Errol Spence next fight: Former champ returns against Tim Tszyu in July

Errol Spence Jr is back. Spence returns to boxing nearly three years to the day of his first professional loss to fight fellow former world champion Tim Tszyu.

Spence vs. Tszyu is set for July 25, Premier Boxing Champions announced on Thursday. Their junior middleweight fight will air on PBC pay-per-view, streaming on Prime Video, with a venue to be determined. The fight was previously rumored for June.

We haven’t seen Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) in a boxing ring since his high-stakes fight with Terence Crawford in 2023. It was anticipated to be a competitive, undisputed welterweight title fight, but Crawford ran away with it. Crawford knocked down Spence three times, including twice in Round 7, before stopping him in the ninth. The loss aged as well as it could’ve, despite Crawford’s sheer dominance. Crawford later defeated Canelo Alvarez to become the first male to win three undisputed weight class titles in the four-belt era. 

Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs) is going through his own image rehabilitation. The sky seemed like the limit for him at the start of 2024. Tszyu, the WBO junior middleweight champion at the time, was undefeated in 24 fights. A split decision loss to Sebastian Fundora was the first sign of trouble. The unified title loss started a 3-3 stretch for Tszyu, which included a stoppage loss in their rematch. He’s bounced back with consecutive wins, but Spence is a major step up from Tszy’s recent wins.

Spence vs. Tszyu is a significant crossroads fight. Spence, once considered a potential major player in boxing, must rekindle his spark after speculation of retirement. Meanwhile, Tszyu can get the biggest win on his resume as his opponent shakes off the ring rust.