spence among the greatest welterweights ever. The one-sided nature of that loss will remain part of every historical comparison. It should not erase six years of championship-level work.
Spence’s best form blended physical pressure with technical control. He could box at range, fight inside and attack the body without losing defensive structure. That skill set made him the division’s leading force before Crawford settled the undisputed question.
Tszyu defeated an older, inactive version of Spence. The result still counts, but it does not rewrite what Spence accomplished between 2017 and 2022.
The Last Bell Preserves More Than A Record
Boxing rarely gives aging champions a graceful ending. The money remains available, the name still sells tickets and every fighter believes one better performance can restore what time has removed.
Spence’s final night offered a clear answer. He could still compete, but the qualities that made him champion were no longer present across a full fight. Tszyu exposed the decline without inflicting the kind of punishment that marked Spence’s loss to Crawford.
Retirement gives Spence a chance to leave before another opponent tests that decline more severely. He exits with his major accomplishments intact, financial security secured and his health available for life beyond competition.
The final image will not be Spence holding another belt. It will be a former champion standing in Sydney, accepting the scorecards and choosing to stop.
That choice does not diminish the era. It completes it.
