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Philippines, 19 Jul 2026 |
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Spence vs Tszyu, The Biggest Crossroad Fight Of 2026! By Ralph Rimpell PhilBoxing.com Sun, 19 Jul 2026  On July 25, 2026, former unified (WBC/WBA/IBF) welterweight champion (147 lbs) Errol Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs) makes his return to boxing after a three-year layoff against former WBO champion Tim Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs) in Australia. In Spence’s last fight back in 2023, he lost to then-WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford via a TKO in a high-profile unification “Big Fight” for the undisputed welterweight championship in Las Vegas. Spence has not fought since. No one expected that he would be away from boxing for three years. Many speculated that Spence had retired, but when previously questioned by the media, he stated he would return when he was ready. It was reported that Spence weighed more than 180 lbs and had to lose a tremendous amount of weight to make the 147 lbs limit for the Crawford fight. In the aftermath of that brutal defeat, Spence underwent right eye surgery the following January for a cataract, which was reported as a success. He also previously had successful surgery on his left eye for a detached retina back in 2021. Off the canvas, Spence was sued by his former coach, Derrick James, for alleged unpaid training wages, and Spence countersued. Recently, Spence revealed he had sustained a rib injury during sparring while preparing for the Crawford fight in 2023 and did not spar at all for the final four weeks before the bout. Furthermore, Spence cited his reason for leaving James was that the trainer had guided him as far as he could, and there was no further room for growth and development. James, in his own defense during an interview, noted that he encouraged Spence to postpone the Crawford fight due to the injury, but Spence did not heed the advice, choosing instead to continue training without sparring partners. As of the writing of this article, it is believed their legal disputes remain ongoing. Spence now has a new coach in respected trainer Ronnie Shields, who has guided many world champions. Reports from those training alongside Spence indicate he is motivated and working hard to deliver a spectacular performance, proving to the boxing world that he is back to his old form. The fight against Tszyu was originally supposed to take place at a contracted catchweight of 158 lbs. However, recent reports within the past few days indicate the fight will now be contested at 160 lbs—the middleweight limit. Rumors are also swirling that a major sanctioning organization (WBA, WBC, WBO, or IBF) may name the winner of this Spence vs. Tszyu clash their interim world champion. Tim Tszyu is the son of former Hall of Famer and world champion Kostya Tszyu. To Tim’s credit, he has—in this writer’s opinion—stepped completely out of his famous father’s shadow. Why? When Tim turned professional, many believed he was simply cashing in on his dad's name and would eventually lose once he faced an elite fighter, a fate shared by many sons of former boxing greats. While it is arguable whether Tim is as good as Kostya, he has proven he is his own man. For starters, Kostya Tszyu has largely been absent from his son’s career. Tim won his first 15 professional fights against opponents he was expected to defeat, but he was then matched up against former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn. Though many picked him to lose, Tim scored an eighth-round TKO. The victory showed he was a legitimate fighter capable of winning a world title, which he eventually did. Tim fulfilled his potential in his 22nd fight, defeating former world champion Tony Harrison for the interim WBO title. By his 24th fight, Tszyu was elevated to full WBO champion status and made an impressive defense by earning a unanimous decision victory over Brian Mendoza. Reportedly, million-dollar contracts were being offered to Tszyu, but then, for some reason, things began to go wrong. He defended his title against Sebastian Fundora and lost a split decision—the first defeat of his career—subsequently losing his WBO belt. In that fight, he sustained a deep scalp cut that obscured his vision with blood. His management team then secured a world title fight against then-IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev, who was the betting underdog. Shockingly, Murtazaliev scored a three-round knockout victory over Tszyu while his famous dad looked on from the audience. Tim rebounded by fighting Joey Spencer, scoring a fourth-round knockout, before entering a rematch with Sebastian Fundora. Leaving no doubt as to who the better fighter was, Fundora forced Tim to quit in the seventh round. It was at that time Tszyu’s team likely realized a coaching change was necessary. Former world champion Jeff