Terence Crawford Defends Errol Spence Jr.’s No Tune-Up Return

Crawford believes Spence’s training camp and southpaw style will be enough to beat Tim Tszyu despite a three-year layoff.

Terence Crawford believes Errol Spence Jr. made the right decision by returning against Tim Tszyu without taking a tune-up fight. The former four-division champion says a full training camp gives elite fighters everything they need to overcome a lengthy layoff.

“I think Errol is going to do good. I think, you know, his body needed the rest. I think he going to come back with something to prove, and I think his skills is going to take him to the victory,” said Crawford to Fight Hub TV.

“No, I think once you at a certain level, you know, once you in training camp and you sparring and that’s all the sharpness.

“I think the first couple of rounds he’s going to be getting the feel and getting back comfortable in there and everything else is going to fall into place.”

Spence hasn’t fought since suffering the first loss of his career to Crawford in July 2023. Since then, questions have lingered over the long layoff and the wisdom of jumping straight into a dangerous opponent like Tszyu instead of easing back with a lesser challenge.

Crawford believes the work done in camp will be enough to overcome the inactivity. He expects Spence to need only a few rounds to settle before finding his rhythm.

The former four-division champion also likes the matchup itself, arguing that Spence’s style matches up well against Tszyu.

“They got tailor-made styles for each other. I don’t think Tim Tszyu is good with Southpaws,” said Crawford.

“Errol is not going to have to search for him, and he’s not going to have to search for Errol. So, it’s going to make for an exciting fight.”

If Crawford proves correct, Spence’s decision to skip a comeback bout will become a footnote. A strong performance against Tszyu would answer many of the doubts that have followed him throughout his absence.

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