Tim Bradley says it’s a bad idea for Errol Spence Jr. to come out of retirement to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr. next. He believes that with neurological symptoms, the 35-year-old former unified welterweight champion Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) showed in his fight against Terence Crawford two years ago in 2023, he would have no chance of beating Vergil Jr.
Physically, Spence looked off in his three fights since his car crash in 2019. He made things worse by staying out of the ring for long periods in between fights.
Spence’s inactivity since 2019
- Shawn Porter in September 2019 to Danny Garcia [December 2020]: 14 months
- Danny Garcia [December 2020] to Yordenis Ugas [April 2022]: 16 months
- Yordenis Ugas [April 2022] to Terence Crawford [July 2023]: 15 months
Spence reportedly has a net worth of $15 million, which is a lot less than that of current young fighters like Ryan Garcia. A clash against Vergil Jr. would pay well if Turki Alalshikh were involved.
“I’m hearing Spence is [coming out of retirement]. Errol Spence, don’t come back unless you need the money. You don’t need that. you don’t need boxing. You’ve done enough already,” said Tim Bradley on his channel, reacting to the rumors of former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. coming out of retirement.
It’s understandable why Spence would want to return to the ring now. He’s likely taken notice of the money that Turki Alalshikh has been paying fighters, and wants to get in on the action too. A comeback fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. might pay even better than his last one against Terence Crawford in 2023. Errol carried that promotion as the major star, as Crawford wasn’t as popular than compared to now, thanks to Turki.
“Ultimately, it’s going to be your decision, like Manny Pacquiao, and everyone else, coming out of the woodwork, looking for that Turki money. If you need the money, I understand it, but for your health,” said Bradley. “We’re no fool. We saw your gate, meaning your nervous system, the way it was before you fought Crawford.”
Spence was a millionaire from his fight against Crawford. Unless he’s been blowing money in the two years he’s been out of the ring, he should still be quite wealthy with more than enough dough to live the remainder of his life in comfort in Texas. He bought a large 60-acre ranch in Desoto, Texas, after his car crash following his fight against Shawn Porter in 2019.
“That don’t go away. You can hold that off for a minute, but that’s going to come right back,” said Tim about Spence’s neurological problems. “You’re probably feeling good, walking around, training and stuff, taking care of yourself. Keep it that way because if you get in the ring with Vergil Ortiz, that ain’t good, man. He’s going to turn your a** into some chicken nuggets. That man ain’t nothing to play with, man.”
It would a bad move for Errol to come back and jump straight into a dangerous fight against WBC junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. without a tune-up. Even with one or two warm-up fights, going up against the 27-year-old Ortiz Jr. would be a risky move for Spence. If he were in his mid to late 20s, fighting Vergil Jr. wouldn’t be a problem, and he would likely outgun him with his power. But at 35, it’s not a good fight that would end well for Errol.
“I know you were the big fish. You’re no longer the big fish, bro. You might be one of those guppies, man, but you ain’t no big fish no more,” said Bradley about Errol. “Don’t be trying to come back, wearing your heart on your sleeve, trying to prove things to everybody that you don’t need no tune-up. If you’re going to come back, you better do it right. Get yourself a tune-up. Absolutely. Do it that way.”
Spence has never been the type to take tune-ups after his long breaks from the ring since 2019. For his last three fights, he was out of action for over a year, and his performance levels appeared to drop from each fight to the point where he looked like a faded shell for his bout against Crawford in 2023. Some fans blame Errol’s physical deterioration on the delayed effect of his car crash in October 2019. However, the inactivity, weight gain in between fights, and not living the life by staying in shape.
“If you come back and fight Vergil Ortiz, for sure, I’m putting money on Vergil Ortiz. He’s going to stop you, Spence. I promise you,” said Bradley.
It would be a tougher fight for Spence to come back at 35 to face Vergil Jr. than his last bout against Terence Crawford. Ortiz Jr. is a lot younger, hits harder than Bud, and would be applying nonstop pressure against Spence. He hasn’t fought anyone like that since his clash against Shawn Porter six years ago in 2019. Ortiz Jr. is a bigger puncher and would be throwing many more shots than Porter did.
Last Updated on 07/31/2025
Read the full article here