Mike Tyson has offered words of encouragement to Errol Spence Jr., advising the former welterweight champion to bounce back from his loss to Terence Crawford by stepping back into the ring. Spence, 34, has been out of action since his ninth-round TKO defeat to Crawford at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in July 2023. The bout saw Spence suffer three knockdowns and a prolonged beating, as Crawford secured his place as the first undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt era.
Tyson, a former undisputed heavyweight champion, emphasized that a loss to a fighter of Crawford's caliber should not deter Spence from continuing his career. “The sky's the limit, man. That doesn't mean nothing,” Tyson said on the Come And Talk To Me podcast. “A loss to somebody like that means nothing. He can still make a lot of money if he returns.”
While discussions of a rematch between Crawford and Spence were underway, those plans were derailed due to Spence undergoing cataract surgery on his right eye. With the rematch off the table, Crawford moved up to junior middleweight, where he defeated Israil Madrimov to capture the WBA title. Despite the setback, Spence has several options, including a move to 154 pounds to challenge WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora, or even a jump to 160 to face middleweight champions like Erislandy Lara, Carlos Adames, or Janibek Alimkhanuly.
Tyson voiced his frustration with modern fighters who become discouraged after their first loss, stressing the importance of resilience in both life and boxing. “That's what life's about. You just don't get discouraged. Fighting emulates life. In life, we're gonna lose whatever. You'll lose your job, you'll lose your mother, lose your teeth, lose your hair and gotta continue to live and to navigate.”
Tyson also highlighted the business side of boxing, encouraging fighters to help each other make money and support their families. “Spence and Crawford fought and now they went to their separate banks happy. We're taking care of our families now. We’re doing better than we did before we had to fight. I look at it as business. This is business.”
Read here about Errol Spence’s career.
Image Credit: DAZN