With 30 professional fights, of which 28 were wins, including 22 secured inside the distance, Errol Spence Jr. concluded his professional career last night with a unanimous decision loss to Tim Tszyu. Headlining the PBC-Amazon Prime card that took place at the Afterpay Arena in Sydney, the fight marked Spence Jr.’s return three years after he suffered his first career defeat to Terence Crawford.

Waking up to the cold, hard truth that he cannot go on any further, Errol Spence Jr. finally announced his retirement at the end of the fight. Given that it was anticipated for a long time, the move didn’t surprise many. Yet, there remained a desire to understand what finally caused Spence to make such a decision. Speaking with the media during the post-fight presser, the former unified welterweight titlist offered an explanation.

“After the fight I was like man—I was sore,” Spence admitted. “I don’t remember 12 rounds feeling like that. Like, you know, that’s how I knew, like, it’s time to hang them up. Like, you can’t be off that long and then come back and think you can fight a twelve-round fight. You know what I’m saying? With a caliber opponent like that.”

The comments follow his in-ring interview, where Spence openly spoke about retiring from boxing. Sharing that all his faculties are intact and that his money is working well for him, the former champion felt it was time for him to spend more time with his family.

Considering those sentiments, the reason why Spence felt so spent against Tszyu may center on how the twelve-round bout unfolded. Stepping into the fight after a three-year layoff, issues like ring rust were expected to affect Spence’s return.

Yet, defying those expectations, he resisted Tszyu’s pressure well, even after getting wobbled in the opening round.

With the Australian failing to capitalize on that momentary success, Spence stepped on the gas, putting Tszyu on the backfoot. As the rounds progressed, however, Tszyu’s activity and pressure began to take over. The tactic worked, and Spence looked increasingly uncomfortable.

The three judges scored the fight 117-111, 117-111, and 118-110, all in Tszyu’s favor. While the wide margins were questionable to some, the scorecards reflected how decisively the judges viewed Tszyu’s performance as both fighters looked to put their careers back on course.

Beyond Spence’s reasoning, a few past incidents may also point to why his comeback became increasingly difficult.

The painful history that could have made Errol Spence rethink boxing

Most experts agree that the knockout loss to Bud Crawford inflicted severe damage, both physically and mentally, on Spence’s psyche. In boxing, there are precedents that mirror his situation, when a marquee fighter found it extremely hard to deal with a career-defining loss.

The most notable example belongs to middleweight great Marvelous Marvin Hagler. The 1987 loss to rival Sugar Ray Leonard left the boxing icon deeply dejected. He continued to dispute the judges’ decision and never came back, eventually embarking on a career in movies after retirement.

Much earlier, Floyd Patterson’s back-to-back losses to Sonny Liston reportedly increased his tendency to shy away from media and public glare.

In Spence’s case, despite triggering the rematch clause, the second fight failed to materialize. Things barely changed even when he made a move to 154 pounds and found his name involved in matchups against Sebastian Fundora. The turn of events added weight to the narrative that the Crawford fight might have broken him and made him reconsider a return, even sparking rumors of an imminent retirement.

What is, however, easily forgotten or ignored is the fact that Spence had also been through a few road accidents, including one that proved severe and life-threatening.

Ahead of the Crawford matchup, in December 2022, his vehicle collided with a teenager’s car after he jumped a red light. When compared to the 2019 incident that saw him in an ICU, Spence escaped mostly unharmed, complaining that he suffered a leg injury.

Taken together, the accidents, the loss to Bud Crawford, and his long layoff may have contributed to Spence’s retirement.

There is also a practical aspect to Spence’s decision. The former champion is not even ranked in the division, and another loss would leave him even further behind in the race for a world title. Continuing to fight could therefore prove to be a futile exercise, requiring him to spend more time in the ring while exposing himself to an increasing risk of injury, with no guarantee that the long road to title contention would ultimately pay off.

Most observers, meanwhile, agree with his decision. In the end, what matters most is that he is departing with his health and mental faculties intact.