Errol Spence Jr returns to the ring for the first time in three years this month, facing Tim Tszyu in Sydney, Australia.

The former unified welterweight world champion has been inactive since his defeat to Terence Crawford in 2023, leading many to think that retirement was on the cards, particularly when a reported fight with Sebastian Fundora came to nothing.

Tszyu, meanwhile, comes into the contest with some momentum on his side after rebuilding from successive defeats to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev. The Australian has since outpointed Anthony Velazquez and Denis Nurja, and now has the opportunity to claim the biggest win of his career on home soil.

When the bout was agreed in May, it was announced with a 158lb catchweight.

Ahead of landing in Australia, Spence requested to bump the weight up to the middleweight limit of 160lbs, and Tszyu’s team accommodated it. The last-minute nature of the change led to speculation that Spence has struggled to cut weight. Asked by Fight Hub TV for the reason behind his request, however, and he played it down.

“It wasn’t no reason, I was like ‘why fight at 158 when we might as well fight at the weight limit, 160?’ Why not?”

It will be the highest weight of both men’s professional careers, with Tszyu previously holding the WBO belt at super-welterweight. Should Spence emerge victorious, a drop down to 154lbs could still be on the cards, as major fights against the likes of Fundora, Vergil Ortiz Jr and Jaron Ennis remain available.

First, however, he must come through what is one of the tougher comeback assignments against an aggressive operator like Tszyu.

“Because Chris Eubank Jr. was like 37 years old. You get old overnight. And he has to dehydrate down to a weight division that doesn’t suit him,” said Mora to Chris Mannix’s channel. That takes away your legs, it saps your strength, and that’s the reason he didn’t look so strong. “And then with Benn, it has to be the PEDs, man.

“His body didn’t look as ripped. It didn’t look as muscular. You got that with a lot of fighters, whether they’re male or female, once they lose that extra boost of cheating. The proof is in the pudding. They don’t look that good because they’re not putting in their body what used to be the goods. They used to be powerful. They used to be explosive. They used to be able to take a punch a lot better. That’s not there anymore.”

Benn tested positive for the banned substance clomifene in 2022, forcing the cancellation of his scheduled bout with Eubank Jr. He has since returned to the ring and has repeatedly maintained his innocence, eventually receiving clearance to resume boxing.

Mora said he’s willing to change his opinion if Benn begins producing the kind of knockout performances that defined the early part of his career while continuing to pass drug tests.

“If he can go back to knocking people out like he did Algieri, like he was knocking out everybody, now when he’s passing all the tests, then one, I will apologize,” said Mora. Then he can maybe get all the haters on board and start to say, ‘Okay, that’s what I can get behind.’ But for now, if we’re questioning it, it’s because of the obvious.”

Mora’s comments leave little doubt about how he views the matchup. He believes Benn has lost the explosiveness that once made him one of the division’s most dangerous punchers, while Ryan is entering the fight at the peak of his career. If Benn proves capable of rediscovering that knockout power while continuing to pass drug tests, Mora says he’ll gladly admit he was wrong.

After DAZN Boxing posted footage of Haney working the heavy bag, Garcia focused on what he saw as a noticeably bigger physique, joking that the former two-division world champion looked ready for another weight class.

“Wow looks like he’s moving up to 154 😂😂 he put on size pretty quick…. Didn’t he?” Garcia wrote on X.

The comment came in response to a shirtless Haney training video that showed him looking more muscular than in recent appearances. Haney has been back in the gym while negotiations continue for a potential fight against Shakur Stevenson, and Ryan wasted little time turning the footage into another opportunity to needle his longtime rival.

Ryan and Haney have continued trading trash talk long after their April 2024 bout. Although Garcia dropped Haney three times on his way to a majority decision victory, the result was later overturned to a no contest after Garcia tested positive for the banned substance ostarine. The rivalry has remained active on social media ever since, with both fighters regularly taking aim at one another.

Ryan’s latest remark also touched on Haney’s physical transformation. Haney has competed as high as welterweight and has spoken about no longer draining himself to make lightweight, but Ryan suggested the added muscle makes him look more like a junior middleweight than a 147-pound fighter.

Haney has not responded publicly to Ryan’s post. His attention remains on preparing for what many expect to be a high-profile clash with Shakur, while Garcia continues to monitor his former opponent from afar and seize every opportunity to keep their rivalry in the spotlight.

Haney sharpening the tools ahead of a comeback

How does a potential fight with Shakur go? 💭

🎥 @Realdevinhaney pic.twitter.com/L6aShiPbi1

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) July 16, 2026

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Last Updated on 2026/07/16 at 2:03 PM