Roy Jones Jr. says he’s going to travel to Dallas, Texas, tomorrow to train inactive former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. He states that he wants to see “where he’s at” to help him potentially come back.
The 35-year-old Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) hasn’t fought since losing a ninth-round knockout against Terence Crawford on July 29, 2023, in Las Vegas. It was a bad loss for Errol, as he was never competitive against the faster, more skilled Crawford.
Last Saturday, Spence was ringside for Vergil Ortiz Jr’s fight against Erickson Lubin at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. After the fight, Vergil Jr., who had knocked out Lubin in the second round, said he was interested in potentially fighting Spence next. It’s a fight that would play out big in Texas because both fighters are from that state.
Jones Wants to “See Where He’s At”
“A lot of people do really love Errol Spence. I’m supposed to go work with him tomorrow,” said Roy Jones Jr. to All The Smoke about his plans to work with Errol Spence. “I’m going to go to Dallas to work with him a little bit. I’ll see where he’s at and where he can get back to.
If the idea is for Spence to train with Roy Jr. and then jump straight into a fight against Ortiz Jr. (24-0, 22 KOs), that sounds like a bad thing to do. It would be viewed as Errol coming back for a paycheck after 2 1/2 years of inactivity, a bad knockout loss, and a terrible car crash.
It sounds like a rotten plan unless Spence is hard up for money. What exactly does Jones Jr. hope to achieve by training Errol? Is this for a full comeback or just rehabilitation? Training Spence for a full comeback against Vergil Ortiz Jr. or one of the 154-lb champions would be the equivalent of sending him to the guillotine.
Spence Was Never the Same After the Crash
There are no words to describe how bad an idea that is. Spence stopped being his former self after his high-speed car crash in October 2019 in Dallas. That crash not only wrecked Spence’s Ferrari, it did something to him.
“I do want to see him get back on his horse and ride again,” said Jones Jr. “Those fans at the fight last weekend [Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas], they want to see him get back on the horse and ride again. So, if I can help him out, I’ll see what I can do.”
Comeback or Cash Grab?
If this is just for Spence to get a big payday against Vergil Jr., it would send a bad message to fans. Even the late George Foreman eased his way back when he’d been retired for a long time. For Spence to come back and fight Vergil Jr. immediately would be sad, especially if he gets knocked out badly by Ortiz Jr.
“I don’t have to be his trainer. I just want to help him get going and see what I can do,” said Roy Jr. about Spence.”If he likes it, cool. Just get back up. We all go through these things. The main thing is, can you get up from it? You’re not judged by how you go down. It’s by how you get up. All of us want to see him get back up.”
Is Spence Jr. physically and mentally ready to return after two years out and a brutal loss to Crawford? Coming back against a bottom feeder at 147 or 154 would be okay for Errol, but not against Vergil Ortiz Jr. That would be foolish and asking for trouble. Obviously, Golden Boy would place it on DAZN PPV.
The fans who purchased the spectacle will be upset when it turns out to be every bit of a mismatch as Spence’s loss to Crawford. If Spence were still in his prime, it would be a great fight. But not after two years of inactivity, a knockout loss, and just a shell of his former self since the 2019 car crash.
If He Fights Again, Start Small
It sounds great that Jones Jr. wants to train Spence, but he should talk some sense to him to persuade him to ease his way back, not just fight Ortiz Jr and get bashed to bits. He’s been out of the ring for too long; he’s in his mid-30s, and he looked poor in his three fights after his 2019 car crash in Dallas.
“If he has just one more fight for the fun of it, say, ‘I’m just going to go out on my shield, I’m going to go out right.’ I’m cool with that, too. I’m going to go out tomorrow and give him a couple of days of work,” said Roy Jones Jr.
Would jumping straight into a Vergil fight be career suicide, or the payday Spence can’t turn down? The money would be excellent for Errol fighting Ortiz Jr. If he’s hurting for dough after two years out of the ring, it’s worth it as long as his trainer is ready to throw in the towel quickly as soon as he starts getting shelled. It depends on how financially needy Errol is.
Errol wouldn’t have to “go out on his shield” if he came back against a lower-level fighter that wasn’t a threat to bashing him.
