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.
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Terence Crawford believes one man will follow in his footsteps and retire as an unbeaten world champion, essentially becoming a generational great in the process.
‘Bud’ became not only a world champion but a three-division undisputed king, ending his career with a legacy-defining unanimous decision triumph over Canelo Alvarez.
Even before that, Crawford was considered an elite pound-for-pound operator for over a decade, with many believing his most complete performance came against Errol Spence Jr in 2023.
But while the American is perhaps in a class of his own, he nonetheless believes that four-division world champion Shakur Stevenson can achieve a similar degree of success.
The 29-year-old claimed a career-best victory in January, losing just one round as he dethroned Teofimo Lopez with a masterful unanimous decision victory.
Having now signed with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, though, it remains to be seen whether he defends his WBO super-lightweight title or pursues opportunities elsewhere.
Either way, Crawford has told Fight Hub TV that Stevenson has the mental and physical attributes to remain unbeaten at the highest level.
“I think Shakur [will take over]for sure, Shakur hands down. I think, given the opportunity, he’s going to show the world that he’s the best. His mental, his defense [sets him apart]takes his craft serious. He’s the type of the fighter that you gotta pull out the gym. [Is he beatable?] Not at all. Everybody [is] beatable, but I don’t see nobody beating him.”
Since inking a promotional deal with Zuffa, Stevenson has named Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis as two potential opponents who would cement his greatness.
The slick southpaw could therefore compete anywhere between lightweight and 147lbs, depending on which division offers the most realistic opportunities.
Oleksandr Usyk has shared his reaction to Anthony Joshua‘s dramatic knockout victory against Kristian Prenga.
Usyk nearly suffered his own shock defeat in May when he was pushed to the limit by kickboxing star Rico Verhoevenand two months on it was nrw teammate Joshua’s turn to come close to a massive upset loss that would have stunned the heavyweight division.
The Brit was dropped twice by massive underdog Prenga in the opening round of their clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but ‘AJ’ managed to recover and record a big knockdown of his own in the second round that resulted in the stoppage victory.
Joshua and Usyk now train together, having famously had two battles for the unified world heavyweight title in 2021 and 2022, and the Ukrainian has had his say on his stablemate’s victory over Prenga.
Speaking to TalkSporttwo-time undisputed champion Usyk praised Joshua, insisting ‘AJ is back’ before predicting that Joshua will now claim a knockout win over long-term rival Tyson Fury in his next bout.
“Anthony Joshua is next undisputed champion. First round it’s a test but AJ is back.
It’s boxing, [the] big upper cut is good, it’s a knockdown. AJ [come] back and win.
“Greedy Belly [Fury] will speak now and say weak chin, Greedy Belly get out. AJ wins [against Fury], [he will] knock him out.”
Fury was victorious on Friday as he earned a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach in Thailand, paving the way for the showdown against Joshua later this year.
Jake Paul was the last man to fight Anthony Joshua and he has now revealed his verdict on AJ’s chaotic victory over Kristian Prenga.
Joshua went up against Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturdayin a clash that was expected to be a comfortable win for the former world heavyweight champion in order to set up the long overdue battle against Tyson Fury.
Any hopes of seeing that clash were nearly ended after AJ was dropped twice in the opening round of the bout, though he was able to recover and claim the second round knockout to come out on top and prevent a stunning shock upset from taking place.
Saturday’s outing saw Joshua back in the ring for the first time since his sixth round triumph over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul back in Decemberand now ‘The Problem Child’ himself has shared his reaction to his former rival’s victory over Prenga.
Posting on social mediaPaul praised AJ for earning the win, after returning to action following the tragic car crash he was involved in at the end of last year which took the lives of his two close friends.
“Happy for Joshua with that win after all he’s been through. Remembering Sina and Latz with this one.”
Happy for Joshua with that win after all he’s been through.
Remembering Sina and Latz with this one.
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) July 25, 2026
The win for Joshua should now tee up for meeting with Fury later this year, after ‘The Gypsy King’ held up his end of the bargain by also securing a win in his warm-up bout on Friday, securing a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach.
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