Things aren’t looking good for former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. However, there’s a ray of hope for his return to the ring, as revealed by former Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza. Just last month, it was revealed that the potential fight between Spence and Sebastian Fundora was canceled. 

For the most part, fans saw this one coming, as the potential fight saw a couple of postponements. It was initially planned for October last year and then some updates revealed that the fight could be in March. However, a report from ESPN’s Mike Coppinger hit the final nail in the coffin.

Sources even said Fundora was looking for a new opponent, with WBO no. 2 Charles Conwell leading the list. While there’s no update on who Fundora may fight next, Stephen Espinoza has suggested that Spence Jr. is returning. While appearing in an interview with Boxing Social recently, the man in charge of events for Amazon Prime Video and PBC (Spence’s promotion) was pressed about Spence’s rumored return. 

“I wouldn’t doubt that he’s back at all because the reality is the reports from the gym, for what they’re worth, are that he looked really good,” Espinoza said. He highlighted that performing well in the gym is different from performing well in the ring, but according to reliable sources, Espinoza has learned, “He looked really good coming into [the now-canceled Fundora] fight.”

Despite Espinoza’s assurance about Spence Jr., there’s no concrete evidence that Spence is plotting a return after 18 months on the sidelines. This has led many to believe Spence may never come back. 

Errol Spence Jr. clarifies retirement rumors

Spence might not have a fight lined up, but the former world champion is just not ready to call it quits yet. On the same day, as reports revealed that the Fundora fight was off, an X user hopped on the platform to directly confront Spence to get his side of the story. “We want to see you back in the ring champ @ErrolSpenceJr,” the user wrote.

Spence, who last fought all the way back in July 2023 against Terence Crawford, and suffered a devastating loss, quickly responded by clearing the air on his retirement. “I’ll be back when IM ready,” he wrote on X. Interestingly enough, similar reports from the parody Michael Benson account on X had emerged earlier, and Spence denied those as well through his Instagram story. 

That said, Stephen Espinoza seems confident about Errol Spence Jr.’s return to the ring, but with no word on his opponent, things look grim for the former champion. Do you think Spence will fight in 2025?