ERROL SPENCE JR VS. TIM TSZYU | HIGHLIGHTS | 🥊

 

CAR WRECKS, PTSD AND KO'D: ERROL SPENCE IS ONE LOSS FROM OBLIVION

 

Ryan Hafey/PBC

Errol Spence Jr. survived horrific car wrecks, PTSD and one of boxing’s most brutal defeats. Saturday night in Australia, another loss could leave one of the finest welterweights of his generation with nowhere left to go.

Spence already completed one remarkable comeback. He climbed back to the top after two terrifying car accidents, a detached retina and the PTSD that followed, proving every doubt about his future wrong by returning to unify the welterweight division.

The Terence Crawford Knockout

Then came Terence Crawford.

The Spence who entered the ring in Las Vegas in July 2023 barely resembled the relentless pressure fighter who had dominated one of boxing’s toughest divisions for years. Crawford controlled the fight before stopping him in the ninth round, handing Spence the first defeat of his professional career.

Almost three years later, Spence heads to Australia facing the biggest test of his comeback.

The crashes never defined Spence because he came back to defend his world titles. Saturday offers him one chance to prove Crawford didn’t change him forever.

During a tense episode of PBC Face To Face, Spence acknowledged the doubts that have followed him ever since that night.

“I want to fight someone that people have doubts about me beating them,” Spence said. “They gotta ask if I’m the same killer. I’m coming to prove to myself and to everybody else that I am still the biggest, in any division that I’m in.”

Nobody questioned whether Spence could return after the crashes because he answered every challenge in the ring. But for the first time in his career, many wondered whether they were watching the same Errol Spence.

Tim Tszyu Sees Vulnerability

Tim Tszyu certainly isn’t convinced.

“I respect what you’ve done in your career, but you haven’t had a fight in three years,” Tszyu said. “How can I say I know definitively that you’re ready?”

Nobody can answer that until the opening bell.

After almost three years away from the ring, Spence rebuilt under renowned trainer Ronnie Shields. Rather than easing back with a tune-up, he accepted one of the toughest assignments available by traveling to Australia to face a former world champion in front of a partisan crowd.

The preparation has hardly been flawless. Spence was originally expected to weigh no more than 158 pounds before the bout but was unable to make the agreed mark, forcing a late adjustment to 160.

On its own, the change may prove insignificant, but combined with three years of inactivity, the punishment his body has absorbed and the doubts created by Crawford, it becomes another concern Spence simply didn’t need.

“This fight came at the perfect moment,” Spence said. “I didn’t want a tune-up, so when Tim Tszyu got brought up, I said I’ll fight him in Australia.”

That belief has carried Spence through every chapter of his career and into the biggest comeback of his life.

One More Defeat Could End the Road Back

Victory would silence many of the doubts surrounding his future and place him back among the leading names at super welterweight.

A knockout defeat is another matter entirely.

Another stoppage loss would leave Spence almost six years removed from his last defining victory and facing enormous questions about whether another world title opportunity will ever come.

At 36, after two near-fatal car wrecks, PTSD, eye problems, the Crawford defeat, three years away from the ring and now an interrupted weight plan, another Pay Per View headliner would become almost impossible to imagine.

Spence has already overcome twisted metal, shattered expectations and the psychological scars left by two near-fatal crashes. He even admitted before facing Crawford that he believed the biggest payday of his career would at least provide for his family if he never came home.

Tszyu isn’t testing Spence’s courage on Saturday. He’s testing whether the fighter Bud dismantled still exists.

If Tszyu knocks Spence out on Saturday, it won’t simply be another defeat. It could close the book on one of the greatest welterweight careers of the modern era.

- Phil Jay

COACH REVEALS TERENCE CRAWFORD PLANS TO RECREATE KNOCKOUT WIN IN CANELO ÁLVAREZ SUPER FIGHT

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix

Terence Crawford will need to be at his shimmering best to topple Canelo Alvarez this weekend in ‘Sin City’, and one of his coaches is expecting just that, in fact.

