Tim Tszyu Outpoints Errol Spence Jr. and Sends Legend Into Retirement: Video Highlights
By Real Combat Media Boxing Editorial Staff
Sydney, Australia, (July 26th, 2026)–Tim Tszyu closed the book on Errol Spence Jr.’s Hall of Fame career on Sunday, out-landing and out-working the American across twelve rounds to take a lopsided unanimous decision in a 160-pound crossroads clash headlining a Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view from Afterpay Arena. Moments after the cards were read, Spence announced his retirement in the ring.
The bout was contested at a full middleweight limit after Spence requested the increase from an original 158-pound catchweight during fight week, with Tszyu accepting the new terms. Both men weighed in at 159 pounds. It was Spence’s first fight since a ninth-round stoppage loss to Terence Crawford in July 2023, a 1,093-day absence from the ring, and it asked him to jump two full weight classes north of the welterweight division he ruled for six years.
Spence looked sharp early and found real success working Tszyu’s body, but the layoff and the added weight caught up with him as the fight wore on. Tszyu, fighting in front of his home fans and working behind a jab and a heavy right hand, gradually broke down Spence’s activity and wobbled him multiple times over the second half of the fight. CompuBox had Tszyu out-landing Spence 190 to 157 in total punches, including a 174-to-126 edge in power shots. Spence answered with a spirited eleventh round, arguably his best of the night, but had nothing left to offer in the twelfth. All three judges saw it clearly for the Australian, who improves to 28-3: 118-110, 117-111, and 117-111.
Full Fight Card Results
Middleweight: Tim Tszyu def. Errol Spence Jr. by unanimous decision (118-110, 117-111, 117-111)
Lightweight: Ahmad Reda def. Paul Fleming by unanimous decision (99-91, 97-93, 96-94)
Light Heavyweight (IBF Pan Pacific Title): Paulo Aokuso def. Luis Antonio Tejeda by KO, Round 10
Middleweight: Callum Peters def. Ivan Actis by TKO, Round 7
Bantamweight: Tina Rahimi def. Sacha Ryan Dryden by unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 39-37)
Heavyweight: Brandon Grach def. Ike Pluto by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 48-46)
The card absorbed two late cancellations in fight week. Jermall Charlo’s fight with Koen Mazoudier was pulled after Charlo was denied a visa, and the scheduled co-main between Stephen Fulton Jr. and Liam Wilson was scrapped on fight morning after Fulton missed the 133-pound catchweight by 6.5 pounds. Aokuso vs. Tejeda was promoted to fill the co-main slot, with Aokuso stopping Tejeda in the tenth to claim the vacant IBF Pan Pacific light heavyweight title.
Spence Retires in the Ring After Sydney Defeat
Spence didn’t hedge when it was put to him directly in the post-fight interview. He congratulated Tszyu and his trainer Jeff Fenech, called it “a good showing by Tim,” and said it was time to go home and “start a new life” with his family. Asked to confirm that meant retirement, he was direct: his health, his money, and his family were all intact, and that was enough.
Spence leaves the sport with a 28-2 record and 22 knockouts, a six-year run atop the welterweight division, and wins over a string of top contenders. He’s walking away, by his own account, with his health and his family intact, closing a nearly 14-year professional career on his own terms rather than someone else’s.
Tszyu Eyes a World Title at 160
For Tszyu, beating a fighter of Spence’s pedigree at a new weight class is the signature win of a career that had been trending the wrong direction after back-to-back-to-back losses. He told reporters afterward that beating a great one like Spence “tops any world title for me,” while also making clear he intends to chase a middleweight title next. It’s a considerable jump for a fighter who made his name at 154 pounds, but Sunday’s performance, patient in the trenches, heavy in the pocket, and never rattled by Spence’s early work, suggests he belongs there.
Final Word
There’s a version of this story where Spence takes a beating he doesn’t need at 36 years old, three years removed from action, two weight classes north of where he built his name. That’s not what happened. He competed, he had real moments, and when the scorecards came back one-sided he had the clarity to call it right there in the ring instead of chasing a rematch he didn’t need. That’s not always how these stories end, and it’s worth saying so.
Watch
Errol Spence Jr. vs. Tim Tszyu, Fight Highlights
Errol Spence Jr. vs. Tim Tszyu, Additional Highlights
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