Former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr has been, from some corners of the sport, advised to retire after his first career defeat against Terence Crawford back in July, and he has now broken his silence on the matter.
Spence was dominated by Crawford in a bout that crowned his opponent as the first undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt era, although many feel that Spence’s difficulties to make the 147lb weight limit played a huge part in his performance.
In the aftermath of the contest, Spence activated his rematch clause, hoping that he could face his foe at a more comfortable weight of 154lbs, but yesterday, Spence posted a video showing that he had undergone surgery on his eye.
As a result, ‘Bud’ Crawford appears to have been made to wait for Spence to recover and then fight him, before taking on any alternative opponents.
It has cast doubts from some onlookers as to whether he will ever make a return to the ring, but on social media, Spence shut down the suggestions as he responded to one fan who labelled him as a ‘one trick pony’.
“You might be right, but one trick got Olympics, kids in private school, mom and pops retired years ago and a passport full of stamps. I don’t have to pick up a glove again if I don’t want to.”
“Some of y’all forget what this s**t really for until you are thirty-seven and trying to make a comeback for 10& of what you used to make.
“All that [being] said, you can kill the retire s**t though. Yeah, I got my a** beat, s**t was past due, I didn’t live exactly like a boxer for the most part. LOL.”
Many fans believe that the rematch could be a hard sell after such a destructive and clear win for Crawford, but it seems that the pair will meet again during 2024 regardless.