Making his first venture to the super middleweight limit, former undisputed welterweight kingpin Terence Crawford will challenge Canelo Alvarez in the blockbuster clash of the year, with all title spoils up for grabs.

Testing light middleweight waters before his fight with the Mexican megastar, Crawford had run roughshod continually during his lengthy era of dominance at welterweight.

And ahead of his fight with Canelo, ‘Bud’ has been backed to emulate arguably his most iconic performance in the ring thus far.

Terence Crawford backed to beat Canelo Alvarez as badly as Errol Spence Jr.

Eventually fighting for the undisputed welterweight crown back in 2023, Crawford turned in one of the most heralded in-ring performances of the modern era

Taking on the unbeaten Errol Spence Jr., Crawford added the WBA, WBC, and IBF welterweight titles to his trophy cabinet, inflicting a ninth-round knockout loss on the Long Islander — having put him on the canvas countless times during the clash.

And against Canelo this weekend at 168lbs, Crawford’s coach, Chet Fortune, gave quite a candid prediction of the performance the Nebraska native is likely to give.

Terence Crawford dominating Erroll Spence in the last Welterweight Unification pic.twitter.com/bzTu8DY1Dx

— Tokkerū (@ATokkers5) April 12, 2025

Ultimately making the leap to 168lbs, Crawford has been touted as undeniable in the gym and in the ring by Fortune when it comes to his pugilist peers.

“When it comes to Bud, I know he’s willing to work harder than anyone else; willing to do whatever it takes; he doesn’t have any quit in him; and then he has a support system that he trusts around him,” Fortune explained.

Bonus up for grabs for Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford pup

With both Canelo and Crawford expected to pocket sizable fight purses for their efforts this weekend in Las Vegas, an added incentive has been tabled, too.

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

As disclosed by event organizer Turki Alalshikh, if either Canelo or Crawford finish the bout via knockout, they will receive a lucrative financial bonus on top of their fight purse.

However, for Canelo, the Mexican would be forced to snap a lengthy run of decision wins, dating all the way back to his most recent knockout of Caleb Plant, to win undisputed gold in 2021.

- Ross Markey

SEBASTIAN FUNDORA SEEKS NEW CHALLENGER FOR FIRST TITLE DEFENSE; ERROL SPENCE FIGHT NO LONGER IN PLAY

 

A fight that never received the green light from one sanctioning body is officially off the table.

Sebastian Fundora will now seek a new challenger for the first defense of his unified WBC/WBO 154-pound title reign. The Ring’s No. 4 rated junior middleweight was linked for months to a showdown with former unified welterweight titlist Errol Spence Jr., which is no longer in play.

ESPN.com’s Mike Coppinger—who revealed the fight’s collapse on Thursday—previously reported that the fight was targeted for March 29. Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) himself denied any such rumors, nor did it seem logical for Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) to cram three pay-per-view events in a span of nine weekends.

PBC will host PPVs shows on Feb. 1 (David Benavidez-David Morrell) and March 1 (Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach WBA lightweight title fight).

Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) has not fought since his title winning effort over then-unbeaten Tim Tszyu (now 24-2, 17 KOs; No. 7 at 154 by The Ring) last March 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Spence joined him in the ring during the post-fight interview, an intentional move to plant the seed for such a fight.

The WBC was prepared to approve the fight. The Mexico City-headquartered outfit already had Spence as its number one contender. The ranking was met with raised eyebrows as Spence hasn’t fought since a July 2023 one-sided knockout loss to Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) and has yet to campaign at junior middleweight.

Those exact reasons were why the WBO was never on board.

“The WBO would not sanction Fundora/Spence due to the latter being (1) inactive for 1 year & 5 months; (2) a TKO loss in last bout; (3) not rated in 154 lbs., & 4) has never fought in 154 lbs.,” explained WBO president Gustavo Olivieri. “Ruling otherwise would be a disservice to the rest of the 154 world-rated contenders.”