Fenech was hired as his new coach. Fenech had previously commented publicly on Tszyu's performances, expressing confidence that he could help him. Under Fenech's tutelage, Tszyu is 2-0 and once again on the threshold of securing major bouts. Those "Big Fights" could include a trilogy match with WBC junior middleweight champion Fundora, newly crowned WBA/WBO junior middleweight champion Jaron Ennis, former undisputed champion Jermell Charlo, top contender Vergil Ortiz, or IBF junior middleweight champion Josh Kelly. Both Spence and Tszyu need a victory here to justify matchups against the division's top moneymakers. A draw or a no-contest on July 25 likely wouldn't hurt either career, keeping both men in play for those massive opportunities. However, a loss for either fighter would be devastating, making serious retirement discussions warranted. If the loser chose to continue boxing, he would likely be relegated to a "gatekeeper" role—a veteran whom rising prospects fight to gain experience on their way to a world title shot. As of this writing, there are no reported issues coming out of either Spence’s or Tszyu’s training camps. All signs currently point to an exceptional battle between two former champions on July 25. Let’s hope it delivers, because this matchup will likely be the biggest crossroads fight of 2026. Boxing Notes Boxing reports are WBO jr. welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson who recently signed with Zuffa Boxing will fight former WBA jr. welterweight champion Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela for his first fight after signing with Zuffa Boxing. This Writer think Rayo will beat Shakur in the Boxing Upset of the year for 2026…Devin Haney has been ordered to defend his WBO welterweight title against former WBO lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis who is now the number 1 contender and his mandatory fight. If the Haney and Keyshawn can come to a financial agreement to fight, this Writer picks Haney to not only defeat Keyshawn Davis but to stop him within 9 rounds…The biggest and most lucrative fight in boxing is Canelo vs Benavidez. Canelo asked the WBC for permission and was granted it to fight then WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu in 2022 which was not signed. In 2023 Canelo reportedly challenged then WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack, put wanted the fight him at a “catchweight” of 180 lbs which was 20 lbs below the 200 lbs weight limit, which Badou reportedly refused. So, Canelo’s reason for not wanting to fight David Benavidez because he has fought as high as cruiserweight isn’t a valid reason, especially since Benavidez has expressed a willingness to fight at 175 pounds, which is 5 pounds less than what Canelo wanted Badou Jack to weigh for a proposed fight. The top 3 PPV past fights in boxing are Mayweather vs Pacquioa (4.6million), Mayweather vs Conor McGregor (4.3million), and Mayweather Canelo (2.2million). This writer predicts Canelo vs Benavidez would sell between 5-6 million PPV buys or more. If Canelo wants a $200 million guarantee plus PPV percentage the Investors of a potential Canelo vs Benavidez should give it to him because they will recoup their investment. ***Ralph Rimpell is a writer based out of New York and is a Boxing Correspondent for Philboxing.com. Ralph holds an undergraduate degree from City University of New York. He has been a Boxing Writer for over ten years having written for several top boxing websites on the World Wide Web. Before becoming a writer, Ralph's passion was for professional wrestling until he realized professional wrestling was entertainment and not a real sport. It was at that time the 1984 US Olympic team made up of future stars such as Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, etc. entered the professional ranks and signed with promotional outfit Main Events.It was also at that time a young exciting Heavyweight originally hailing from Brooklyn named Mike Tyson also turned professional and became the face of boxing. Young boxing fan Ralph just couldn't get enough of boxing as a large part of it was being broadcast on "free TV". As time went on, Ralph felt boxing writers were not being forthcoming with their boxing coverage, opinion pieces, interviews, etc. So Ralph decided to write an article and submitted it to a Boxing website thinking it would be deleted and ignored by the Editor. To Ralph's surprise his article was posted on their website and the readers embraced it. The rest is history. "I thank God for the Internet because it has created opportunities for writers like myself who likely would not have been given an opportunity to write for print publications. I hope someday soon to expand my role in Boxing on different levels." -- Ralph Rimpell Contact Writer: RLuvsboxing@aol.com Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ralph Rimpell.  |
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