Roy Jones Jr. says he will head to Dallas, Texas tomorrow to train inactive former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. He states that he wants to see “where he is” which will assist him potentially come back.
The 35-year-old Spence (28-1, 22 KO) has not fought since his ninth-round knockout defeat to Terence Crawford on July 29, 2023 in Las Vegas. This was a severe loss for Errol, as he had never competed with the faster, more talented Crawford.
Last Saturday, Spence was ringside for the Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Erickson Lubin fight at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. After the fight, Vergil Jr., who knocked out Lubin in the second round, said he was interested in potentially fighting Spence next. This is a fight that would make a gigantic splash in Texas, as both fighters are from the state.
Jones wants to ‘see where he’s at’
“A lot of people really love Errol Spence. I have to go to work with him tomorrow,” Roy Jones Jr. said. All the smoke about his plans to collaborate with Errol Spence. “I’m going to go to Dallas to work with him a little bit. I’ll see where he is and where he can go back to.
If the idea is that Spence will train with Roy Jr. and then go straight into the Ortiz Jr. fight. (24-0, 22 KO), it sounds bad. This would be seen as Errol coming back for a payday after 2.5 years of inactivity, a disastrous knockout loss and a terrible car accident.
This sounds like a bad plan, unless Spence is tiny of money. What exactly did Jones Jr. do? hopes to achieve by training Errol? Is it a full recovery or just rehabilitation? Training Spence for a full return to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. or one of the 154-pound champions would be equivalent to send him to the guillotine.
Spence was never the same after the crash
There are no words to describe how bad an idea this is. Spence stopped being himself after a car accident in October 2019 in Dallas. This accident not only destroyed Spence’s Ferrari, it also did something to it.
“I want to see him get back on the horse and ride again,” Jones Jr. said. “Those fans at the fight last weekend [Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas]they want him to get back on his horse and ride again. So if I can assist him, I’ll see what I can do.”
Comeback or cash grab?
If only Spence were to receive a gigantic payday against Vergil Jr., it would send a bad message to fans. Even the tardy George Foreman returned to work after his long retirement. It would be unhappy if Spence came back and fought Vergil Jr. immediately, especially if he got knocked out badly by Ortiz Jr.
“I don’t have to be his coach. I just want to assist him get going and see what I can do,” Roy Jr. said. about Spence. “If he likes it, fine. Just get up. We all go through it. The most critical thing is can you get up from it? You’re not judged by how you fall. It’s how you get up that counts. We all want to see him get back up.”
Is Spence Jr. Is he physically and mentally ready to return after a two-year break and a brutal defeat against Crawford? A comeback against a bottom seed at 147 or 154 would be fine for Errol, but not against Vergil Ortiz Jr. That would be stupid and asking for trouble. Of course Golden Boy would put it on DAZN PPV.
Fans who bought into the show will be upset to learn that there was not the slightest bit of disagreement between Spence and Crawford. If Spence was still in great shape, this would be a great fight. But not after two years of inactivity, a knockout loss and the remnants of a 2019 car crash.
If he struggles again, start diminutive
It sounds great that Jones Jr. he wants to train Spence, but he needs to talk some sense into him to convince him to ease his way back and not just fight Ortiz Jr. and was blown to pieces. He had been out of the ring for too long; he’s in his 30s and has looked bad in three fights since a 2019 car accident in Dallas.
“If he has one more fight for fun, say, ‘I’ll just go out on my shield, I’ll go out for good.’ That’s fine with me too. I’ll go out tomorrow and give him a couple of days of work,” Roy Jones Jr. said.
Would jumping straight into a fight with Vergil be career suicide, or a payday Spence can’t refuse? The money would be excellent for Errol to fight Ortiz Jr. If he’s strapped for cash after two years out of the ring, it’s worth it, as long as his trainer is willing to quickly throw in the towel as soon as he starts getting hit tough. It depends on how much financial need Errol is in.
Errol wouldn’t have had to “go out on a shield” if he was up against a lower level fighter who posed no threat to him.
Bob Smith wrote for Boxing News 24 since 2008, making him one of the site’s longest-serving contributors. With over a decade of experience, he has established himself as a senior boxing writer who accurately covers the global fight scene.
Bob’s work includes fight reports, news and features featuring world champions and emerging fighters alike, giving fans a clear picture of the sport’s past and present. Known for his consistency, accuracy and deep understanding of boxing, Bob remains a trusted voice for readers who want to stay up to date with global martial arts news.
World Boxing News provides a round-by-round scorecard as Johnny Fisher faces Michael Pirotton at the Copper Box Arena in London.
Fisher and Pirotton collide over ten rounds at heavyweight as Zuffa Boxing stages its latest card in the United Kingdom.
The Romford Bull returns to action with Pirotton standing in his way as the British heavyweight looks to continue his climb.
WBN provides a live scorecard of the contest below, plus live results throughout the event.
