Veteran trainer says the former unified welterweight champion passed a demanding evaluation and is stronger than before ahead of his comeback against Tim Tszyu
Ronnie Shields believes Errol Spence Jr. will return a better fighter than before despite nearly three years away from the ring. The veteran trainer says Spence passed an intensive evaluation before training camp and is physically ready for his July 25 comeback against Tim Tszyu.
“Everybody is right who say he’s not going to be the same. He’s going to be better. So much better than he ever was,” Shields told Fight Hub TV. “His body is well rested. He feels really good. As you saw today, his punches are fluid, he’s strong, and his defense is looking good.”
Shields said he put Spence through a demanding evaluation and was prepared to tell him the comeback wasn’t worth pursuing if he didn’t like what he saw.
“The first thing I told him was, ‘You’ve been working out, right?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to put you through some hard workouts. It’s not going to be easy. I want six hard rounds, and I’ll determine then if I think we can continue.’ It was no problem.”
“I gave him a whole week,” Shields continued. “I said, ‘If I think you should continue, I’m going to let you know that. If I don’t think you should continue, I’m going to let you know that.’ After the first week, everything went great. He felt good. I put him through some hard workouts, and he was able to handle them.”
Shields also dismissed the idea that Spence had spent the last three years sitting on the sidelines.
“He never stopped working. That’s the thing people don’t understand. They think he was off for three years. No, he wasn’t. He kept on working by himself.”
Spence has not fought since suffering the first defeat of his professional career against Terence Crawford in July 2023. His last victory came against Yordenis Ugas in April 2022, when he unified the WBA, WBC, and IBF welterweight titles. He faces former WBO junior middleweight champion Tszyu in a 158-pound catchweight bout in Sydney, Australia.
Asked how many fights Spence has left, Shields said the former champion isn’t looking beyond Tszyu.
“He said, ‘I just want to prove to myself that I can come back and do my best. That’s what it’s all about.'”
