Errol Spence says the doubt is justified. The former welterweight champion said he understands why fans question whether he can return at a high level after his loss to Terence Crawford and stretch far away from the ring. Instead of dismissing that view, Spence said he would feel the same from the outside looking in.
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“I can see why people would say, ‘I don’t think he’s coming back,'” Spence told Fight Hub TV during a recent media session. “I would think the same thing if I was on the outside looking in.”
If he acted like vintage “Big Fish” it would come off as misrepresentations. At 36, with the physical toll he’s taken, self-awareness is his only play.
The eye test since 2018 supports fans’ point that Spence is not the same. While he technically beat Porter and Ugas, it wasn’t the dominant, surgical performances we saw against Ocampo or Lamont Peterson. He looked more like a high-guard, walk-em-down brawler who was willing to eat three shots to land two.
That style worked when he was younger and more physically fit, but against Terence, the lack of head movement and delayed reflexes made him look like a stationary target.
“I’m more energized, more alive, mentally better, physically better,” Spence said. “But no knock on anybody. They must have reservations about me.”
Feeling “alive” while punching shooters or sparring 18-year-olds in Dallas is a world away from the chaotic, high-pressure environment of a world-class fight. As you noted, he hasn’t had to use his reflexes under fire in years. Mental clarity in a quiet gym doesn’t always translate to mental clarity when Tim is landing heavy shots in front of a loud Australian crowd.
The 2019 accident, the detached retina and the punishment from the Crawford fight create a debt that the body eventually calls in.
You can have all the energy in the world during camp, but your chin and your ability to recover don’t care about your mindset. Once the first clean shot lands in July, we’ll see if that “energy” lasts or if it was just a byproduct of a long vacation.
He basically asks us to believe that the “Big Fish” was just dormant and needed a reset. But in boxing, three years away at 36 is usually a retirement that hasn’t been made official.
Last updated on 2026/05/02 at 18:45
