SYDNEY — Errol Spence Jr. hasn't thrown a competitive punch in three years, but he's made his intentions clear before ever entering the ring. Twice now, Spence has walked past Tim Tszyu's outstretched hand without a glance, first at the announcement press conference in Las Vegas back in May and again at Tuesday's Grand Arrivals in front of the Sydney Opera House. Spence has treated the build-up like business, not theater. "I'm not here to shake and hug my opponents," he said after the first snub in May. "I'm coming into his hometown. He said he's coming to destroy me, knock me out and retire me. I'm coming to beat him and show him he's not up to anything of my pedigree." Then on Tuesday, Spence doubled down: "He knows what it is. He's said stuff about breaking my eye and stuff like that and then wants to shake my hand. You said what you said, now stand on it."
No Limit Boxing
Errol Spence Jr. speaks with Shawn Porter Jr. and the fellow media members ahead of Saturday's fight.
Tszyu brushed it off. "There's nothing personal from me," he said. "This is such a big moment in my life, so I'm just taking it with both hands. I just want to do some damage and get myself to the next level. This is what it takes."
That's the mood heading into Saturday's card at Afterpay Arena, where Spence returns from a three-year layoff to face Tszyu in a 12-round middleweight fight. Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) hasn't fought since Terence Crawford stopped him in the ninth round in July 2023, costing him his undisputed welterweight titles. Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs) enters on a two-fight winning streak, decisions over Anthony Velazquez and Denis Nurja, after getting stopped twice by Sebastian Fundora and once by Bakhram Murtazaliev.
No Limit Boxing
Tim Tszyu on the red carpet at Tuesday's Grand Arrivals in Sydney.
The fight almost didn't happen at this weight. Spence and Tszyu originally agreed to a 158-pound catchweight in May, a compromise between Spence's push for 160 and Tszyu's preference to stay closer to 154. Eleven days out, Spence asked for the extra two pounds anyway, and Tszyu's team agreed. Tszyu made it official this week, saying he's done with junior middleweight for good. "I will be moving to middleweight, and this is my first fight at middleweight," Tszyu said. "I've been doing this for 10 years, you grow and get bigger, and this is the first time I'm coming into fight week feeling like I've got blood in my brain."
That confidence traces partly to a coaching change. Tszyu parted ways with longtime trainer Pedro Diaz and brought in Australian boxing Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech to sharpen his inside fighting, his fingerprints already showing up in sparring footage out of Sydney. Spence has made a change of his own, parting ways with longtime trainer Derrick James and entering camp under Ronnie Shields for the first time in his comeback build-up.
There's real career stakes here too. A win puts Tszyu in line for a shot at Erislandy Lara's WBA middleweight title. For Spence, at 36 and three years removed from his last fight, this is close to finding out whether there's anything left at the elite level. Two former world champions have already called it a lose-and-you're-done fight for whoever comes up short Saturday.
No Limit Boxing
Spence and Tszyu face off at Tuesday's Grand Arrivals in Sydney.
The card lost a name this week. Jermall Charlo was pulled from his bout with Koen Mazoudier after Australian immigration denied him a visa over past legal issues, including a 2022 assault arrest and a 2024 DWI charge. No replacement has been named. The rest of the undercard is intact: Stephen Fulton defends his standing in a WBA super featherweight title eliminator against Liam Wilson in the co-main event, Ahmad Reda meets Paul Fleming over 10 rounds at lightweight, and Callum Peters faces Ivan Actis over 10 rounds at middleweight.
Saturday's main card airs on PBC pay-per-view via Prime Video and DAZN, broadcast starting 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET.