Errol Spence Jr has opened up on how his crushing defeat to Terence Crawford transformed his life outside the ring, admitting he ‘grew up overnight’ in the aftermath of the biggest loss of his career.
Spence entered his undisputed welterweight title clash with Crawford in July 2023 unbeaten and widely regarded as one of the world’s elite fighters. He was, however, comprehensively outboxed and stopped in the ninth round, surrendering his WBC, WBA and IBF titles in a career-defining performance from his long-time rival.
The former unified champion has not fought since, with a proposed return against Sebastian Fundora failing to materialise. He finally makes his comeback this weekend against former WBO super-welterweight champion Tim Tszyu, moving up to middleweight for the first time in his professional career.
Ahead of that bout in an interview with Andre Berto, Spence reflected on how life changed after the Crawford defeat.
“[Life] changed. I was already secluded, but I got more secluded. Like I say, always I hold onto my family. Start travelling with them, experieincing life with them and just enjoying the spoils of my past victories. Just enjoying life.
“I stopped consuming stuff, I stopped going places I used to go to, no more drink and none of that. I cut everything off and basically grew up overnight. I stuck with my family and became a legit grown man. I got more focused on the things that matter.”
The 36-year-old now has the opportunity to begin a new chapter when he faces Tszyu in Sydney, Australia. While victory would immediately thrust him back into the conversation for the biggest fights at 154lbs or 160lbs, Spence’s comments suggest that his priorities have shifted significantly since suffering the first defeat of his professional career.
