Errol Spence Jr. is training again and looking forward to returning to the ring after suffering a career-threatening retina injury. The two-belt welterweight titleholder says he wants to fight in the first quarter of 2020. Spence makes it clear that he only wants to fight other champions. He will not seek a tune-up fight.
Errol Spence Jr. talks of a fight with newly crowned WBA champion Yordenis Ugas. But the WBA put a damper on these plans when it upheld a ruling that Ugas must defend his title against mandatory challenger, Eimantas Stanionis.
The only other major welterweight belt holder at the 147-pound weight limit is WBO champion, Terence Crawford. The WBO champion first needs to defend against Shawn Porter on November 20. But Crawford has been vocal about his desire to fight Spence over the last couple of years.
Spence’s left eye remains the biggest threat to both of these fights. The injury is at least part of the reason the WBA did not approve Ugas’ request to bypass his mandatory and fight in a unification bout against Spence.
Terence Crawford is also not very optimistic about Spence’s return to the ring. “Who knows if Errol Spence will ever be the same fighter that he once was when he was considered the boogeyman of the division,” Crawford questions.
Errol Spence Injury
Doctors believe Spence’s injury may have happened in October 2019 when he became involved in a dangerous high-speed car crash. The WBC and IBF welterweight champion has fought once more since the accident and won a 12 round unanimous decision against hard-hitting welterweight Danny Garcia.
Errol Spence was all set to fight boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in August. But Spence withdrew from the legacy-defining fight after a routine exam uncovered the previously undetected tear to his retina just two weeks before the boxing match.
Yordenis Ugas agreed to take the fight with Pacquiao on 11 days’ notice. Ugas defeated the eight-division champion to earn the WBA welterweight title.