Following a three-year hiatus, Errol Spence Jr. officially retired from professional boxing on Sunday. He suffered a unanimous decision loss to Tim Tszyu at Sydney’s Afterpay Arena. Securing the victory, Tszyu won on the scorecards with final numbers of 118-110, 117-111, and 117-111.
That decision closed the book on a 28-2 career for the former unified champion. Before stepping into the ring, the 36-year-old American and his trainer Ronnie Shields agreed that a defeat would mean immediate retirement. Admitting the superiority of his opponent, Spence kept his post-fight comments brief. “It was a good showing by Tim,” he said inside the ring.
Across the arena, the stakes felt equally absolute for the Australian fighter. Having previously dropped three consecutive world title bouts, the 32-year-old Tszyu viewed this matchup as a make-or-break moment. Addressing the media after the fight, he described an intense struggle. Tszyu woke up at 4 a.m. with severe nerves, fearing a loss would force his own exit from the sport.
The 32-year-old didn’t hide his relief.
The victory immediately repositions the Australian in the title picture. Moving forward, according to local sports media, Tszyu is now slated to face Erislandy Lara for a world championship. If you watched his prime run, Spence leaves a legacy packed with major victories over Mikey Garcia and Shawn Porter. His only other career defeat came via a brutal stoppage against Terence Crawford in 2023.