Fisher vs Pirotton Scorecard
Johnny Fisher vs Michael Pirotton
(Round-by-round scorecard will refresh every 2 mins)
Heavyweight Copper Box Arena, London 10×3
Round
Fisher
Pirotton
Round 1
10
9
Round 2
10
9
Round 3
9
10
Round 4
9
10
Round 5
10
9
Round 6
10
9
Round 7
10
9
Round 8
10
9
Round 9
10
9
Round 10
10
9
WBN Totals:
98
92
Official Result: FISHER MD – 98-92, 96-95, 95-95
Zuffa Boxing
Preview
Fisher faces Pirotton in the first fight of his lucrative deal with Dana White and Zuffa Boxing.
The Briton enters the contest with a 14-1 record, while Pirotton brings a 12-2 record into the Zuffa Boxing 11 bout.
The event is available live on Sky in the United Kingdom and Paramount+.
The Fisher vs Pirotton event unfolds alongside more live coverage on World Boxing News.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
World Boxing News provides results and updates as Johnny Fisher faces Michael Pirotton on Zuffa Boxing 11 at the Copper Box Arena in London.
Fisher returns to heavyweight action over ten rounds against Pirotton as part of Zuffa Boxing’s latest event in the United Kingdom.
Craig Richards faces Radivoje Kalajdzic at light heavyweight, while Lee Cutler takes on Louis Greene and Cesar Mateo Tapia faces Leo Ruiz at middleweight.
WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.
Results
All times are local BST.
23:41
Johnny Fisher defeated Michael Pirotton by majority decision after ten competitive heavyweight rounds at the Copper Box Arena. WBN scored the fight 98-92 for Fisherwhile the official judges returned scores of 98-92 and 96-95 for Fisher, with the third scoring it 95-95.
22:42
Radivoje Kalajdzic improved to 31-3 with a unanimous decision over Craig Richards, who dropped to 20-5-1 after a good ten-round scrap. Both men had their moments and hurt each other at times before “Hot Rod” got the verdict on the scorecards, which included knocking Richards down for the first time in his career.
21:43
Lee Cutler carded a unanimous decision win over Louis Greene in their ten-round middleweight clash. Judges scorecard 98-92 and 97-93 twice in favor on Cutler, who improves to 17-2.
20:52
Ahead of the three main bouts, Zuffa’s only female fighter, Kayla Allendefeated Edina Kiss via TKO in their super lightweight bout.
20:32
Leo Ruiz overcame Cesar Tapia over 10 rounds at middleweight, scoring a unanimous decision to move to 18-1 as Ruiz Tapia suffered a first loss.
19:29
Alex MacMillan moved to 5-0 with a second-round stoppage of Guillaume Azagier, who went down twice in the opening round and again before the finish at 0:32 of the second.
18:40
Rogelio Romero improved to 7-0 with a third-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Aurel Ignat, ending the cruiserweight contest at 2:12.
18:24
Alexis De la Cerda improved to 10-0 with a unanimous decision over Cain Lewis, taking the eight-round contest 80-72, 79-74 and 79-73.
17:42
Fred Pullen marked his professional debut with a four-round points victory over Leonardo Faretina, who was dropped in the second round.
Remaining Bouts
Johnny Fisher vs. Michael Pirotton — 10 rounds, heavyweight
Craig Richards vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic — 10 rounds, light heavyweight
TV Coverage
The event is available live on Sky in the United Kingdom and Paramount+.
Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
World Boxing News provides results and updates as Liam Davies faces Nathaniel Collins in the main event at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham.
Davies and Collins collide over 12 rounds for the EBU European featherweight title at the top of the Queensberry Promotions card.
Luke McCormack faces Kay Prospere for the vacant British super lightweight title, while Bradley Goldsmith takes on Amir Abubaker for the IBF International middleweight title.
WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.
Results
All times are local BST.
23:11
Gerome Warburton defeated Nathan Heaney for the second time running as the middleweight put an exclamation mark on his first victory.
Heaney walks away from the sport having been an entertainer through a long carer, without reaching the heights of a world title.
22:04
Liam Davies improved to 19-1 after Nathaniel Collins retired at the end of the seventh round due to a cut over his right eye. Collins had also been dropped in the opening round as Davies successfully defended the European featherweight title.
21:22
Bradley Goldsmith improved to 17-1 with a seventh-round stoppage of Amir Abubaker to retain his IBF International middleweight title. Abubaker went down in the fourth and three times in the seventh before the finish at 2:42.
20:10
Lewis Richardson improved to 3-0 with a shutout six-round points victory over Ivan Trofimovich, earning a 60-54 decision.
19:56
Luke McCormack moved to 6-0 and claimed the vacant British super lightweight title with a tenth-round knockout of Kay Prospere, who was counted out after a right uppercut at 1:28.
18:55
Michael Hussain moved to 5-0 with a four-round points victory over Nabil Ahmed, earning a 39-38 decision.
18:11
Nelson Birchall moved to 12-0 with a third-round stoppage of Lewis Morris, who went down before the finish came at 1:12. Lasha Guruli also remained unbeaten at 5-0 after edging Hughie Wilson 77-75 over eight rounds.
17:22
Early action saw John Tom Varey and Reese Lynch claim four-round victories to move to 3-0 and 5-0 respectively.
TV Coverage
DAZN provides full worldwide coverage.
Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
