Spence was outmuscled by Tszyu during his middleweight debut, getting outlanded 190 to 157 en route to a unanimous decision defeat. Spence was fighting for the first time since suffering a one-sided stoppage loss against Terence Crawford three years ago.

Crawford was ringside for the occasion at Afterpay Arena in Sydney and openly supported his former rival. During the fight, Crawford shared his thoughts on social media by saying Spence's reflexes were gone and that his body language didn't look good.

"He just didn't have it. From the jump, you can tell that his balance was off. He was reaching," Crawford later told Marcos Villegas of FightHub TV. "He didn't take the punches well. He was slow. Like, you can just tell that Tim was fresher.

"Tim did what Tim had to do to get the victory. He was patient. He went well to the body and threw the right hand and landed when he had to. He got the job done. "[It was] kind of [hard for me to watch]. You know, I really wanted Spence to do real well. He did what he had to do to finish the fight, though.

"He's been in a lot of wars. With his fighting style, comes forward, takes some punishment, dishes out some punishment, and tries to break somebody down – that type of style can only go so far."

Spence (28-2, 22 KOs) was a top pound-for-pounder during his heyday. And one can only imagine how much more he could've accomplished if it weren't for a near-fatal car crash in 2019 and a detached retina in 2021. The one-sided beating Spence absorbed from Crawford also abbreviated the last chapter of his career.

Spence, a 36-year-old from DeSoto, Texas, retired as a former three-belt welterweight champion over a 14-year career that kicked off after he competed in the 2012 Olympics for the United States.

Spence's notable wins were against Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Kell Brook, Yordenis Ugas, Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson.

“I answered a lot of questions for myself, and now it’s time to go home with my family and start a new life," Spence said. "I’ve got my faculties intact, and my money is working for itself. I’m thankful to leave this sport with my family by my side.”