Errol Spence Admits Improved Focus Since Crash, Eye Injury, ‘I Have New Sense Of Hunger’

Errol Spence Jr. is embracing the second lease on his life and boxing career. 

Spence has survived an uneven series of events following a spirited split decision win against Shawn Porter on Sept. 28, 2019. Spence was the IBF welterweight champion at the time and picked up Porter’s WBC crown with the win. 

On Oct. 10, 2019, the fighter was seriously hurt in a near-fatal crash of his Ferrari. He would later recall that the following three weeks were lost from his memory bank altogether. Spence suffered facial lacerations and lost teeth but did not break any bones in the accident.

Spence resumed his career Dec. 5, 2020 and scored a unanimous decision against Danny Garcia. Spence said that he was fighting at just 75 to 80% of his capabilities during the encounter.

The win set-up Spence for a potential star-making performance against Manny Pacquiao for a fight scheduled last year on Aug. 21, but on Aug. 10, Spence was forced to pull out of the fight when it was discovered he had suffered a torn left retina. 

Instead, Yordenis Ugas stepped in as a late-replacement opponent and pulled off the upset of the since-retired Filipino legend and secured the WBA welterweight title. 

The DeSoto, Texas native Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) has again rebounded from a career-altering injury and will return to the ring April 16 for a homecoming Showtime pay per view bout against Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Despite the series of setbacks and having fought only once in nearly 2 ½ years, Spence feels he’s ready for yet another championship unification match. 

“I feel my focus is a lot better than before the crash and the eye injury,” Spence told Boxing Junkie. “I feel like that gave me a new sense of hunger. I just feel like before I won the world title, keeping that focus, that drive, being in the gym, working hard.

“Everything has been basically focused on boxing and my family. I feel 100%, especially mentally … I’m a firm believer that stuff happens for a reason. It’s how you react to it. There are cons to everything. There are pros, too. It just depends on how you take it. It was more rest for me. It got me back in the gym, focused, training hard.

“… Some people might be furious, angry. If you’re furious or angry, you still got the problem. You might as well change your perspective so it can be to your benefit.”

Spence is not crying over spilled milk that Ugas seized an opportunity that could have been his.

He said if he would’ve fought Pacquiao, he probably would’ve been blind and lost his career. 

“Yeah, I was disappointed,” said Spence. “I feel like basically that [Pacquiao] was aligned for me and I missed the opportunity. I couldn’t dwell on it, though. It happened for a reason. [Ugas] won the fight and now I’m fighting the guy who beat Pacquiao.

“It’ll still come full circle for me. I’ll just to have to win in impressive fashion so that people will say, ‘If he would’ve fought Pacquiao, he would’ve destroyed him.’

“Some fighters – some people – don’t appreciate what they have until they almost lose it. I definitely appreciate it more knowing that it can be taken away from you at any moment.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com