Throughout his career, Errol Spence Jr. has been known for dishing out punishment rather than being the one who has to take it. That all changed on one fateful night on July 29th, when he faced Terence Crawford and got the worse end of the stick.
The bout saw Crawford stop Spence in the ninth round, and become a cultural icon, whereas the 33-year-old, Spence left the ring looking like he'd been involved in the battle at bull run. Spence's appearance and demeanor after the bout was a stark departure from what we have grown accustomed to.
After the fight, Spence proclaimed he'd be back - yet bloodied and bruised, Spence wore the wounds of war on his face. Spence was clear he wanted a rematch, as we sit with our hands folded waiting for announcement as Spence has thirty days after July 29th to enact the rematch clause in the fight.
Spence's team, who trains with his coach, Derrick James recently spoke to BoxingScene.com and explained that he doesn't think Errol Spence should retire, a popular thought after the damage down to Spence in that fight. Charlo is prepping for his own mega-fight against Canelo Alvarez on September 30th, on Showtime pay-per-view, as well.
"Nah, I don't think Errol should retire," Charlo expressed to BoxingScene.com.
The idea of an immediate rematch has divided some in the boxing realm. As Spence would be fighting rather quickly after a potential career-altering beating. Some have gone as far to say Crawford knocked the hall-of-fame out of Spence, but standing firmly in opposition to the retirement of Spence is Jermell Charlo.
"Errol ain't gonna retire. He's down for the fight," Charlo affirmed, showcasing unwavering faith in his teammate's resilience when asked.
The reasoning for retirement talks around Spence Jr.'s career dates back to 2019 when Spence Jr was involved in a bad car accident that caused facial injuries. Prior to his ill-fated fight with Manny Pacquiao, it was discovered that Spence had a torn retina, furthering speculation about the damage he had taken.
Now we wait. As Spence has the right to rematch Crawford, the public now looks on with judgment as the consumer.
It appears clear that Spence's team has faith that he can return to what he once was, and are going to offer public supporter throughout his endeavors.
