Former world champion Sergio Mora has delivered a blunt assessment of Errol Spence Jr.’s long-awaited return – and he doesn’t like what he sees.
With Spence set to return against Australia’s Tim Tszyu later this year, Mora says there are several “red flags” hanging over the former welterweight kingpin.
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Spence hasn’t fought since he was brutally beaten by Terence Crawford in 2023 where he was dropped three times and stopped in their showdown for the undisputed crown.
In the aftermath of that defeat, many doubted if ‘The Big Fish’ would ever return at all given his struggles with injuries and two shocking car accidents away from the ring.
Meanwhile, Tszyu has also weathered a bumpy stretch over the past few years, losing three of four after beginning his professional career 24-0.
After falling short in his rematch with Sebastian Fundora last July, Tszyu reset and returned to the winner’s circle in December with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Velazquez.
The pair are now on a collision course set for later in the year, but no date or venue has yet been confirmed.
Mora, a former WBC junior middleweight champion, has welcomed the matchup for both men, but when he learned Spence would not be working with longtime trainer Derrick James, it set off alarm bells.
“It’s going to be ugly,” Mora told boxing scribe Chris Mannix on their podcast.
“Now that I know that Derrick James is not in his corner – the main voice that he’s trusted…
“I hope that’s not the case, because that’s three red flags, three strikes and you’re out.
“Errol Spence – the inactivity, the physical toll that the last fight took on his body, the fact that the voice of comfort is not in his corner.
“I don’t like this fight. He’s going to be the underdog in this fight.
“Both of them are front-foot offensive fighters. High-guard fighters on the front-foot looking for volume.
“Tim Tszyu is a harder puncher. I think Tim Tszyu is a harder single puncher and I think he takes a better punch – even at this stage.
“I don’t like this fight for the fact that if he [Spence] doesn’t have Derrick James in his corner. James knows him well, he knows him in and out.
“I do not like this fight for him going forward. Even if it is for a payday…
“This is going to be a dangerous fight for Errol Spence.
Tszyu is currently training in Miami, Florida with new coach Pedro Diaz.
As revealed by Fox Sports Australia, the Sydneysider is being slated for a ‘warm-up’ fight on the same card as Liam Paro’s IBF world title showdown against Lewis Crocker in late March.
From there, he will then move immediately into the showdown with Spence.
Spence, by contrast, is not taking a warmup fight and will step straight into the fight with Tszyu after years of inactivity.
“That could be two things,” explained Mora.
“Overconfidence on Errol Spence’s side or basically being chinny – knowing that he could probably lose to a lower calibre fighter. And I’m leaning towards the latter on this one.
“I think he doesn’t want to risk embarrassment. He doesn’t want to risk looking bad and blowing that payday.”
Former champion Chris Algieri, who lost to Spence in 2016, believes that skipping tuneups is simply part of Spence’s nature.
“That’s just the way he is,” he told Boxing Today.
“He’s Mr I-Don’t-Take-Tune-Ups. There’s a reason for that.
“It’s a mentality. That’s who he is as a fighter and as a businessman.”
Algieri believes that Spence is in the “twilight of his career”, but says the Aussie is a different beast.
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“Tim Tszyu’s the kind of guy who is very disciplined, hard working. Seems like the kind of guy who lives in the gym.
“He’s not looking to cash-out. He’s looking to make a real run with a win here and keep progressing…
“I love this fight — I really do.
“I liked it before both guys lost and I like it even better now.”