It turns out that Errol Spence retirement was already in the thinking of the Texan as he readies for a comeback shortly. This is dangerous.
For him.
Some are concerned that he is still slightly slurring his speech in interviews and speaking very slowly.
A possible remanent from the Terence Crawford fight three years ago or possible long term damage from the car crash he was in previously.
Speaking to Shawn Porter he vowed all out war with Tim Tszyu this summer in his comeback and said critics have lit a fire under him.
Crucially he also mentioned that retirement was something he had considered, there’s an old saying, once you are looking at retirement you already have one foot out the door.
This is why it’s dangerous for him:
- Doubt kills commitment. You can’t fight 100% while considering quitting.
- Hesitation gets punished. Tszyu pressures. Any pause becomes damage.
- Ring rust worsens with doubt. Three years off plus mental fog is lethal.
- Confidence is cracked. The Crawford loss planted seeds. Tszyu will test them.
- Killer instinct fades. Retirement thoughts dull the urgency to win exchanges.
- Survival mode kicks in. One hard shot and the mind looks for an exit.
- Camp intensity drops. You don’t suffer in sparring if part of you is done.
- Adversity breaks you faster. Visualizing retirement makes quitting real mid-fight.
- Risk aversion takes over. You stop throwing to avoid getting hit.
- Opponent smells weakness. Tszyu will jump on any sign Spence doesn’t want it.
Let’s see shortly what the Errol Spence Ronnie Shields game plan will be.
They will need a good one, going all the way to Australia as well.
