Errol Spence Jr. continues to gather dust on boxing’s all-time shelves. Since suffering a devastating loss to Terence Crawford a couple of years ago, ‘The Truth’ has remained inactive, with no concrete plans for a comeback. He briefly met Sebastian Fundora last year for a potential fight, but nothing materialized. Now and then, one of his social media posts reignites talk of a return—but now, Roy Jones Jr. might be the one to finally make it happen.

The southpaw was spotted ringside at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth last Saturday, where Vergil Ortiz Jr. dominated Erickson Lubin to retain his interim WBC super welterweight title. The attention Spence Jr. received, along with the visible joy on his face, seems to have inspired ‘Captain Hook’ to reach out—hoping to work with Spence Jr. and bring an end to his long spell of inactivity. Jones Jr. shed more light on the matter while speaking to Andre Ward. 

Roy Jones Jr. has a couple of days to persuade Errol Spence Jr.

Speaking to Andre Ward on the ‘All the Smoke Fight’ podcast, Roy Jones Jr. shared how disheartened his daughter felt after Errol Spence Jr.’s devastating loss to Terence Crawford. “A lot of people do really love Errol Spence because he’s a downright down-to-earth, very good guy,” he said. “I mean, I’m supposed to go work with him tomorrow. As a matter of fact, I’m going to Dallas tomorrow to work with him a little bit, and I’ll see where he’s at.”

Jones Jr. expressed his desire to see Spence Jr. return to form, adding, “I do want to see him get back on that horse and ride again. Those fans at that fight the weekend, they want to see him get back on the horse and ride again.” While the boxing Hall of Famer doesn’t expect Spence Jr. to make him his head coach, he’s eager to see ‘The Truth’ lace up the gloves once more. “We all go through these things. But the main thing is, can you get up from it? You’re not judged by how you go down. It’s how you get up.”

Jones Jr. believes that if he can convince Errol Spence Jr. to fight one last time and go out on his shield, that would be enough. “I’m going to try to give him a couple of days of work, see where he’s at, and help him try to make a good, smart decision. And if he got it, he’s going to go with it,” he said during the podcast. It’s worth noting that ‘The Truth’ split with his longtime trainer, Derrick James, following the Terence Crawford loss. 

The two even took legal action against each other last year over unpaid earnings—despite having shared remarkable victories over Yordenis Ugas, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Lamont Peterson, and Kell Brook.

But if Spence Jr. does return, the big question remains: who will he fight?

Vergil Ortiz Jr. is ready to welcome Spence Jr. back into the ring

Right after stopping Erickson Lubin, Ortiz Jr. surprised everyone by shifting his focus from Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to the former unified welterweight champion Spence Jr. “If I had to pick, I’m going to be honest, it would be Spence, cuz that’s my dream fight,” said Ortiz. “I’ve been calling it since… AT&T. There you go. At the Cowboys Stadium.”

While many expected him to pursue Ennis next, Ortiz made it clear his intentions come from pure competitiveness, not disrespect. “I don’t care what anyone says about it. But anyone else, like I said, anyone can get it respectfully,” he added. His promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, and trainer Robert Garcia have both echoed that multiple options remain on the table—but Ortiz’s eyes seem firmly set on a Texas showdown with Spence Jr.

Having said that, it appears Errol Spence Jr. has a path made ready for him to come back—all he needs to do now is say yes. However, things aren’t always that simple. He didn’t use his rematch clause with Terence Crawford and remains hesitant. A lack of confidence? Fear? Whatever you want to call him, Spence Jr. has a tough decision to make.