Former unified welterweight champ Errol Spence has been out of the ring for almost three years, but now looks ready to go "down under" and fight popular, prominent junior middleweight Tim Tszyu later this year.
After a near three year layoff, it looks like former unified welterweight champ Errol Spence is potentially going to get back in the ring this Summer.
Multiple media reports, first by the Ring Magazine, say that Spence is close to an agreement with former junior middleweight champ Tim Tszyu of Australia to fight him there in a non-title bout in June.
Insider Dan Rafael reported Tuesday, that If finalized, the bout would be promoted by Premier Boxing Champions and would air as a "PBC on Prime Video" pay-per-view in the United States, according to a source close to the discussions
Rafael, went on to say, while talks are ongoing, no deal has been completed. And, Tszyu could look to fight someone else sooner than June.
For Spence, the fight would mark his first time in the ring in nearly three years. His last bout was in July 2023, when he faced longtime rival Terence Crawford in a highly anticipated four belt undisputed ttile bout that had been years in the making.
However, for all the hype for the pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Crawford destroyed Spence over the course of a ninth-round knockout, droppeing Spence three times — once in the second round and twice in the seventh — before the referee waved it off.
Though Spence held contractual rights to a rematch, it never materialized. Crawford moved on and moved up to junior middleweight capturing the WBA title from Israil Madrimov and later jumping two more divisions to defeat Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight crown last September. He has since announced his retirement in December.
Meanwhile, Spence remained inactive, prompting speculation about whether he would ever return, especially after earning tens of millions as the welterweight champ over the course of his career.
Spence, 28-1, 22 KOs, is now 35, and has questions lingering about his inactivity and the beating he took Crawford. Meantime, Tszyu. the 31-year-old Australian is 26-3, 18 KOs and the son of Hall of Fame legend Kostya Tszyu,
And, the former rising Australian star has endured a rocky stretch over the past two years, himself.
In 2024, Tszyu suffered consecutive losses, as he first dropped a bloody split decision to Sebastian Fundora after being badly cut by an accidental elbow early in the fight, Tszyu bled profusely from his hairline for 10 rounds and lost the decision to Fundora for his WBO title and the chance at the vacant WBC belt.
Tszyu then followed that with a disastrous title challenge against IBF 154 lb. champion Bakhram Murtazaliev, who knocked him down four times before scoring a brutal third-round knockout in October 2024.
Tszyu rebounded with a fourth-round stoppage of Joey Spencer in Australia in April 2025, but was later dominated in a rematch with Fundora in July, retiring on his stool after seven rounds.
After changing trainers and linking up with Pedro Diaz, Tszyu won a lopsided 10-round decision win over Anthony Velazquez back in December.
Recently, Tszyu made it clear he would welcome a showdown with Spence, calling it a massive opportunity for Australian boxing and an intriguing clash of former champs.
As for Spence going to Australia, if he agrees to the fight and to go there, he previously boxed in Canada and famously traveled to England to defeat kayo Kell Brook for his first welterweight world title win in May of 2017.