That very stance has remained the same by the WBO Championship Committee since the fight was first suggested last year.

Fundora was instead ordered to face Crawford, The Ring’s No. 3 pound fighter and No. 1 junior middleweight who currently owns the WBA and interim WBO titles. The two sides reached an agreement that would permit Fundora to enter a voluntary defense. It led to speculation that Spence would get the fight, though never with more than one belt at stake.

With the fight now tabled—if not done altogether—the WBO is pressed with a decision whether to reorder Fundora-Crawford or confirm details of any contingency plan in place.

Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KOs) and Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) are the two highest rated WBO junior middleweight contenders. Zayas is due to face unbeaten Slawa Spomer (20-0, 11 KOs) on Feb. 14 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City.

Conwell does not have a fight scheduled as this goes to publication. The Ring’s No. 8 junior middleweight contender picked up three knockout victories in a productive 2024 campaign after promotional issues left him benched the prior year. He is prepared to cash in that good fortune for his first career title shot.

“This the moment we been waiting on,” Conwell, a 2016 U.S. Olympian, said in a post on X. “I’m here and ready! I’m ready to fight, unlike Errol Spence.”

Meanwhile, Spence’s next move is not known, nor does it seem like his heart is still in the sport.

“Boxing is so f---ed up,” Spence, who turns 35 in March, said in a Jan. 15 post on X to suggest he already knew the score.

- JAKE DONOVAN

HERE'S WHY CANELO VS. CRAWFORD JUST TOOK A BLOW

Israil Madrimov, left, landed 10 more power punches (65) than Terence Crawford (55) over the 12-round fight. Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

LOS ANGELES -- The secret to solving Terence Crawford, said Joel Diaz, who trains now-former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov, was the body.

"Nobody ever tests him to the body," Diaz told ESPN the other night. "But we're going there every chance we get. Crawford throws that southpaw jab, we're throwing a right to the body. He throws it orthodox, Israil's going down there with a straight right."

And as it began, Madrimov -- of Indio, California, by way of Uzbekistan -- was faithful to the trainer's counsel. But fighters as good as Madrimov and Crawford -- still one of the best in the world despite the toughest and closest night of his still undefeated career -- discern other openings as the fight evolves. So after a couple of rounds poking Crawford's body, Madrimov began to launch straight right hands -- and unlike pretty much any of Crawford's previous 40 opponents -- saw them land with great regularity. After that, Madrimov found a home for a long left hook that came around Crawford's guard. By the seventh round, you could notice swelling around Crawford's right eye.

None of this would be remarkable if it weren't Crawford -- a four-division champion now, undisputed at 140 and 147 pounds -- whose last outing ended the idea of Errol Spence Jr. as we knew him. Since 2016, Crawford knocked out everyone he's faced. You've seen Crawford's mean streak. You've seen his aptitude, justifiably regarded as the highest IQ in the game. But you've never really seen him vulnerable. Perhaps more remarkable, though, he began as an upstart in Omaha, Nebraska -- then regarded as the North Pole of the boxing world -- without an "A-side" rep or the blessing of a big promoter. I asked Crawford leading up to the fight who was the best fighter of the post-Floyd Mayweather age.

"Me," he said. "And I've been showing it for years. We always had the motto, keep winning and everything will fall in place."

True. No one's ever done Crawford any favors -- until, perhaps, Saturday night.

"I believe I did enough," Madrimov said moments after the judges delivered their unanimous verdict against him.

He wasn't alone, of course. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, argued that judge Fernando Villarreal's 116-112 card in favor of Crawford seemed as if it had been "filled out before the fight began." In fact, this wasn't a robbery. I had it six rounds a piece, but in a fight like this there's always at least a couple that could go either way. What's more, in his maiden voyage at 154 pounds, Crawford won the final two rounds on all three judges' scorecards, and did it, in large measure, by banging Madrimov to the body. If he was the smaller fighter, he was also the stronger one inside.

