Robert Garcia, Paulie Malignaggi Say They've Heard Of Errol Spence's Return Fight

Legendary trainer Robert Garcia says that former welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. will return in 2026 against a fellow former world champion.

“I actually heard that too last night,” Robert Garcia said in an interview posted on social media when asked about Errol Spence’s return.

His rumored opponent is none other than Tim Tszyu (29-3, 18 Kos), the former WBO junior middleweight from Australia and son of legendary 140 lb champion Kostya Tszyu. He is also the brother of Nikita Tszyu, a rising star in Australia.

Garcia dismissed the idea of his charge, Virgil Ortiz Jr., facing Errol Spence any time soon.

“He’s been out for so long, and he’s had problems, accidents, so it wouldn’t be that exciting for me right now. If he goes out and looks sensational and destroys Tszyu, then, yes, it’ll make a lot of sense.”

Garcia joins former world champion Paulie Malignaggi, who has also reportedly said that Premiere Boxing Champions is looking to promote this fight in 2026. "One of the rumors down under here, when I'm in Australia, is Tim Tszyu vs Errol Spence."

Paulie Speaking on the Rumor he heard👀 pic.twitter.com/MA3psqCKYD
— Pound4Pound (@Pound4our4Pound) January 14, 2026

Tszyu is incredibly 2-3 in his last five fights, a crime of mismanagement more than anything, as he has been thrown into difficult spots against tough opponents.

When Was Errol Spence's Last Fight?

Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) was last seen in the ring in July 2023, when he faced Terrence Crawford. The fight was viewed at the time as a 50-50 match-up and attracted significant attention. Terrence Crawford cemented his pound-for-pound status with a masterful performance, defeating Spence Jr. via an emphatic 9th-round technical knockout.

Virgil Ortiz Jr., for his part, is instead seeking a 154 lb fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis, which, if made in 2026, would be a 154 lb. mega fight. However, the fact that both Virgil Ortiz, Jr. and Errol Spence, Jr. hail from different cities in Texas makes a potential matchup easy to market as a “Battle of Texas,” regardless of how their future records unfold.

Vergil Ortiz lands a right hand on Serhii Bohachuk. | IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

It's a natural narrative that boxing promoters can leverage to generate excitement and media attention. With the right support, it could be a big stadium fight in the future.

However, Spence Jr. needs to win one first o putting him against Virgil Ortiz Jr. isn’t like sending him to the Battle of the Alamo. A fight between Tszyu, who again is 2-3 in his last five fights, would be a great comeback fight for Spence, Jr., and if he gets past that and Virgil Ortiz Jr. has one more, then bring on the battle of Texas.

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