Terence Crawford has publicly supported Errol Spence Jr., his former rival, as Spence Jr. prepares for a comeback fight against Tim Tszyu on July 25 in Australia, posting a message of encouragement on X that caught attention across the boxing world.
“Good seeing you back out there. Get to it, I’ll be there supporting.”
Crawford stopped Spence in nine rounds in July 2023 to claim the WBC, IBF, and WBA welterweight titles in a result that sent shockwaves through the sport. Many had expected Spence to win and become the undisputed champion in that fight. Instead, Crawford took the belts and went on to become a three-division undisputed king by defeating Canelo Alvarez last September before announcing his retirement in December.
Spence has not competed since that defeat. His return against Tszyu is scheduled at super welterweight (154 pounds), giving him an additional 7 pounds to work with as he attempts to reinvent himself as a contender in a new division.
Tszyu finds himself in a similar rebuilding position. He has not recorded a meaningful victory since outpointing Brian Mendoza in 2023, with back-to-back defeats to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev having pushed him away from the world title picture.