TIM TSZYU DEFEATS ERROL SPENCE JR IN SYDNEY MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT

Tim Tszyu defeated Errol Spence Jr by unanimous decision over 12 rounds at Afterpay Arena in Sydney on Sunday. All three judges scored the bout in Tszyu's favour: 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111. Spence threw more punches during the contest, but Tszyu landed the more telling blows, according to reports. Following the defeat, Spence announced his immediate retirement from boxing.

Tszyu, fighting as a middleweight, restored his standing after three consecutive world-title losses to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev. The bout marked Tszyu's first under trainer Jeff Fenech. Spence, a former unified welterweight champion, had been inactive for three years following his 2023 defeat to Terence Crawford. The American, based in Dallas, Texas, is 35 years old. In his post-fight statement, Spence said: "My money is good, it's working for itself. Everything's good, man. I got a beautiful family. I thank God that I'm leaving this sport with my faculties intact and my family still by my side. It's time to live family life."

Tszyu's victory extended his family's unbeaten record in Australia to 56 fights across three generations. Terence Crawford, the recently retired pound-for-pound champion, attended the bout ringside. Crawford had predicted a Spence victory but later posted on social media that Spence's "reflexes" had diminished. Spence's retirement leaves him with a Hall of Fame record and marks the end of a career that included victories over Shawn Porter, Kell Brook and Danny Garcia.