Errol Spence Jr. returns to the ring against Tim Tszyu on Saturday, July 25, live from Afterpay Arena in Sydney, Australia. The two former champions kicked off fight week with a faceoff at Watersedge at Campbell’s Stores in The Rocks, NSW.
- Former unified welterweight champion Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs) of Long Island, New York, steps through the ropes for the first time since his defeat to Terence Crawford three years ago.
- Australia’s former super welterweight champion Tszyu (26-3, 18 KOs) aims for his third straight win since being stopped by Sebastian Fundora in their rematch last July.
The 12-round middleweight contest headlines the PPV card on Prime Video.
Spence Jr: You said what you said, now stand on it
“I don’t think he’s gonna try to shake my hand this time. He knows what it is,” said 36-year-old southpaw Spence Jr. “I know he’s trying to be a gentleman, but he’s said stuff about breaking my eye and stuff like that and then wants to shake my hand. He’s talking about retiring me, so I’m not trying to shake your hand. You said what you said, now stand on it.”
“Training camp was hard. There were times where I just wanted to go home. It took a while for my body to really get adjusted to pushing the pace and going all out.”
“It feels good to be in Australia. It’s been dope and the people have been great. I’m ready to put on a show for everyone.”
“People can think what they want to think about the weight, but on fight night they’re gonna see something different.”
Tszyu: I just want to do some damage and get myself to the next level
“There’s nothing personal from me,” said Tszyu, 31. “This is such a big moment in my life, so I’m just taking it with both hands. I just want to do some damage and get myself to the next level. This is what it takes.”
“Instead of a tactical fight, I want this to be a fight that makes him ask himself, ‘how bad do you really want this?’ When you’ve made all that money and had some time off, what’s your real motivation? Do you really want to keep going when it gets hard? For me, I’m all in.”
“I’ve had a couple of these big moments. The first was the Jeff Horn fight, then Tony Harrison. Even with the Fundora fights, it didn’t feel like this. This feels like something different. When you put it all on the line to roll the dice, it just gives me a feeling that’s hard to describe. When I feel it, I embrace it.”
“I just want to get in there. I’m here to do what I’ve got to do, and that’s fight. I’m very grateful to have that opportunity.”
“I’ve watched Spence’s fights against Kell Brook, Mikey Garcia and Danny Garcia. But what I bring to the ring is completely different. And I’m going to be even more different than I was in my last fight [against Denis Nurja in April].”
Spence Jr vs Tszyu undercard
- The grand arrivals also featured Philadelphia’s two-division champion Stephen Fulton (23-2, 8 KOs), who faces Australia’s former title challenger Liam Wilson (18-3, 10 KOs) in the co-feature. The bout serves as a WBA super featherweight title eliminator.
- Also on the card is a 10-round super featherweight matchup between Sydney’s Ahmad Reda (8-0, 6 KOs) and Australian Olympian Paul Fleming (28-1-2, 18 KOs) of Tully, Queensland, which was recently moved to PPV.
- Plus, a 10-round middleweight bout pits Australia’s Callum Peters (7-0, 6 KOs) against Argentina’s Ivan Ricardo Actis (13-0-1, 9 KOs).