Two-division world champion Bernard Hopkins has given a damning verdict on Errol Spence’s future in the sport, following on from his one-sided defeat to Terence Crawford back in July.
Spence was dominated from the second-round onwards in a long-awaited showdown against ‘Bud’, where his foe eventually scored a ninth-round technical-knockout to become the first four-belt undisputed champion in the history of the welterweight division.
This week, Spence has revealed that he has undergone cataract surgery to fix a recurring issue with his eye, but Hopkins questioned why Spence has been so quiet since his first career defeat and told Fight Hub that the loss has taken fights and years off of his career.
“What he [Crawford] did to Spence, and how he did it, that is [counts as] three fights to me, and it took four fights out of Spence, right?”
“I am a fighter, so I can tell you that when you get punished like that, it takes a few years out of you. You don’t see the years right now, but it sort of takes something out of that person going forward. They’ll still win some fights, but it really puts a bruise on you, you ain’t seen Spence fight yet did you? Did you hear him name an opponent to potentially fight? It has been quiet. Have you seen the weight that he has gained? That tells you.”
The recovery from his eye surgery has led fans to question whether he will be Crawford’s next fight and if a delay would allow the now-unified welterweight champion to fight alternate opponents in the interim. Crawford himself has hinted that the second fight is off the table entirely.