"I ain't gonna lie," said Crawford. "He's strong ... he got me to Round 12. ...This guy is big."

Though not as big as the fighter touted -- or, perhaps, merely hoped for -- as Crawford's next opponent. That would be the undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez. While both Crawford and Canelo are nearing the end of illustrious careers and speak fondly of their legacies, Crawford took a real risk on Saturday, moving up in weight to fight a high-risk opponent who is decidedly not a household name. Yes, his decision was subsidized by the largesse of boxing's would-be savior, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority. Still, whatever your scorecard, it was the kind of fight often spoken of, but rarely seen: the best fighting the best.

Canelo, on the other hand, will fight Edgar Berlanga next month, who has yet to win a fight that merits either Canelo or the corresponding payday. I like Edgar. But his main talent for earning the date is not being David Benavidez, whom Canelo has avoided for years

Perhaps that's the real loss here. Turki Alalshikh wanted Canelo-Crawford. It seemed like an inspired idea -- until Saturday night. An ambiguous victory over Madrimov potentiality takes the steam out of the Canelo-Crawford.

Rather, what's left seems to be a battle for boxing supremacy between Canelo and Alalshikh, who is promoting a UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas the same night as Canelo-Berlanga a couple of miles away at T-Mobile Arena.

"We will eat him," Alalshikh told ESPN's Mike Coppinger, last month.

Last night, however, Alalshikh struck a different note. "I give him the offer," he said of Canelo. "If he's smart, he will accept it."

If not, figure on Crawford vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Either way, Canelo-Crawford just took a body blow.

- Mark Kriegel, ESPN

TEOFIMO LOPEZ HAS NO DOUBT WHO WINS CANELO-CRAWFORD FIGHT: "IT'S A MONEY GRAB"

Image credit: PBC/Showtime

 Super-lightweight WBO champion Teofimo Lopez has made his prediction ahead of a potential fight between Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez and Terence Crawford.

Crawford has been chasing a fight against the current super-middleweight champion ever since he put in a career defining performance against Errol Spence Jr last year.

Although the Mexican was originally dismissive of the match-up, he has recently admitted he would be open to the fight if the money was right. With Saudi Arabia’s boxing matchmaker Turki Alalshikh having it on his wish list, Canelo might just get what he wants.

Speaking to FightHype about the clash, Lopez believes the three weight class disparity will prove too much come fight night.

“Crawford-Canelo, great matchup, great fight, what else can I say? If those guys want to make that fight happen, you’ve got the face of boxing against a guy who’s fighting for legacy. Both of them are really true champions, hall of famers – let the best man win.

I think Canelo is just too big for him. He’s too big, realistically. Too big, too strong and used to that weight class, so you can be a boxer and all those things but it is what it is.

Canelo is still the face of boxing and the guy everyone wants to fight, Crawfod wouldn’t want the fight if Canelo wasn’t the face of boxing. It’s a money grab, it’s a money fight.”

Lopez has a ready made replacement for Crawford if the Canelo fight doesn’t materialise – himself. The former undisputed lightweight champion has called out ‘Bud’ for a fight next year.

- Toby Morgan 

REMATCH WITH TSZYU OR FIGHT WITH SPENCE? FUNDORA HAS MANY OPTIONS

Tim Tszyu, left, suffered a cut in Round 2 and lost a split decision to Sebastian Fundora on Saturday. Esther Lin/PBC

 Sebastian Fundora, blood still sprayed all over his long torso, soaked in the biggest victory of his career when Errol Spence Jr. stepped through the ropes.

Fundora, the 6-foot-5 ½, 154-pound "Towering Inferno," just pulled off the upset with a split-decision win over Australian star Tim Tszyu to capture two junior middleweight titles on Saturday in Las Vegas inside T-Mobile Arena.

