Errol Spence Jr Retires at 36 After Tszyu Loss — Crawford Approves

Errol Spence Jr is done. Moments after dropping a wide unanimous decision to Tim Tszyu in Sydney on Saturday, the former unified welterweight champion confirmed he's retiring at 36, closing out a career that ends at 28-2 with 22 knockouts. It was his first fight in three years — and it showed.

Spence hung around for the full twelve rounds and even made things competitive early, but Tszyu took over down the stretch and left no doubt on the scorecards. The man who once looked untouchable at 147 looked off-balance and a step slow, a far cry from the fighter who ruled the division before his life was upended by a near-fatal car crash and, later, a lopsided defeat to Terence Crawford in 2023.

Spence Walks Away Clear-Eyed

In his retirement remarks, Spence said his faculties are intact, his money is working for him, and his family is still by his side — the three things, he suggested, that matter most when you leave this sport. He said he'd asked himself a lot of hard questions and was ready to go home and start a new chapter.

It's a rare thing in boxing: a fighter reading the room and himself, and getting out on his own terms rather than one war too late.

Crawford Signs Off on the Decision

Crawford, the only man to stop Spence's career momentum before Tszyu, was at ringside and gave it to Fight Hub TV straight. He said retirement was the right move, pointing to Spence's come-forward, break-you-down style as one that only carries a fighter so far. Spence, he added, simply didn't have it on the night.

Crawford would know. He handed Spence the first loss of his professional life in their undisputed welterweight showdown, and he's kept climbing since — now 42-0 with 31 knockouts and coming off a decision win over Canelo Álvarez at super middleweight. Two careers that crossed once, headed in opposite directions ever since. For Spence, the story stops here at 28-2. For Crawford, the unbeaten run rolls on.