Errol Spence Jr. has virtually dropped out of the public eye since being defeated handily by Terence “Bud” Crawford. The former unified welterweight champion resurfaced on social media, bearing a bandaged eye from fresh cataract surgery.
The brutal one-sided affair happened six months ago, but now Spence is hinting that he was suffering from the eye affliction before that fight. On Monday, Spence gave a rare peek into his life in a video on his Instagram that showed him in a wheelchair and wearing an eye patch over his right eye.
“Had to get cataract surgery.. it’s been past due s**t was covering my eye.”
The cataracts were so bad that he required surgery, but is Errol making excuses for being wholly outclassed by Crawford?
Oh Really?
That’s not to diminish the stifling effect a cataract can have, especially for a fighter. According to the Mayo Clinic, “a cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, which is typically clear. For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window.”
Or, in Errol’s own words:
“Why you think I got hit with so many jabs n hooks. Still a great performance by bro,” Spence posted on his Instagram story.
He also admitted that he ‘didn’t live exactly like a boxer’ in the lead-up to his Crawford showdown.
“All that said you can kill the retire sht tho .. yea I got my a* beat sh*t was past due I didn’t live exactly like a boxer for the most part lol,” Spence said on ‘X.’
Terence Crawford heard the noise and replied simply, “No comment.”
Wise man, Bud.
You Need More People
The fan fallout was swift and showed a polarized audience of those happy to know he is not retiring and others who felt that he was making excuses for this last performance.
“Champ you really expect us to believe you had a whole cataract camp filled with sparring and was cleared to fight Bud but not Pacman and that everybody in your camp agreed that it was smart for you go into your biggest fight weight drained with a cataract?” one X user posted.
Spence was ready as he responded directly to certain comments like when an ‘X’ user posted, “He just better than u one trick pony.”
“You might b right but one trick got Olympics, kids in private school, mom & pops retired yrs ago passport full of stamps & I don’t have to pick up a glove again if I don’t want to,” Spence replied on ‘X.’
Boxing is a lonely sport that loves you when you are winning and doubts you the moment you lose. Welcome back to the conversation, Errol Spence.
