Errol Spence Jr. posted on social media today that he might retire after his next fight in October against WBC Junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
Presumably, if the 34-year-old Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) is victorious against Fundora, he’ll continue his career, as he would have a lot of options for compelling PPV mega-fights. It’s unclear what the end game is for Spence.
Fighting Fundora won’t bring Spence a ton of money that he could make against other fighters.
If Spence is victorious, he could face Terence Crawford in a rematch, giving him a chance to redeem himself. Crawford wants to become undisputed at 154, and that would mean going through Spence if he gets the WBC title from Fundora.
There’s also Ryan Garcia that Spence could face if he’s not dealing with a lengthy suspension from his recent PED issue last April.
“Might be last time you see me,” said Errol Spence on social media about his next fight in October against Sebastian Fundora in Arlington, Texas.
Factors Influencing Spence’s Decision
If Spence loses to the tall WBC 154-lb champion Fundora, it’s understandable why he would choose to retire. Spence has not looked good in his last two fights, and he’s had repeated long layoffs and dealt with injuries.
Being out of the ring for long periods has diminished much of Spence’s sharpness when active earlier in his career. The injuries, two car wrecks, and weight gain have added to his problems.
Earlier today, ESPN revealed that Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) has a fight in negotiations against Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) for October at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Fundora, 6’5 1/2″, will not be an easy out for Spence, especially with him coming off of a 15-month layoff, eye surgery, and who knows how much weight he’ll need to trim off to get down to 154.
Spence looked big when he stood for photos after Fundora’s victory over WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu last March at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It would be a good idea for Spence to start trimming off weight beforehand so that his training camp doesn’t turn into a rapid weight-loss farm to cut down to 154.
Impact of Injuries and Layoffs
Spence took a beating in his last fight, losing to Terence Crawford by a ninth-round knockout last July, and he didn’t look like the same fighter he’d been.
It didn’t help that Spence had been out of the ring for 14 months, had lost a lot of weight, and had been involved in another car crash.
Spence recently revealed that he fought with an eye problem during that match, which must have made things even more difficult for him.
Read the full article here
