The weekend of July 25, 2026 had one consistent theme. Whether it was by design, or coincidence, the theme was one where former world champions shared the spotlight of the sport with the consistent premise of several of these fighters looking to return to competition after time away from the sport and one fighter taking the next step in his own comeback, which began earlier this year.
Unfortunately for this observer and the reader, my thoughts on that fighter, former two-time World Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who returned to action for the second time in his latest comeback against former world title challenger Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand on July 24th, will be limited to little more than a brief mention by yours truly because the bout took place under circumstances in 2026 that are rare for a fighter of Fury’s stature in the sport. In that there was no broadcast coverage of the bout on television or streaming and thus, unless you were fortunate to attend the event in person, not much is known as far as to what occurred during the fight. This observer, however, can report thanks to limited coverage that has emerged that Fury did emerge victorious via seventh round stoppage when the forty-six year old Wach, a fighter who had gone 2-4 in his last six fights and is not the same fighter he was many years ago when he was a top contender and challenged for a world title, retired on his stool after the seventh round.
While the decision by the braintrusts behind this event to have what amounts to a blackout and limited coverage of it, is something some will question, the fact is, Fury was able to pick up his second victory in a little more than three months since returning to the ring following a near two year hiatus.
It was also on July 24th, however, that another world champion took his first step in a comeback of his own after nearly three years out of action, which aligned with two other bouts in terms of former champions attempting comebacks that will also be discussed in this column on July 25th. Yours truly, is referring to former two-division world champion Demetrius Andrade, who returned for the first time since his loss in November 2023 to David Benavidez, to face veteran Douglas Ataide at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.
Although this observer was prepared for a long fight based on Andrade’s style that would have required more analysis, he simply did not waste time in knocking Ataide out with a brutal combination to the head that sent him down without a count from Referee Rick Gonzalez.
If one were to draw up an ideal scenario for a fighter attempting a comeback after a lengthy absence, you can not draw it much better than a first round knockout in terms of generating buzz. While Andrade, who picked up his thirty-third victory and his twentieth knockout in this fight, is not known for having this kind of punching power, he did succeed in getting people’s attention and perhaps this will lead to him fighting at least once more before the end of the year as he looks to continue building momentum.
Now we come to the stage of this writing where two fights that were originally going to be the central focus of this column took place on July 25th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Sydney, Australia respectively, each featuring fighters beginning comebacks. First up would be former two-time World Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, who returned for the first time since a tragic car accident in the weeks following his knockout win over Jake Paul last December to face “Knockout Artist" Kristian Prenga at the Jeddah, Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In Joshua's case, his comeback attempt differs from the others that have been and will be discussed in this column as he had been active as recently as last December and was competing consistently before his knockout of Jake Paul. Where his comeback differs is Joshua was competing for the first time since surviving a fatal car accident that he lost two close friends and members of his team in Nigeria. While Joshua suffered what has been described as minor injuries, his survival should be viewed as a miracle. The impact on him and the losses he suffered in the tragic accident makes this comeback different for him.
Given those circumstances, the obvious question that surrounded this fight was what version of Joshua would show up in the ring. Although Kristian Prenga had scored knockouts in all twenty of his wins as a professional fighter, there were some who felt this was a soft touch for Joshua given Prenga’s limited level of competition. A point of view that nearly proved to be a major miscalculation as Premga dropped Joshua almost immediately after the bout began with a short right uppercut to the head. Joshua was able to get up on unsteady legs and was largely manhandled by Prenga for the majority of the rest of the first round including being roughed up in close before being shoved down to the canvas. This would be followed by Prenga being credited with a second knockdown before the round was over as Joshua's gloves touched the canvas after being hit with a short punch.
At the conclusion of the first round, I thought that at minimum Joshua coming back in a relatively short time following the accident may have been a costly decision. While obviously not wanting to jump to conclusions as yours truly was not and is not on the inside and knows no further information than what had been made public, at worst, I felt that perhaps the impacts of what Joshua had been through may have compromised him in some way. It also appeared that he did not look as though he was warmed up and beyond the circumstances that surrounded this fight, the possibility that he was caught cold was also something to take into consideration beyond what Prenga had brought into the ring.
Round two would prove to be as dramatic. Joshua was able to slow the pace slightly, throwing right hands behind a consistent jab, which he was unable to do in the first round. This led to him gradually being able to back Prengan up and it would be late in the second round where Joshua would land a combination highlighted by a right hand to the head that sent Prenga down hard in his own corner. Although Prenga showed heart by trying to beat the count, he was unable to get up before the count of ten and Joshua had scored a dramatic, come from behind knockout.
While Joshua did what he had to do here, it should be cause for at least pause, if not concern. It is common knowledge that even before this fight and Tyson Fury’s bout against Mariusz Wach, it had been announced that the two former world champions, who have circled each other for years, had signed a contract to meet later this year in a bout to be streamed on digital subscription general entertainment network Netflix and had been advertised prior to both bouts.
