Regis Prograis believes Errol Spence Jr.’s biggest challenge against Tim Tszyu may not be age, inactivity or the loss to Terence Crawford - it may be motivation.
Spence is set to return on July 25 against Tszyu, but Prograis questions whether the former welterweight champion still has the hunger that once made him one of boxing’s most feared fighters. “If he said that already, one foot out, it’s going to be hard to come back in,” Prograis said. “What makes you fall in love again? What makes you be obsessed with that again?”
Prograis pointed out that Spence has already won titles, made money and earned recognition, which can make a comeback harder mentally. He also warned that fighting only for money is rarely the right reason. “Tim Tszyu, they’re not fighting for a belt,” Prograis said. “Just a lot of money. If you do it for the money, that’s always the wrong reason.”
Still, Prograis has not forgotten how dangerous Spence once was. “The old Errol Spence man was a killer,” he said. “People forget how good Errol Spence really was. Errol was a dog at one point in time.” If that version returns, Prograis believes Spence wins clearly: “If the old Errol comes back, I think I got Errol Spence by a landslide.”
The question is whether that version still exists. Prograis said age eventually takes away reflexes, foot speed and hand speed, even if power remains. Against Tszyu, Spence may be proving boxing still gives him something worth chasing.
Image Credit: PBC