Errol Spence Pays For Skipping A Tune-Up

Porter believes Spence needed to discover what he had left before walking away.

“I think it’s the best decision. I believe he came back for the right reasons. His reasons were, you know, he’s a warrior. He’s a fighter. He’s had a great career. There was no reason to think he couldn’t do it anymore,” said Kenny to Fight Hub TV, talking about Spence. “I know that there have been a lot of things that happened to him outside of the ring that possibly have made him feel like he didn’t give everything that he should have given to boxing. He doesn’t owe anybody anything now. So now is definitely time for him to walk away.”

The decision to return directly against Tszyu gave Spence an extremely difficult fight. He chose an active former junior middleweight champion without first taking a tune-up to evaluate his reflexes, conditioning and punch resistance.

Moving up in weight created further unknowns for the 36-year-old Spence. A lesser opponent at 154 or 160 pounds would have shown how his speed, strength and power carried into a heavier division. Instead, he attempted to answer every question in one night against someone capable of punishing any physical decline.

Some sharpness may have disappeared from Tszyu’s game, but he still remains a dangerous fighter operating at a high level. His aggression, physical strength and heavy hands made him a risky choice for an older fighter returning from such a long absence.

That reckless matchmaking placed Spence at a severe disadvantage. A carefully selected return opponent might have helped him rebuild his timing before pursuing a more difficult fight. Skipping that step turned his comeback into an immediate test against a big puncher.

Porter believes Spence gave everything he had against Tszyu and should feel no shame about the result. Their connection stretches back to the amateur ranks. Porter recalled serving as his head coach during a 2011 trip to Russia when frozen landing gear forced their aircraft to make an emergency landing in a field.

After surviving frightening incidents away from boxing and punishing fights inside the ring, Spence has nothing left to prove. His desire to compete again was understandable, but the way he constructed the comeback made retirement the likely conclusion.