Errol Spence has opened up on his viral Tim Tszyu snub – and revealed the surprising reason he wanted their blockbuster showdown in Australia.
The former unified welterweight champ is just over a month out from his long-awaited return against Tszyu, with tensions between the pair already beginning to simmer.
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When the two fighters crossed paths in Las Vegas last month, it was “The Truth” who fired the first shot across his rival’s bow.
Spence refused to shake Tszyu’s hand during a backroom encounter, a moment that was caught on camera and quickly went viral.
Tszyu appeared caught off guard by the exchange, laughing it off before saying: “I see how it is… I see how it is.”
Spence later explained the snub was a matter of principle.
“I’m not one of those guys where you want to talk s*** on social media and then shake my hand,” Spence said.
“I heard all the stuff on social media, then you want to give me a hug… I’m not cool with that.”
Speaking recently with Hall of Famer Andre Ward, Spence went into a little more detail on the incident.
“I’d just seen him say he was going to do me like [Sebastian] Fundora did Keith Thurman,” Spence said.
“I’m like brother what… then he’s trying to be all [friendly], I’m like brother we aren’t doing all that, bro.
“This ain’t that.”
The fight, scheduled for Sunday, July 26, is set to take place in an as-yet unnamed Australian city, after initially being tipped for Dallas, Texas.
That would have handed the Texan a clear home-ground advantage, but surprisingly Spence says he’s more than happy to head Down Under for the showdown.
When asked by Ward what his motivation is at 36, he said:
“I’ve got something [left to give],” he explained. “And it be boring, bro,” he added with a laugh.
“I need some excitement. That’s why I wanted to go to Australia.”
“I could have fought in Dallas, but I didn’t want to deal with all the people asking for tickets.
“In Dallas I’d be getting 40–50 tickets, and I don’t even talk to 40 or 50 people – I probably talk to five, bro, if that…”
“You’re just giving people tickets… Ain’t nobody coming to Australia.”
The superstar veteran also suggested Aussie fans could be witnessing the final chapter of his decorated career.
“I’ve got a lot left, but for me I’m not going to give it all to boxing,” he said.
“It’s a fight by fight basis. I might be done after this. It all depends.”
Spence also reflected on his infamous 2023 defeat to Terence Crawford, admitting his preparation leading into the fight was just not good enough.
Many boxing fans were stunned to see Crawford completely dismantle Spence in a one-sided masterclass.
Looking back, Spence described his training camp under longtime former coach Derrick James as “trash”.
“Ask anybody who was in Vegas in that gym. They didn’t see me sparring,” Spence said.
“Ain’t nobody see me sparring. Baby, two weeks out, two, three weeks out, I didn’t spar six weeks out.
He also revealed he wasn’t prepared to deal with Crawford’s ability to switch stances.
“The guys [we got into the gym] didn’t fit,” said Spence.
“I had no southpaws in there to spar, none of that.
“It was all out of whack.”
But heading into his showdown with Tszyu, Spence insists things could not be more different.
“I’m feeling good,” he said.
“Good thing I started camp early…
‘I wanted to go to Australia’ | 02:05
“Now I work a lot smarter, I’m still working hard but I’m taking the time to listen to my body.
“You can’t go hard every day… It’s been a huge adjustment of how I go about things.”