“I know what you’re made of. Of course. But when it comes to fight night, all the plans, as Mike Tyson once said, ‘When you get hit, all your plans change.’ So that’s what it is. We shall see,” said Tszyu to Premier Boxing Champions.
Tszyu stressed that he wasn’t questioning Spence’s accomplishments. Instead, he said the lengthy layoff makes it impossible for anyone to know what the former unified welterweight champion has left.
“I’m not saying it in a disrespectful way, am I? I respect what you’ve done in your career, but you haven’t had a fight in three years. How can I say that?” said Tszyu.
Spence hasn’t fought in three years, returning against Tszyu after a lengthy absence from the ring.
Although he acknowledged that many fans have doubts about his comeback, he showed no hesitation in confronting Tszyu.
When Tszyu reiterated that nobody can know how the layoff will affect him until fight night, Spence responded with a playful challenge.
“Do you want to spar today?” Spence asked.
Tszyu didn’t hesitate.
“Let’s go,” he replied, drawing laughter from those on stage before the conversation quickly returned to the upcoming fight.
Spence later admitted he knows many fans are questioning what version of him will return after three years away.
“People got questions. How’s Errol Spence going to show up? Is he 60 percent? 70 percent? Is he still good?”
Rather than taking a tune-up, Spence chose to return against Tszyu in Australia, making his first fight back one of the riskiest comeback assignments in boxing.
For Tszyu, though, all the speculation ends once the opening bell rings.
As Tyson famously put it, every fighter has a plan until they get hit. Tszyu believes Spence’s comeback will be no different.
The fight headlines a PBC pay-per-view card on July 25 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia.
Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs) enters the bout after back-to-back unanimous decision victories over Anthony Velazquez and Denis Nurja, rebuilding momentum following his July 2025 loss to Sebastian Fundora. The former WBO junior middleweight champion will be fighting in front of his home fans against one of the biggest names of the previous generation.
Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) returns to the ring against Tszyu after a three-year absence.
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