Errol Spence Explains Ducking the Crawford Rematch Before Tszyu Return

Errol Spence Jr had the rematch in writing and let it slip. After Terence Crawford handed him the first loss of his career in July 2023 — three knockdowns and a ninth-round stoppage in a fight plenty had scored a coin-flip — Spence activated his contractual rematch clause. Then the clock on that option ran out, and Crawford walked away.

Spence has finally given a straight reason. Talking to Fight Hub TV, he questioned when the second fight could realistically have happened. Inside a year, he argued, he wouldn't have been anywhere near ready, so taking a rematch he couldn't win properly made no sense to him. It's a rare bit of honesty from a fighter who'd just been thoroughly beaten.

Crawford Moved On and Retired

Crawford didn't wait around. He vacated all four of his 147lb belts, jumped to super-welterweight to beat Israel Madrimov, then leapfrogged an entire division to super-middleweight and outpointed Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez by unanimous decision. That win pushed his record to a spotless 42-0 with 31 knockouts before he announced his retirement — meaning the Spence rematch is now permanently off the board.

So the rivalry ends unresolved, and Spence is left to rebuild alone. He's been out of the ring for three years, an eternity for a fighter who was once considered the co-best welterweight on the planet. That inactivity ends this weekend in Sydney against Tim Tszyu.

A Fresh Start at 36

Spence, now 36, has leaned into a fresh start. He's brought in trainer Ronnie Shields and insists he feels rejuvenated and ready to go, framing this comeback as the start of a new chapter rather than a farewell tour. Whether that's belief or bluster is exactly what Saturday is designed to answer.

The subtext is a title run at super-welterweight or even middleweight — the same weight classes Crawford raided on his way to Canelo. But Tszyu has other ideas and has openly promised to retire the American on home soil. For Spence, three years of silence and one unactivated rematch clause come down to how his body responds under real fire.

Beat Tszyu and the questions flip from 'can he still do it' to 'who's next.' Lose, and the Crawford defeat stops looking like a bad night and starts looking like the end of a great career. There's no middle ground here, and Spence knows it.