It's a fight Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) wasn't even a part of until 11 days out, when he received the call to replace Keith Thurman, who ruptured his biceps.

Fundora, 26, broke his nose in the opening round and lost the first two on all three scorecards. But when Tszyu leaned over to attack toward the end of Round 2, he collided with Fundora's left elbow, suffering a big cut on his hairline that didn't stop bleeding.

It's no accident Spence was ringside and immediately thrust into the ring just two months after he underwent cataract surgery. Clearly, there were at least plans in place for Spence to fight the winner. All three boxers fight under the PBC banner.

And if it's not going to be Tszyu, it should be Terence Crawford who receives the first crack at Fundora. As the WBO's "super" champion at 147 pounds, Crawford was able to position himself for a mandatory shot at a new weight, and it's expected the fight with Fundora will be ordered this week.

Fundora now owns two belts, and if he wants to fight Spence, he can vacate the WBO strap and still defend the WBC title.

"It's time to get it on," Spence said. "He gotta face the big dog now. ... He got a pretty good height, but we'll see. We'll break him down like we always do."

Elsewhere at 154 pounds, there's Uzbek Israil Madrimov, who won the WBA title last month with a TKO victory over Magomed Kurbanov. Madrimov, between his athleticism and power, appears to be a formidable fighter.

Vergil Ortiz Jr., too, now resides at 154 pounds. He'll fight for the second time at junior middleweight April 27 vs. Thomas Dulorme. There's also the IBF title, whose vacancy will be filled by a Jack Culcay-Bakhram Murtazaliev fight on April 7 in Germany.

Jermell Charlo remains ESPN's No. 1 boxer at 154 pounds -- for now -- but he's no longer the undisputed champion. In fact, he has yet to compete at junior middleweight since he defeated Brian Castano in a May 2022 rematch.

As Tszyu said, Fundora is the "new king of 154," a shocking development after he was KOed by Brian Mendoza in an upset last year. And if everything plays out as it should, Tszyu will land his deserved rematch next. Just don't count on it. -- Mike Coppinger

Pitbull adds new dimension to stacked 140-pound division

As Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz said in the ring following his dominant beatdown of Rolando Romero Saturday night, he is now a player at 140 pounds.

Or did you miss the WBA junior welterweight belt he took from Romero with his eighth-round stoppage?

"There is going to be a Mexican champ at 140 pounds for a long time," said Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs), of Mexico City.

Might there be a unified champ at the weight class? Should that be Cruz's next goal?

Teofimo Lopez holds the title for the WBO, while Devin Haney holds the WBC strap. A fight with Subriel Matias, the IBF's champ, could be a great matchup that could tap into the rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Plus, it's a division boasting the likes of Ryan Garcia, Lopez, Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez.

Then there's the matter of Gervonta Davis, the WBA's lightweight champ. "Tank" handed Cruz his most recent defeat five fights ago, by unanimous decision, on Dec 5, 2021, in Los Angeles. That was for the WBA's "regular" lightweight title.

"I don't have anything to say to Gervonta, really," Cruz said. "He can [say] whatever he wants, but we silenced the doubters tonight. If he isn't scared, let's go for the rematch."

And of Garcia, who has his own fight with Haney upcoming?

"Ryan Garcia can say whatever he wants," Cruz said. "I'll make him eat all the trash he talks, just like I did with Rolly."

After Cruz's performance against Romero, he's in position to create his own immediate path.

"I'm very happy and humbled to win this title for my family and for Mexico," he said. "I was prepared for this. I wasn't here to just fight; I was here to terminate him. I did my talking right here in the ring.

"Damn, it feels good to be a world champion." -- Paul Gutierrez

"Boom, you're blinded completely," said Tszyu, the son of Hall of Fame boxer Kostya Tszyu. "This is boxing and this is part of the sport. Congratulations to Fundora, he's the new king of 154."by

As the new ruler of the junior middleweight division, Fundora will have bountiful, lucrative options. The fight that makes the most logical sense is an immediate rematch with Tszyu.

