The Needle Just Went Up A Notch
Right then, the Spence vs Tszyu build-up has found its spark. Tszyu and his promoter sat waiting in a Sydney studio for a scheduled virtual face-off, the cameras rolling on Australian telly — and Spence never dialled in. Tszyu, never one to swallow it, promptly branded the American a ‘diva’. Let’s not beat around the bush: that’s a bad look for a man returning from three years out.
Spence: The Great Unknown
Make no mistake, Spence at his best was a monster — a unified welterweight king and one of the finest body-punchers of his era. But ‘at his best’ is doing heavy lifting there. This is his first fight since the Terence Crawford stoppage that took his belts and, by his own choosing, he’s coming back cold with no tune-up. Skipping a warm-up after that long away is a proper gamble, and skipping media duties on top of it tells you the camp is either supremely confident or a little bit off. I’m not sure which worries me more.
Tszyu: Rebuilt And Ravenous
Tszyu has done this the hard way. After the razor-thin Fundora defeat he could have wilted; instead he’s rebuilt, brick by brick, and he arrives on home soil with nothing to lose and a point to prove. He’s a pressure fighter with a lovely dig to the body of his own, and the son of Kostya knows exactly how to drag a ring-rusty man into deep, uncomfortable rounds.
The Fight Behind The Trash Talk
Face-off no-shows are noise. The fight itself hinges on one question: how much does Spence have left after three years and a brutal loss? If the reflexes and the body work are intact, his class beats Tszyu comfortably. If there’s even a yard gone, Tszyu’s relentless pressure in front of a raucous Sydney crowd is the perfect storm.
My Prediction
I won’t hedge. Ring rust is undefeated, and three years out with no tune-up against a fresh, hungry pressure fighter on his own patch is asking an awful lot. I lean Tszyu — I think he makes it a war, breaks Spence down in the second half and gets a late stoppage or a clear decision. I’d love to be proven wrong by vintage Spence, but the head says Tszyu on July 25.