Dirrell questions whether Spence should return from a three-year layoff against a pressure fighter like Tszyu
Andre Dirrell believes Errol Spence Jr. is taking a dangerous risk by returning against Tim Tszyu after nearly three years out of the ring. Dirrell questioned whether Tszyu’s pressure style is the right type of fight for Spence’s comeback on July 25 in Australia.
Dirrell questioned whether Tszyu is the right opponent for a comeback after such a long absence.
“Listen, it’s Tim Tszyu, man. We all know he’s a tough cookie,” Dirrell said during an interview with Fighthype. “That kind of fight deserves the right kind of comeback.”
Dirrell said Tszyu’s aggressive style could force Spence into the type of physical fight that becomes dangerous for a veteran returning after years away from the ring.
“Both fighters are going to get beat up a little bit,” Dirrell said. “My question is, how is Errol going to come out of this?”
The former super middleweight champion also pointed to the punishment Spence absorbed against Crawford, along with the years of wear already on his body from previous fights and his 2019 Ferrari crash, where Spence survived a violent rollover accident in Dallas.
“His brain remembers the kind of punishment he took,” Dirrell said while discussing Spence’s loss to Crawford. “When he get in there, and he take them shots, whether he thinks he’s ready for it or not, his training might not be.”
Tszyu enters the fight as the younger and more active fighter. Although he has losses to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev, many fans still view him as one of the division’s hardest punchers and most physical pressure fighters.
Dirrell admitted he still hopes Spence can return successfully, but questioned whether the former unified welterweight champion even needed to come back at all.
“He should have been comfortable with hanging it up right now,” Dirrell said. “He didn’t need a win to sail off into the sunset.”