After all, it was a close fight, and Tszyu faced trying circumstances with a gruesome cut that spooled blood into his eyes for the duration of the fight. It was also a thrilling fight, one that desperately calls for a return bout.

Tszyu was forced to adjust to Fundora, a far different opponent than Thurman, on 11 days' notice. Fundora, meanwhile, was preparing for Serhii Bohachuk, a fighter who owns a style and frame similar to Tszyu's.

Tszyu gave Fundora a shot at his title and deserves a chance to exact revenge. It's also what the fans called for on social media after the bout. But this is boxing, and as in life, fairness has nothing to do with it.

- Mike Coppinger Paul Gutierrez

TIM TSZYU COULD FACE ERROL SPENCE, TERENCE CRAWFORD OR CANELO ALVAREZ

No Limit Boxing 

A potential big-money, career-defining fight could be on the cards for Tim Tszyu if the recently elevated WBO junior middleweight champion is able to overcome Brian Mendoza this weekend on the Gold Coast.

Tszyu (23-0, 17KOs) will return to the scene of his June demolition of Carlos Ocampo, where he showcased power, precision and efficiency before flooring the Mexican after just 77 seconds. The dominant performance was expected to finally land Tszyu a highly-anticipated fight against Jermell Charlo for the American's quartet of belts at 154 pounds.

"He's the man, I'll give him that, and I'm just under," Tszyu said of Charlo after his win over Ocampo. "I've got this interim belt, but I'm not satisfied. It's not just the belts, I want the name Charlo on my wrist."

Tszyu and Charlo had initially been slated to fight in January, but those plans were scuppered when Charlo suffered a broken left hand during training camp. By mid-year, the WBO had mandated Charlo to fight Tszyu before September 30, but the bout again failed to eventuate with Charlo instead opting to face Canelo Alvarez at supermiddleweight - a fight he would ultimately lose via a lopsided decision.

The WBO has since promoted Tszyu from interim champion to regular champion and this weekend he will defend that strap and title for the first time. There already appears to be plenty at stake for the Australian.

WHAT TERENCE CRAWFORD DID TO ERROL SPENCE JR WAS SPECIAL | AND HE IS TRULY GREAT

Getty 

Terence Crawford made Errol Spence Jr look like just another opponent on Saturday, and he deserves all the credit.

Terence Crawford completely outclassed Errol Spence Jr on Saturday night. He became undisputed welterweight champion of the world, the second time he’s become an undisputed champion, the first male fighter to do that in the four-belt era.

For years, Crawford heard from various angles that he hadn’t fought anyone, that he would struggle if he had been with Premier Boxing Champions, the outfit that all but owned the 147 lb division. Never mind that Crawford had won a title at 135 and gone undisputed at 140.

SPENCE VS. CRAWFORD FIGHT NIGHT PLAYLIST | #SPENCECRAWFORD

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UGAS IN HOSPITAL RECOVERING FROM ORBITAL BONE FRACTURE

Yordenis Ugas is recovering in the hospital after suffering a fractured Orbital Bone during a bout with Errol Spence Jr at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Spence Jr stopped Ugas in the 10th round  unifying the WBC, WBA and IBF world  titles.

CELEBRITIES REACTING TO ERROL SPENCE JR STOPPING URGAS

ERROL SPENCE JR VS. YORDENIS UGAS | FULL FIGHT

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SPENCE VS. UGAS | SHOWTIME

ERROL SPENCE VS. YORDENIS UGAS | FULL FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE

BOXING CHAMP ERROL SPENCE JR SERIOUSLY INJURED IN A CAR CRASH

Top ranked pound-for-pound boxer Errol Spence Jr. has been involved in a very serious car crash and is serious condition as well...