Former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. retired from boxing Saturday night after losing to Tim Tszyu in his return from a three-year layoff.
Tszyu defeated Spence via unanimous decision (118-110, 117-111, 117-111) in a middleweight bout at Afterpay Arena in Sydney.
"It was a good showing by Tim. I answered a lot of questions about myself," Spence said in his postfight interview. "Now it's time to go home with my family and start a new life.
"My money is good. It's working for itself. Everything's good. ... It's been a great journey for myself. But it's time to be with my family and live that family life."
Spence stepped into the ring for the first time since a ninth-round TKO loss to Terence Crawford in an undisputed welterweight title bout in July 2023.
He moved up two weight classes - from 147 to 160 pounds - for his comeback fight against Tszyu.
The first half of Saturday's main event was competitive and featured several shifts in momentum. But Tszyu controlled the final 18 or so minutes, landing the bigger and harder punches and using pressure to dictate the pace of the contest.
Tszyu, a former WBO junior middleweight champion, is in the midst of a career resurgence after earning his third straight victory. Before his current winning streak, the 31-year-old Sydney native fell into a slump, winning just one of four fights between March 2024 and July 2025.
Spence is one of the greatest welterweights of his generation. The 36-year-old American held the IBF, WBC, and WBA titles and earned six successful defenses before suffering the first loss of his career against Crawford.
Spence retires with a 28-2 professional record with 22 wins by knockout.
