Former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. is viewed as damaged goods by fans, seen as shot to pieces after his loss to Terence Crawford last July in Las Vegas.
Although it was only one defeat, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) performed so poorly that it leaves people doubting his future at 154 against the top echelon-level fighters in that weight class.
Spence’s excuse that he offered up for his loss to Crawford, blaming it on an eye injury, hasn’t been accepted by fans on social media, who collectively view it as a pathetic attempt at damage control and a very late one.
A Shadow of His Former Self?
One can argue that Spence has looked like a shadow of his former self since his horrifying car crash in late 2019, after crashing at high speed in his expensive Ferrari Spyder, leaving the automobile in a pile of rubble, and his face & body looking mangled.
In Errol’s two fights since then, he’s picked up wins against Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas, looking sluggish and easy to hit in both contests.
The overpowering way Spence had previously fought was gone, and now fought like he was on delay, not responding with the same explosive shots he’d done before his car crash. Spence was no longer throwing as many punches, and he was getting hit a lot more than he ever had before his accident.
It’s hard to know how much the crash took out of Spence, as he’s won two of the three fights he’d had since. No one could fault Errol for losing to Crawford, especially if the excuse about having a preexisting eye injury was true.
If you look at the condition of Spence’s car and that he’s not performed like he once did, you have to assume that he won’t be able to return to his previous form. Like Errol’s high-price Ferrari, which will never be the same, that might also be his situation.
Can He Rise Again?
With Spence’s power, toughness, and renewed dedication, he can turn his career around and defeat Crawford in their rematch when or if that fight happens. Errol has the ingredients to revitalize his career if he can return to what he once was before his car crash.
Spence will have to give up the comforts of his mansion and live the life he had before he was fabulously wealthy with a bank account stuffed with millions. Moving into a shack, riding a bicycle to the gym, dumping the TV, and living a spartan lifestyle might help.