By Anthony Cocks
Former WBO junior middleweight titleholder Tim “The Phoenix” Tszyu 28-3 (18 KOs) breathed new life into his career with a unanimous decision victory over former unified welterweight champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. 28-2 (22 KOs) in their 12-round middleweight bout at Afterpay Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Sunday (local time).
Southpaw Spence, 36, was having his first bout since his lone career loss to Terence “Bud” Crawford — who was watching from ringside — via ninth-round TKO three years ago.
The bout was originally scheduled to be contested at a catchweight of 158 pounds, but in the weeks leading up to the fight, Spence’s team requested that the weight limit be raised to 160 pounds.
Australia’s Tszyu, 31, is still in the rebuilding phase of his career after a disastrous 16-month stretch in 2024-25 that saw him lose three of four bouts, including stoppage defeats to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Spence began the fight well enough, loading up on his power shots through the opening two rounds. Tszyu was content to walk forward, imposing his presence but offering little in the way of offense, while the Texan repeatedly found a home for his left cross.
The fight moved to close quarters in the third round. The exchanges became scrappy, with Spence landing hard shots to the body, but Tszyu appeared to be the physically stronger man. Late in the round, Tszyu nailed Spence with a right hand over the top.
Despite his success, new trainer Jeff Fenech urged Tszyu to let his hands go more during the one-minute break.
“The right hand never missed him. You’ve got to throw it more,” Fenech said before telling his charge to mix the uppercut into his attack.
Tszyu heeded the advice and began pulling the trigger more often in the fourth. The right hand landed repeatedly, putting Spence on the retreat. The round proved to be a turning point in the fight.
Spence, now working with new trainer Ronnie Shields, was warned for a low blow by referee Will Soulos in the sixth round, who threatened to deduct a point if his punches continued to stray below the belt.
The warning appeared to take Spence off his game. Tszyu pushed him backward for the remainder of the round, landing punishing body shots and accurate punches to the head.
“He doesn’t want to be there now,” Fenech told Tszyu in the corner. “Trust me. But only you can make him go now.”
Tszyu nodded.
The pressure continued in the eighth, with Tszyu looking stronger with each passing round while Spence was forced to dig deep to keep the Australian off him.
Sensing the urgency, Shields gave Spence a pep talk between rounds, imploring him to be busier.
“You’ve got to be first,” he said.
Tszyu continued stalking Spence in the ninth, testing both his legs and his resolve. He finished the round strongly with a series of right hands.
Tszyu was beating the fight out of Spence, and after another dominant showing in the 10th, all the momentum was on the Australian’s side heading into the championship rounds.
Spence showed his mettle in the 11th, summoning what little he had left for one final stand. But Tszyu came back strongly in the final round, finishing the fight on top.
When the dust settled, Tszyu was awarded the victory by scores of 118-110 and 117-111 twice.
With the win, Tszyu is now targeting a shot at longtime WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara 32-3-3 (19 KOs). The 43-year-old Cuban southpaw, who fights out of Houston, Texas, has not boxed since his virtual shutout of Johan Gonzalez last December.
“One-sixty is my new division. Big blessing to my fans. This was one hell of a show. I thought the Tony Harrison win was good… let’s go party!” Tszyu said.
“I had sleepless nights thinking, ‘Am I in over my head against a legend like that?’ It was one hell of a show. I understand why he is one of the greats.
“Two greats I’m trying to emulate are Kostya Tszyu and Jeff Fenech, and if I can be half as good as them, I’ll be a great man.
“I’d love to fight for a world title. Erislandy Lara? I’d love that.”
Spence, meanwhile, is also planning his future, one that will take place away from the ring.
“It’s been a great week. It was a good showing by Tim,” he said. “I answered a lot of questions about myself. It’s time to go home to my family and start a new life.”
He added: “I’ve got my faculties intact. My money is good. It works for itself. Everything is good.
“I thank God I can leave this sport with my faculties intact.”
The post Result: Tim Tszyu Retires Errol Spence Jr appeared first on FightNews.