It is a practice that though far from new in the sport of Boxing with regard to star fighters signing contacts to face each other, that interim bouts would be scheduled on or around the same dates featuring those fighters in separate fights, and is used as means of promotion for the eventual fight between the two, it does obviously come with risks and in this case, it nearly proved to be a bust for all involved. Perhaps some evaluation is needed and Joshua should take some time to make sure he is fully healed physically and mentally before that fight should be scheduled.
This brings us to the final fight that took place on July 25th that pitted two former world champions against each other in a crossroads battle in Sydney, Australia in the 160lb. Middleweight division. Yours truly is referring to the encounter between former unified World Welterweight champion Errol Spence and former WBO Jr. Middleweight world champion Tim Tszyu, which took place at the Afterpay Arena.
If one were to take the particulars of this encounter out of the equation briefly, they would see what amounted to a classic scenario of a boxer/puncher in Spence going against a power punching pressure fighter in Tszyu. The context in which this fight took place, however, is something that cannot be ignored. This was the first fight for Spence in over three years following his being stopped by Terrence Crawford in a bout that fully unified the 147lb. Welterweight division. The beating he sustained in that fight, along with medical issues outside the ring was a central story of this fight. It can also not be dismissed that this was an encounter originally contracted to take place at a 158lb. Catchweight, but was changed to be at the official 160lb. Middleweight limit at the request of Spence, which fueled speculation among at least some that he may have been struggling to make the agreed upon contracted weight. Longtime readers know that this observer is not a fan of the concept of catchweights for several reasons including, but not limited to it seems to serve as a disadvantage to either a fighter moving up in weight or a fighter moving down to make the theoretical “Catchweight” fight occur. More often than not, however, it amounts to semantics. In this case, this fight would have always been classified as a Middleweight bout due to it being above the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight limit and below the 160lb. Middleweight limit. The issue of allowing one fighter two extra pounds to come in right at the given limit for a weight class amounts to nothing more than a technicality and would not play any meaningful role in how the fight was fought.
In terms of how the fight was fought, the first six rounds seemed to be a trade off in that the two fighters traded rounds. One round would appear to be dictated by Spence’s combination and volume punching, where the next round would be highlighted by Tszyu’s heavier power punches. While this set up a close fight through the first six rounds of the scheduled twelve round bout, what was noticeable not only during the first half of the contest, but increasingly became more evident as the fight progressed was Tszyu’s heavier punches and ability to consistently knock Spence off balance and hurt him. What also stood out to yours truly was Spence’s legs at no point during this fight appeared to be steady and as the fight progressed even though he showed a lot of heart and mettle by taking hard, thudding blows, it seemed like in some respects, whether it be because of his inactivity or because of age being thirty-six years old, his punch resistance was not what it appeared to be prior to his encounter with Terence Crawford three years ago. Despite this, he was able to stay on his feet even though as the fight progressed, the look of a lopsided contest where one fighter was taking a gradual beating became increasingly clear.
To his credit, however, Spence showed a lot of heart and was able to make it to the final bell where Tszyu would be declared the winner by twelve round unanimous decision. Immediately following the fight in a post-fight interview with Australia’s Main Event broadcast, which served as the global broadcaster for this fight, Spence acknowledged that he had given his best and when asked if he intended to continue his career, he said he wanted to talk with his family and start a new life outside of Boxing.
Although some may contend that a fighter announcing his retirement in the ring immediately after a fight, particularly one that they lost may be dismissed as an emotional reaction in the immediate aftermath of a fight, there are times when a fighter realizes. whether they acknowledge it publicly or not, that they are not the fighter they once were and a universal truth that seems to be the case in virtually all combat sports where a fighter breaks down or ages at different times and one fighter’s journey will not be identical to another’s. Errol Spence has always represented his sport well and will go down in history as a likely Hall of Famer and one of the best Welterweights during his time in the sport. If this is the end for him as a fighter, he can hold his head high and know that he went out in his last fight like the champion he has been through most of his career.
As for Tim Tszyu, the victory over Spence, his third as a Middleweight will likely raise his stock as he looks to move himself into contention towards another opportunity to fight for a world title. The goal moving forward for him should be to try and move himself into a spot where a potential title fight in late 2027 or early 2028 might be a possibility if he continues to win. If he can stay active and depending on who he is matched up with, will likely determine how quick he might be able to move himself into position for that challenge. What Tszyu does have working in his favor is he does have name recognition and has proven to be a significant draw in his native Australia to such a degree where he may be able to dictate that fights occur in the land down under and can be in that position even as a potential challenger for a world title based on his ability to sell out arenas and stadiums regardless of who he fights. While continuing to be as active as possible and winning are crucial factors, so too is the ability to draw crowds and the business of the sport of Boxing, for better or worse, also plays a role in dictating how quickly a fighter gets an opportunity to fight for a world title and more specifically, how often those opportunities are given. The combination of name recognition value as well as being a proven draw may give Tszyu the ammunition he needs to accelerate towards a title shot quicker than some of the other contenders in the Middleweight division. Continuing to be active and perform well will make the argument for him to get the shot even stronger.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
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